When it was announced that the games cash cow, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, had signed a three-fight deal with PBC, it was widely reported that he would be facing WBC middleweight champion, Jermall Charlo on September 16.
It turns out that everyone had the wrong date, and the wrong Charlo.
On Friday it was revealed that Alvarez would be facing Jermell Charlo -- the reigning undisputed champion at 154 -- on September 30.
And guess what?
This is actually an upgrade.
lunatoonboxing
Yeah, I know, 'Mell is actually the smaller of the two brothers, and moving up two weight division to face the undisputed super middleweight champion. But Jermall, who is going through a lot of personal issues, hasn't fought since the summer of 2021, and lets be honest, it's Jermell who is the more accomplished of the two siblings.
Neither fight is perfect given the fact that both would be moving up in weight, but the Charlo's are fiery competitors who aren't just coming for a paycheck. Their track record suggests that in the words of Herman Edwards, that they: ''play...to...win...the...game''.
Showtime Sports
The question is if there is enough physical slippage in Canelo for him to be in true jeopardy? If there is, you could have a situation where the bigger fighter is unable to handle the speed and quickness of the smaller more athletic foe. Think, Manny Pacquiao-Oscar De La Hoya, although admittedly, that is a bit extreme given the circumstances that existed in that match-up. Or maybe it's another version of Gennadiy Golovkin-Kell Brook, which saw Brook have some moments, but was overwhelmed by the strength and power of 'GGG'.
Regardless, this is an interesting pairing that should provide some intrigue, and produce decent numbers on the ledger.
BIG BABY
It wasn't without some rough moments, but Jared Anderson remained undefeated as he defeated former heavyweight belt-holder, Charles Martin over 10 rounds at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio. While he scored a knockdown in the third, the most harrowing moments of the fight occurred when Martin (29-4-1, 26 KOs) buzzed 'Big Baby' in the fifth stanza and had him on unsteady legs.
Anderson (15-0, 14 KOs) was able to make it out of that round, and then regain control for the rest of the proceedings, before getting clipped again in the final stages of the last round.
Jared Anderson Scores 1 Knockdown, Gets Tested, Gets Win over Martin | FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS
“I wanted to go the distance. It was my first time. I just wanted to make sure that I could go the distance and especially be able to withstand power the whole 10 rounds. He had power until the last round, and I was happy to get the rounds in," said the victor.
Yeah, I remain high on Anderson, but admittedly this effort left me with some concerns. He has a troubling habit of pulling back from oncoming punches that could really be problematic against the taller, longer heavyweights that are small forward sized in today's game.
Mikey Williams/Top Rank
“I think I took his best shots very well. I don’t think there was a time in the fight where I looked unsteady or where I couldn’t hold my own," Anderson reasoned. "Did it feel like he got me with a good shot and stunned me? No. But do I feel like he got me with a good shot and made me aware? Yes, so I had to readjust and get back to the game plan."
Well, what we saw, and what he says, are two different things. But it will be interesting to see how Anderson approaches things going forward as he moves up the heavyweight ladder. While Anderson isn't small by any stretch (6'4, 240-250 pounds), he is still relatively undersized in comparison to the many other modern heavyweights. He also needs to do a better job of tucking in his chin, and turning over his punches on his knuckles.
Again, there's a lot to work with, but a lot to work on, as it relates to Anderson. But you wonder with his statements that at age 23, that he wants to be out of the game by 26, 27, if Top Rank and his handlers can really take their time in developing him properly.
FINAL FLURRIES
Dalton Smith scored a highlight reel KO of Sam Maxwell in the seventh round of their junior welterweight contest in Sheffield, England....Meanwhile in Manchester, Savannah Marshall captured the undisputed super middleweight title by defeating Franchon Crews Dezurn via split decision.... Abdullah Mason and Arslanbek Makhmudov got lay-ups on the ESPN undercard....Really enjoyed the Netflix documentary on 'the American Gladiators', and yes, 'Nitro' is in this one...I can be reached at k9kim@yahoo.com....
