Canelo Alvarez: As High As He Gets?

Right now, it looks like a before and after. 

Saul Alvarez was already one of the better fighters in the world before his second bout with Gennady Golovkin. Their rematch, like the first fight, was hotly contested and the scoring continues to be debated but there was something different about Alvarez’s performance that night.

Alvarez adjusted, grew, from the first fight to the second. It was one of the most complete performances of his career against the best opponent he faced at middleweight. Since that night, Alvarez is 5-0 and he hasn’t come close to losing since. 

That doesn’t mean he’s won every round he’s competed in. Alvarez is unlikely to ever be that sort of fighter consistently. What we seem to be seeing now is a fully mature professional able to handle every situation. Against Daniel Jacobs, he was contained and steady. Versus Sergey Kovalev, he was disciplined in waiting for an opening. Callum Smith was drowned from the beginning. Billy Joe Saunders hung around long enough to get his face broken. 

Since his bout with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, seven of Alvarez’s eight contests have been against men ranked as the champion or in the top ten of their division by TBRB or Ring Magazine. Saturday (Showtime PPV, 9 PM EST) will be the sixth of those eight against a fighter rated no lower than number two by either. 

Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KO) will attempt to be the first four-belt holder at super middleweight this weekend when he faces IBF titlist Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KO). Plant will bring significant advantages in height and reach as well as what could be a tricky style.

Plant has the ability to stick and move without taking too many shots, at least against his opponents to date. He’s not as gifted as Floyd Mayweather or as experienced as Erislandy Lara, but Plant might have the tools to borrow pieces of what each did to befuddle Alvarez in spots and play spoiler this weekend.

If Plant can’t, no one will be particularly surprised. 

A great fighter in the zone is a hard thing to get past and Alvarez’s before and after might be the most distinct since his most celebrated countryman.

Julio Cesar Chavez was one of the better fighters in the world, and some already thought he was even better than that, during his reign at Jr. lightweight. There were moments that left it up for discussion, including a razor thin decision over Juan LaPorte. Then Chavez moved up in weight for Edwin Rosario.

Alvarez’s win over Golovkin wasn’t as comprehensive or destructive as the lashing Chavez gave Rosario. It still played as a fulcrum point. For more than five years after that night, Chavez would be genuinely tested only once while facing the best lightweight and Jr. welterweight had to offer. 

One of the favorite parlor games boxing fans engage in is the question of who would have won if fighter a from fifty years or so back could fight fighter b of today. One of the stipulations is typically framed as ‘both on their best day.’ 

Not that there really is a single best day. The idea really refers to the time when a fighter was functioning at their highest level. Alvarez appears to be there right now and if the Golovkin rematch really was the point where Alvarez’s game elevated to its peak level, it presents a question. 

Are we seeing the best of Alvarez right now or is there a little more we still haven’t seen? Plant might be the opponent to help answer that question; he might not. Regardless, Alvarez is already 31 and if this is as good as it gets it’s already more than enough to ensure he will be mentioned with the top Mexican names of all time on the way to the Hall of Fame.

Alvarez is having a great career. We’re in the ‘how great?’ phase. It adds an extra allure to every appearance.  

Cliff’s Notes…

Quibble about it being on par television, but Gervonta Davis-Issac Cruz is a competitive upgrade over Rolly Romero…Also, any fight the customer deems worth paying extra for belongs on pay-per-view. The customer is always right and no one is forced to be a customer…Devin Haney-Joseph Diaz is a good next step for Haney with less power risk than the Linares fight. Diaz probably won’t win but he’ll make Haney earn it…Good showing so far for Team USA at the amateur world championships so far. After a solid Olympic showing in 2021, and with the next Games just three years away, are we seeing a turn around? Stay tuned…Jose Ramirez-Jose Pedraza is going to be a good test for both.   

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.