By Bill Phanco: WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) is reporting on his twitter that he’ll be facing WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout (26-0, 14 KO’s) on the Floyd Mayweather Jr. undercard on May 4th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Also, Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Robert Diaz is reporting that Golden Boy will be announcing Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Robert Guerrero and Trout vs. Canelo fight card for May 4th within days.
Here’s what Canelo said on his twitter today: “Canelo vs. Trout, May 4, MGM.”
Robert Jackson – The latest news has it that Floyd Mayweather Jr. whomever he decides to fight on May 4, 2013 will be trained by his father Floyd Joy Mayweather Sr. Floyd Jr’s announced return to his father after a long separation was speculated about previously with Floyd Jr saying his current trainer at the time – Uncle Roger’s health was deteriorating due to his diabetes, preventing him from training at his best.
Floyd Sr. has worked with Chad Dawson, Joan Guzman, currently works with Andre Dirrell and Mickey Bey, and was the trainer of Oscar De La Hoya during his heyday in the ring. Floyd Sr. was also in the camp for Floyd Jr’s return to the ring against Juan Manuel Marquez. During that fight Floyd’s tactics and technique were very sharp with Floyd winning a lopsided UD. Floyd Sr was also in the camp when Floyd Jr faced Shane Mosley albeit in a limited role, and for the next two fights against Victor Ortiz and Miguel Cotto Floyd Sr was absent from his son’s camps. During which a decline in Floyd Jr’s technique and tactics was noticeable.
By Robert Jackson: Up until yesterday 2/5/2013 it was all but expected that Floyd Mayweather Jr. would be soon announcing his return to the ring to face Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero. And then…Facebook interceded and the whole world found out that Money Mayweather would be facing Devon Alexander! But wait, wasn’t it announced yesterday that Alexander injured a bicep while training for a February matchup with Kell Brook for the IBF title, causing that match-up to be postponed?
By Jeff Sorby: Unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. is claiming that he’s on the verge of fighting a unification bout against IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander (24-1, 13 KO’s) on May 4th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather said on his twitter tonight: “The negotiations for my fight are almost done. The front runner is IBF Champion Devon Alexander. It’d be a unification bout at welterweight.”
How the fight could be a unification bout is the big question given that Alexander is under contract for a title defense against Kell Brook. If Alexander takes the fight with Mayweather, he’ll get stripped of his IBF title by the International Boxing Federation for failing to fight his mandatory challenger Brook.
By Rob Smith: Floyd Mayweather Jr’s uncle/trainer Roger Mayweather thinks boxing fans still want to see a mega fight between Floyd Jr. and Manny Pacquiao despite Pacquiao’s recent bad knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez. Roger thinks fans will still want to see the fight regardless.
By Robert Jackson: The P4P King Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KO’s) of boxing has penciled in on his schedule 2 dates for the 2013 boxing season: May 4, 2013 and September 14, 2013. But what has not been penciled in are his opponents for either date. On the short list of Mayweather foes are Robert Guerrero, Canelo Alvarez and Timothy Bradley (only a rumor). Other possible foes could be Austin Trout, a Miguel Cotto rematch, Manny Pacquiao and Sergio Martinez.
Mayweather the consummate businessman has always said “if it makes money it makes sense” and any of the fights on his short list will definitely make money only because of the chance that Mayweather could lose. A high number of Mayweather fight buys are made by buyers hoping to see Mayweather clearly defeated in the ring. What’s also interesting are the dates that Mayweather has chosen to fight on – both of which are traditional Mexican Holidays. So it can be speculated that Mayweather will want to fight Mexican fighters to maximize the profitability of these fights. So that bodes well for Canelo and Guerrero.
By Marc Livitz: In a bit less than one hundred days time, the world’s greatest fighter will take his place in the ring once again, a full year removed from his previous trip to the same place in the same city. While his space in Canastota all but secured, we could possibly acknowledge his tenure in the Gall of Fame as equally credible. Until that day comes, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. will continue to turn heads, garner attention (for better or for worse) and get many of us to tune in to his next bout, which could always be his last.
In any case, the gears of professional boxing, which have been able to effectively run smoothly with the help of younger and fresh talent will screech to a halt whenever Floyd decides to officially announce his selected opponent for Saturday, May 4, 2013.
The recent revelations that Mayweather himself sets the venue, ticket prices, pay per view rates and perhaps even the price of extra cheese on the nachos is more than worth its weight in platinum that he is in full command. Good for him. Maybe he’s set the template for fighters present and future that they more than anyone else in their close and at times far too close inner circles and they alone face the biggest risks. He does call Las Vegas home after all and maybe that’s why he feels so comfortable in the figurative position of dealer, pit boss and floor man.
By Rob Smith: Lance Pugmire from the LA Times is reporting that Golden Boy Promotions CEO is expected to be finalizing Floyd Mayweather Jr’s May 4th opponent by the end of this week. Schaefer’s not saying who it is. Some fans think it’s Robert Guerrero, while others see Saul “Canelo” Alvarez getting the fight.
Mayweather said the talk of him fighting Guerrero is merely a rumor, but Mayweather isn’t about to say anything right now to mess up negotiations. It probably works in his favor if he plays innocent about the Guerrero because it could make him more desperate to agree to the terms Mayweather and his team wants for the fight.
The options for Mayweather’s May 4th fight are these guys: Saul Alvarez, Guerrero and Tim Bradley. Each one brings Mayweather a certain advantage if he were to fight them. Alvarez brings the most money of the three by far, but he also is the most dangerous of the bunch. Guerrero brings less money but he’s more beatable due to his lack of power and his wide open brawling style of fighting that will no doubt give Mayweather tons of opportunities for him to counter him.
By Rob Smith: Floyd Mayweather Jr. isn’t ready to admit that he’s fighting Robert Guerrero on May 4th despite almost entire boxing world already suspecting that he will be. On his twitter today, Mayweather said “As of right now I don’t know who I’m fighting on May 4th. Me fighting Robert Guerrero is just a rumor.”
By Bill Phanco: Whether WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) fights on Golden Boy Promotion’s May 4th fight card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, may come down to whether Golden Boy can get him a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. later on in the year on September 14th.
According to fightnews.com, a source has reported that Alvarez hasn’t agreed yet to fight on the Mayweather pay per view undercard on May 4th against possibly WBA junior middleweight champion Austin Trout.
Apparently, the deal that Alvarez is looking for is a guaranteed fight against Mayweather Jr. on September 14th before he’ll agree to fight on the May 4th card. If Alvarez can’t get that deal then he’ll fight on another date. He could even fight in Mexico.