'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez stepped into the ring together on September 14, 2013, at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. At the time, Mayweather was touted as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, a title that Alvarez now holds.
Mayweather won the fight via majority decision after twelve rounds. It stands as the sole defeat on Canelo's record.
Richard Schaefer, former CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, revealed in the DAZN documentary, Road to Greatness, that he advised Alvarez not to challenge Mayweather when he did but that Canelo adamantly wanted the fight to be made:
"They come to my office again, they say 'Richard, let's talk about my next fight. We want Floyd Mayweather.' And I said, 'Come on, this is not gonna happen... Floyd Mayweather is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, you've got to trust me here, just wait a little longer.' No, 'We want Floyd Mayweather.'"
Though Canelo lost the fight with Mayweather, it was likely one of the most important bouts of his career. Alvarez had just one less professional bout than the pound-for-pound king but was thirteen years younger and at a much earlier stage of his career. Mayweather served as a learning opportunity for the future-great and caused a transformation in style.
Check out the interview with Richard Schaefer here:
Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Canelo Alvarez
Going into the bout, Mayweather had a record of 44-0-0 and Alvarez had a record of 42-0-1. Alvarez held the WBC and The Ring Super Welterweight Championship titles while Mayweather held the WBC and The Ring Welterweight Championships. The men fought at a catchweight of 152lbs.
Alvarez was coming off a victory over Austin Trout. He won on the cards after a dominant performance and knocked Trout down for the first time in his career.
Mayweather was coming off a victory over Robert Guerrero. The fight came after consecutive wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Márquez, Shane Mosley, Victor Ortiz, and Miguel Cotto.
When they met in the ring, Mayweather successfully neutralized Canelo's aggression and dominated the fight with footwork, tight defense, and effective counterpunching. The fight was scored 116-112 and 117-111 by two of the judges and 114-114 by the third, C.J. Ross. Scrutiny of the cards resulted in Ross' retirement from judging.
