NEW YORK — The “Face Of Boxing” often described about the fighter who gravitates fans, surpasses popularity, sells out venues, generates pay-per-view revenue, in this era a social media phenom.
Floyd Mayweather Jr, and Manny Pacquiao, they were the faces for over a decade. Mayweather established pay-per-view records and the Hall of Famer, (50-0) a distinction as the only undefeated fighter with 15-world championships. Pacquiao, the Hall of Famer, is the only fighter to win championships in eight different weight classes.
Miguel Cotto (Caguas, Puerto Rico) the Hall of Famer the only four-time division champion from Puerto Rico, at one-time met the Face Of Boxing criteria.
In the four-belt title era, Canelo Alvarez has been that face for a decade. The Mexican superstar, unified Super Middleweight champion, perhaps bypassing the Hall of Fame legend Julio Caesar Chavez as the iconic Mexican fighter.
Canelo Alvarez – Image Credit: DAZN Boxing
Alvarez meets the criteria as that face and perhaps continues that distinction, with a debate I will discuss in brief.
Saturday evening, in a hometown championship fight at Estadio Alcron in Guadalajara, Mexico, a spectacle fit for a king with over 55,000 of Mexican supporters and boxing fans, Alvarez continued his legacy, a wide and unanimous decision win over John Ryder. The opponent from Britain deserved the opportunity at Alvarez’s unified Super Middleweight titles, sustaining a broken nose, rebounding off the mat from a fifth round knockdown.
Highlights from #CaneloRyder | @autozone ▶️ pic.twitter.com/yHbIPnaRlA
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) May 7, 2023
But this was Canelo Alvarez, 32-years old, age to him is just a number. Though there were telling signs that an illustrious career could be on a decline. He could not finish off his opponent with a vintage knockout or that patterned TKO of body punches.
The CompuBox Breakdown:
With the exception of power punches thrown, Canelo bested Ryder in every statistical category tracked by CompuBox. Canelo landed 46% of his power punches and 39% of his total punches while landing twice as many punches as Ryder. Ryder fought gamely, spending the majority of the fight bleeding from his nose and mouth, and getting off of the canvas in the fifth round. His toughness did not translate into success, as he was only able to land 18% of his total punches, 6% of his jabs, and 27% of his power punches. Ryder only reached ten punches landed in one round, while Canelo landed at least ten punches in eleven of twelve rounds.
Canelo Alvarez – Image Credit: Skysports
Regardless, Alvarez remains the Face Of Boxing. Ryder, in all due respect, a viable opponent, heavy underdog. In boxing, the underdog is a great story who prevails, though not this time. Alvarez retained his unified titles at 168.
The prevailing question, is he still the Face? Perhaps, still that number one fighter. Perhaps, one or two more mega-fights before hanging up the gloves and awaiting a call from the Boxing Hall of Fame.
A rematch with Dmitri Bivol, avenging a unanimous decision loss last year to become a two-time light heavyweight champion, could be next in September. Alvarez wants that fight for his legacy or is it ego? Bivol would prefer taking the Super Middleweight titles and moving down in weight.
Alvarez, The Face, top free agent and not tied to an exclusive promoter or televised network, is advocating for the rematch, though at 175. He vows to become a two-time champion in that division, though after this win over Ryder, there are doubts that Alvarez could overpower the technical skills of Dmitri Bivol.
Alvarez, if not in command of the talks. could be set for an anticipated meeting with David Benavidez, the undefeated Mexican-American (27-0, 23 KO’s) the hard hitting 27-year old, a mandatory for the 168-pound titles.
A fight with Benavidez, mega as it is, in September, when Alvarez fights again, and a viable threat to those titles. Benavidez, with a very good chance of dethroning the Face Of Boxing, with possibly the best power punch in the division.
Image Credit: Showtime Boxing
Boxing politics, though, and with the Canelo Alvarez power to influence promoters, could deter a fight with Benavidez. We leave that in the trusted hands of those who are in command.
Now, to the question, is Canelo Alvarez the legitimate and still Face Of Boxing? Plenty of debate because Gervonta “Tank” Davis, the 28-year old undefeated, (28-0) is coming off that impressive 7th round TKO over Mexican-American Ryan Garcia, two undefeated and young stars of boxing, a fight that generated over $1.2 million in pay-per-view purchases that was distributed on Showtime Boxing and DAZN.
Numbers tell the story here, revenue from a mega-fight that has not been seen since Mayweather fought Pacquiao in May of 2015, then a pay-per-view record of $4.4 million in purchases.
Though Alvarez continues to gain followers. He gravitates to the boxing purist, a spectacle he becomes to the novice fan, because it’s the name of Canelo Alvarez. But the numbers for his fight with Ryder will not come close to surpassing records of his previous fights televised and streamed on PPV platforms.
Davis, he also has that pull to gravitate the boxing novice, more importantly, has a legitimate contention of being that new Face Of Boxing, though his fight with Garcia is only one with many more to come. Expectations are Davis will eventually surpass more than $2 million in PPV buys with mega fights on the agenda.
Ryan Garcia vs. Gervonta Davis – Image Credit: Showtime Boxing
Davis, though, is also a phenom, Expectations are eventually an all-time and great lightweight champion, possibly moving to 140 and testing the climate there with Teófimo López, Josh Taylor. Regis Prograis. Another meeting with Garcia is possible, but not anytime soon.
Consider, also, Davis-Garcia and 1.2 million buys in a pay-per-view industry that has dwindled with rising popularity of streaming networks and a hefty cost of $84.00 dollars in a tough economy.
Davis, still has more to prove even after his commanding win over Garcia and with over 2.5 million followers on social media, On the other side, Canelo Alvarez does not need social media to vouch his popularity and kingdom as being that Face of Boxing.
Davis will eventually get there as that face, but not until the allure of watching and following Canelo Alvarez and his legacy concludes. It’s a good and legitimate debate, who is the face?
Alvarez continued his legacy Saturday night, a perfect homecoming. But we saw some flaws of a fighter that could leave questions about how much longer. To be determined with either Bivol or Benavidez, eventual mega-fights in September.
But for now, and until further notice, Canelo Alvarez remains The Face of Boxing.
Rich Mancuso Co-Editor and Senior Writer LatinoSports.com Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso.
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