By: Sean Crose
He certainly looked better than he did the last time he was in the ring. When Canelo Alvarez had last fought it was well over a year ago and he was decisively beaten by Terence Crawford. While there was no doubt Crawford had won the fight handily, there were understandable questions about whether or not Canelo’s amazing career was winding down. It wasn’t just that he appeared at the point in an athletic career that it may be time to step away. It was that he looked like he was no longer the fighter he once was. At least that’s how many saw it.
And indeed on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia Canelo continued to look like a man who has passed this prime. When you’re Canelo Alvarez however, past your prime is still better than most of the fighters out there on their best days. That was certainly the case with Christian Mbilli, who Canelo easily handled throughout 12 rounds. Mbilli was good, but Canelo was just that much better. An aging Canelo Alvarez after all is still Canelo Alvarez. The normally aggressive Mbilli simply wasn’t able to mount a steady offense. Canelo’s strength and accuracy pretty much told the tale of the fight.
Not that MBilli was terrible. Indeed he did very well. He was simply up against a legend, one who was far more familiar fighting under the bright lights than he himself was. For a fighter like MBilli such an experience might end up being positive. Canelo himself after all learned a lot in his loss against Floyd Mayweather. Canelo now is a man who knows all the tricks. And it seems the only way to learn those tricks yourself is to learn them the hard way, a lesson MBilli and others could likely attest to.
While few would argue Canelo had returned to his prime on Saturday, his performance after the Crawford loss, coupled with roughly a year out of the ring, showed just how good a fighter the man is. He has a way of throwing his opponents off, Canelo does. And if a fighter like MBilli is custom made for Canelo then 9 out of 10 fighters out there are custom made for Canelo as well. He’s that elite, even now that he’s on the wind down of his Hall of Fame career. Those who thought Canelo was washed up heading into the weekend were clearly mistaken.
It’s so difficult to explain,” Alvarez stated (via ESPN) after the fight had ended. “It’s something unbelievable, this feeling. Like my first title. Thirty-one years as a professional. Sixteen years ago, I won my first title. Now, I won the title again. I’m so proud.” Sometimes what’s old is simply new again. At least that’s the case this weekend after Canelos victory. “I knew (he) was a strong fighter,” he went on to say of MBilli. “If he didn’t throw a lot of punches, it’s because it’s difficult to throw punches with me.”
The reality is that if Canelo were willing or able to he could have walked away from the ring tonight on top of the world. He looked so good though, that even now, past his best days, it’s understandable the man would want to stick around. Again he may not be as hard to beat as he once was.. but he’s still exceedingly hard to beat. And in an age of childish behavior, Canelo’s seriousness and focus is something fans can get behind. As I’ve stated previously, the guy is a consummate professional. We shouldn’t be so quick to write the guy off.
