Mayweather blows hype and Álvarez out of his way in Las Vegas

It was billed as one of the biggest fights in boxing history, with the promoters promising to break pay-per-view and revenue records. It was touted as perhaps the best chance to blemish Floyd Mayweather Jr’s unrivaled sprint through the sport.

But from the time Mayweather threw a punch against Saúl Álvarez on Saturday night in Las Vegas, it was clear that the competition would not match the hype.

Mayweather danced, dodged and repeatedly snapped Álvarez’s head and spirit to its breaking point, as he easily improved his record to 45-0 with a majority decision victory. By the time the sweat was wiped from Álvarez’s reddened face, the only question that remained was whether there was truly anyone in the sport who could give Mayweather a challenge worthy of the hoopla.

Although Álvarez, who lost for the first time in 44 professional fights, was the bigger fighter, he withered under the bright lights and was backpedaling for much of the fight. He began stalking forward only after the result was no longer in doubt. But even then, he was greeted by flashes of Mayweather’s electric blue gloves at every turn.

The only surprise was that one of the judges, CJ Ross, scored the bout even at 114-114. Mayweather won easily on the other two cards.

Even before throwing a single punch on Saturday night, Mayweather already had flexed his dominance as the sport's premier attraction and hype man. Together with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, Mayweather and his team turned this bout into one of the biggest boxing events in recent memory – so much so that it seemed hard to imagine that the public ever yearned for a Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao superfight.

This fight sold out within 24 hours, with the cheapest tickets selling for €260. As of Saturday night, the asking price for the most expensive tickets was more than €10,000. On Friday, the MGM Grand Garden Arena was packed for the weigh-in as the fighters made long, elaborate walks to the scale with music bumping, akin to their fight night ring walks. (Álvarez weighed in at the 152-pound limit, while Mayweather was at 150½.)

Many boxing observers said the event was shaping up to be even bigger than the Mayweather-De La Hoya match-up. Álvarez, 23, is not nearly as accomplished as De La Hoya was when he fought Mayweather, but he presented an intriguing match-up for the potential he possesses.

Although Mayweather has made arrogance an art form, even he has agreed that the fight offered some mystery.

“He’s a good, strong, solid boxer, and I mean it’s a very intriguing match-up,” he said before the fight.

Álvarez’s youth and power stoked the hope among his supporters that he could catch the 36-year-old Mayweather with a heavy punch and tarnish his unblemished record. He has the good looks and charisma to make him a marketable figure, especially among the fans in his home country, Mexico, similar to his mentor and promoter, De La Hoya. He also brought into the fight an unbeaten record, with 42 victories and one draw.

“Well, I know why it’s caught on so big is because people have hope and people strongly feel that Mayweather is going to get beat,” De La Hoya said during a conference call days before the fight. “You know, that’s why I feel this fight is catching fire.”

De La Hoya was in some ways living vicariously through Álvarez. De La Hoya insisted that he had offered a blueprint on how to beat Mayweather, with constant aggression, and the hope was that Álvarez would have the physical tools to carry out that plan.

But in a bizarre turn, De La Hoya was not around to see his protégé fight Saturday night because he checked into rehab Tuesday, continuing his long battle with alcoholism.

Álvarez, whose red hair earned him his nickname Canelo, which means cinnamon, entered the fight vowing to find that balance that all of Mayweather’s opponents look for, but none of them are able to execute successfully – being aggressive yet cautious. Mayweather uses his lightning-quick hands and deft footwork to put up some of the best defence and counterpunching in the sport, a code that no one has been able to crack so far.

“Pressure is going to help me in the fight, but, you know, smart pressure,” Álvarez said in the days leading to the fight.

But such pressure never came from Álvarez, who appeared to lose his cool at several moments throughout the fight.

By the sixth round, Álvarez appeared winded and disheveled. His face was red. Mayweather peppered him with several right hooks. At one point during the round, Álvarez showed frustration while he was tangled with Mayweather. Thinking that Mayweather was flailing his left elbow, Álvarez threw his own left forearm toward Mayweather as the two fighters broke apart. Álvarez then pointed his fist toward Mayweather and stared sternly.

In the eighth, Álvarez had Mayweather backed up on the ropes and seemed to be giving his fans a reason to cheer, but Mayweather responded to his opponent’s two-punch combination with a blistering right hand that twisted Álvarez the other way. Mayweather then calmly stepped up and landed three jabs a few seconds apart.

The typically brash Mayweather refused to give himself too much credit after the fight.

“It was cool today,” he said. “I got the job done.”

(New York Times Service)