Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez betting odds and preview

5/30/2013 6:07:29 PM – Mayweather,

36,  is currently a -270 favorite at 5Dimes Sportsbook against

the 22-year old unbeaten Alvarez  (one

draw).

A $ 270

bet returning $ 100 in a Floyd Mayweather bout is a testament to Alvarez’ skill

in and of itself. The young Mexican boxing icon has been heralded as the much

needed future of a sport in decline; an exciting, talented slugger fans can get

behind as he inches closer to super stardom. A win against Mayweather would go a

long way toward solidifying Alvarez as a household name. Heck, even if he were

to fizzle out the remainder of his career he would always be remembered for

knocking Mayweather off his throne.

Fresh

off his dominant win over game but overmatched opponent Robert “The Ghost”

Guerrero, and barely with enough time to have finished stacking his $ 32 million

guaranteed purse in $ 100 bills, Mayweather did what boxing critics and internet

trolls swore he wouldn’t: He chose the biggest payday over the safest payday.  

His

blockbuster, six-fight deal with Showtime could be worth up to $ 250 million, so

naturally many expected Mayweather to cherry-pick the competition to give

himself the best chance at remaining unbeaten before riding off into the sunset

in his bulletproof Hummer limo, but that’s not the case.

He instead

chose the most dangerous fighter available to set up a super fight the fans

clamored for. It is also the most potentially lucrative bout since the 2007

showdown between “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya and Mayweather, which had 2.4

million PPV buys.

They do

call him “Money” after all.

Canelo

Alvarez is coming off a unanimous decision victory against the biggest name he

has squared off with to date – Austin Trout – though many purists, including

this boxing writer, believe that he emerged with a gift decision. Alvarez won

by a comfortable margin on the cards, though he was out-landed by the busier,

slicker, yet unfortunately feather-fisted Trout.  The fight was somewhat similar to Richard

Abril outboxing Brandon Rios yet ultimately failing to convince the judges his

punches had any impact whilst occasionally being tagged by a more powerful foe.

Alvarez did manage to floor Trout once, which can only help the build-up to his

September showdown.

The

upcoming mega-fight is also unique in that the quick turnaround is unusual for

Floyd Mayweather, but expected given his age and the amount of fights required

for him to milk in his whole Showtime contract.

At 36

years of age, Mayweather still heads in as the quicker boxer with a substantial

experience advantage and seemingly the advantage in every category except size

(his largest weigh-in coming at 151 lbs against Miguel Cotto).  The two sides met in the middle on the issue

of weight and will fight at “catchweight” of 152 pounds. Canelo Alvarez walks

around at 175 lbs, and even with making weight he figures to pack on at least a

15 lb advantage by the time the bell sounds.

Mayweather’s keys to victory

While

the most vocal of Mayweather’s 4 million Twitter followers and “The Money Team”

entourage believe all the unbeaten king must do is show up, that’s not quite

the case. Mayweather made it look easy against Guerrero, but he had no respect

for his power after feeling him out in the first two rounds. Against Canelo,

who once again is the bigger man, he must work hard to keep it in the center of

the ring and avoid slugging it out like he did against Cotto or working off the

ropes.

Canelo’s keys to victory

Head

movement – Throughout his career Canelo has been criticized for staying

somewhat stationary in the ring with subpar defense while imposing his will on

a multitude of lesser opponents. He must be a boxer-puncher in this fight, not

necessarily to try to beat Floyd at his own game, but to keep himself upright.

A flat-footed target makes the absolute easiest for a striker of Mayweather’s

class.

Attack the body – Many have tried and failed at swinging for the fences against

Mayweather. They end up looking frustrated 

and desperate while connecting with nothing more than air. If a 36-year

old man is going to slow down, sustained liver shots are the ticket.

Don’t take rounds off – Canelo must have the best training camp of his career,

and he also must modify his approach by training for quickness over sheer

power. It is more important that Canelo have the confidence that he will not

tire late in the fight than it is he feel physically capable of knocking

Mayweather’s block off. The truth of the matter is aside from being near unhittable,

Mayweather has proven he can take a shot in stride — The unbeaten American

suffered only one official knockdown in his career after his glove touched the

canvas when he injured himself battering Carlos Hernandez.

The

betting odds are sure to fluctuate from now till September. Make sure to

bookmark this article and check back as the weeks progress for an updated grid

of the most competitive moneyline, total rounds, prop bets, and other boxing

odds on this superfight.

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Floyd Mayweather vs Canelo Alvarez betting odds and preview