It’s a big fight week, and the folks at Ring Magazine, via their website, have once again got busy asking a number of boxing experts for their pre-fight predictions – the big fight this time being of course the Canelo Alvarez-Jermell Charlo super middleweight title fight: “Undisputed Vs. Undisputed.” on Showtime PPV.
Canelo, 59-2-2(39) and the defending unified champ at 168 pounds, is the betting favourite against Charlo, 35-1-1(19) and the unified champ down at 154 pounds. And 33 year old Canelo (who is the same age as Charlo) is a whopping favourite to win Saturday night’s fight in Las Vegas in the opinion of the 20 experts asked for their pick by RingTV.com.
In fact, of the 20 experts asked, only one – yes, just one – is picking a Charlo win. That person is writer Ron Borges, who is going against the tide in picking Charlo by “clear decision.” Borges points to the fact that Canelo has “begun to slip.” How far is a question Borges is asking, but he has made his pick and it’s Charlo via decision.
Of the remaining 20 experts, who are all picking Canelo to win, ten are picking Canelo by stoppage. A few experts here do feel it will be close, however, with Tom Gray, Duke McKenzie and Norm Frauenheim picking Canelo by either split or majority decision victory.
Outside of the Ring poll, experts such as Freddie Roach and one or two others have predicted a Charlo win. But this fight, it seems, is a step too far for Charlo. Going up not one but two weight divisions in one jump really is a daring move, and most people in the sport feel Charlo will find out the jump is just too big for him, especially against a great fighter like Canelo.
Canelo may not be quite the fighter he once was, but the Mexican star is still plenty effective and dangerous. Charlo does have a fine ring IQ and he has fast hands, but Canelo is the harder hitter, he is the naturally thicker-set man, and Canelo has a chin of granite. Charlo will win some rounds, before Canelo, with his physical strength, his punching power, and his desire to teach his “disrespectful” challenger a lesson, takes over.
Canelo via late stoppage is the pick here.
What say YOU guys? Who RU Picking?
