LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather is vowing to defeat Saul Canelo Alvarez when the two meet for the WBC junior middleweight title Saturday night at the MGM Grand. But will his hands hold up long enough for him to keep his promise?
About the only concern Mayweather’s camp has going into the potential record-breaking pay-per-view bout is the condition of the boxer’s sometimes brittle hands. The pound-for-pound champion injured his right hand in his most recent fight, a 12-round domination of Robert Guerrero in May.
Mayweather landed a number of clean right hands on the overmatched Guerrero. The blows not only marked up Guerrero’s face, but left Mayweather’s hand bruised and swollen. X-rays were negative, though Mayweather said the injury prevented him from scoring a knockout.
Four months later, Mayweather says his hands feel fine. Still, with his history and even recent history, there’s no certainty they’ll hold up in a slugfest with the thick-muscled Alvarez.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. said Wednesday night his son’s hand problems first developed as an amateur and has followed him throughout his professional career.
“He’s just going to have to deal with those hands,” Mayweather Sr. said. “You’ve got to get a doctor or somebody to work on them. But if he has to whoop [Alvarez] with0 one hand, he’ll do it.”
“Money” Mayweather didn’t seem to have any concerns Wednesday as the final formal press conference was held at the MGM. He’ll earn a guaranteed $41.5 million with additional revenue from pay-per-view which could threaten 2 million buys. Mayweather knows he’ll earn plenty of money Saturday night. He also wants a victory over Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs), who is 13 years younger.
“My hands feel good,” Mayweather said. “Training camp was tremendous. It’s just another fight.”
Mayweather, 36, isn’t impressed with Alvarez’s resume and doesn’t think the 23-year-old cinnamon-haired Mexican is better than Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto, who Mayweather defeated in May 2012.
“People can believe what they want to believe,” Mayweather said. “Is he tough like Cotto? No. Can he box like Cotto? No. Can he punch like Cotto? No. Has he faced the same opposition that Cotto has faced? No. So am I worried? Absolutely, not.”
Neither is Mayweather Sr., who is serving as his son’s lead trainer for the bout.
“I’m not concerned with Canelo,” Floyd Sr. said. “Canelo don’t have the brains. He’s not going to have what it takes, believe me. Right now we know the weakness. We’re going to attack that; and after we start attacking that two or three times, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. He’s getting ready to go out. Chances are very, very good he’s going to get knocked out.”
Money Mayweather won’t get the knockout unless his hands hold up. Should they become injured early in the fight, he’ll have to be ultra-precise with his punches and his defense must be exceptional. When Mayweather Jr. was asked about Alvarez punching-power, he responded: “Who’s going to be there for him to hit with the power? I’m not going to be a stationary target.”
Mayweather hinted he had information Alvarez might have trouble making the 152-pound catch weight that is contracted for the bout. That’s two pounds below the normal 154-pound limit. Losing two pounds can be like losing 20.
“It’s my job as fighter to know everything about the fighter I’m facing,” Mayweather said.