"Canelo" Alvarez Stops Ryan Rhodes In 12th After One-Sided Scrap....WOODS

Written by Michael Woods

Saturday, 18 June 2011 22:59

There is a tendency for keyboard tappers to go overboard in looking for deficencies in those next big things, the perhaps overhyped phenoms who are presented to us as saviors in shorts. I'm not going to go that route with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. The kid who some are saying is the future of the game is a darned solid fighter. He showed a lot to like against Ryan Rhodes in the main event of HBO's Boxing After Dark show which unfolded at Arena VFG in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico on Saturday night, and didn't lose a round on my card. Alvarez stayed calm, cool and on message as he whacked Rhodes with combos for 11 plus rounds, and closed the show in the 12th round of a most one sided affair.

Canelo landed six shots, a couple of them sledgehammers to the body, knocked Rhodes back and then kept on firing as Rhodes' corner hurled in the towel as the ref stepped in. The time of the TKO ending was 48 seconds elapsed.

That said, I won't place myself in the "Canelo is God" camp, because Canelo isn't. He has heavy hands, but maybe not as heavy as advertised. He doesn't get angles as maybe you'd like, tends to stand in front of his foe, and though his defense looks to be improving, it looks like a slick boxer adept at using his feet to gain advantageous position could do quite well against the kid. But again, he is a darned good fighter and there is much to like. I guess I'd caution all to be patient, not to fall for the hype, but not to go overboard in poking holes, either.

Rhodes did his legacy no favors. He really never fought with the urgency of a man who showed up with a fire in his belly, though we must give Alvarez due credit. Alvarez went 218-590 while Rhodes was 90-343 on the night, stats wise. Canelo, thru a translator, said after that he sensed his body shots were working. He was asked about Miguel Cotto, Alfredo Angulo and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and said, "I'm ready to really fight anybody. If I have to fight the devil, I will." In English, he said, "I'm ready for everything."

Alvarez (age 20, a month shy of turning 21; 36-0-1 with 26 K0s; from Guadalajara) was 153 1/4 pounds, while Rhodes (age 34; 45-4 with 31 KOs entering; from England) weighed 152 1/2 in this fight for Canelo's WBC junior middleweight crown.

Rhodes said after he underestimated Canelo's power, and that the body attack got to him. "I been beaten by a superstar in world boxing tonight," he said, stating that he would not hang up the gloves.

Bob Papa called the action, along with Roy Jones, for HBO.

In the first, Canelo unloaded with 35 seconds to go after a lengthy feeling out session. Rhodes switched to lefty at the end of the first, trying to be tricky. Trainer Eddie Reynoso told Canelo to "relax" after the frame.

In the second, Jones made a smart point, lauding Canelo for not being overeager in his hometown. Rhodes again went righty, then lefty. But he needed to look to land something meaningful, one would think, instead of potshotting every now and again, as he was. Canelo looked relaxed and on message.

In the third, Rhodes looked to be busier with the jab. Canelo has a knack for catching guys at the end of his shot, landing from a distance, and not falling in, and getting vulnerable. He did overthrow a couple times in the third, but he took the third straight round.

In the fourth, we saw Rhodes hit the deck, with 50 seconds to go. He stood up, on sturdy legs, and reached round five. He had a nick under his left eye. The damage came from a right hand that landed behind the head. Rhodes' trainer told him after not to worry about the knockdown, because they weren't banking on winning on points anyway.

In the fifth, we saw Alvarez hurl more of those three punch combos. Any fight watcher has to like his propensity for the combos, no? If you want to quibble, he tends to stay pretty stationary, instead of firing a few, getting a different angle and taking advantage. To this point, Rhodes was a disappointment, seemingly present to be competitive, but not sending a message that he came to Mexico to land a stunner upset.

In the sixth, it was more of the same and we wondered if Rhodes would ever switch to a Plan B. In the seventh, the left hook worked, the jab worked, the right cross, the same: Canelo was the king of combos and Rhodes' face looked a bit more worn. A slice showed under his right eye. In the eighth, Rhodes slowed more. Canelo's body work hurt me, in Brooklyn.

In round nine, Rhodes hung tough, we will say that for him. Canelo had his way again in the tenth, same as in every round before. The eleventh went the same way. Rhodes' trainer told him, "You might as well get knocked out in the last round, you've lost every round." Canelo came out hammering in the 12th, and the ref saw enough, ending the one sided tussle.

Follow Woods on Twitter here https://twitter.com/#!/Woodsy1069

Comment on this article

the Roast says:

Canelo took another step forward in his hometown against an outgunned journeyman who lost to Otis Grant twelve years ago. Good job kid. Baby steps. Where was Larry Merchant? I understand that Max was busy having a kid somewhere. Congrats to Max. Why would HBO trot out old Harold Letterman? Next time call the Roast for expert commentary. I can do it from my living room. Lampley or Papa can say, "Lets go to the internet, The Sweet Science's the Roast, how do you have it Roast?" Then I type and it goes right on the screen, "Thanks Jim, I got it eleven rounds to none for the redheaded kid. At least he's not fighting Zbik." Contact my people HBO. You need to branch out a little bit.

mortcola says:

Canelo is a natural puncher with good focus. But he is going to get carved up by someone with better chin and punch output than Rhodes. Every time Rhodes stayed in righty stance, snapped the jab and dropped a straight right behind it, Canelo's chin was right there, and there were very few counterpunches; if he isn't leading off, he doesn't seem to know what to do. And, it always caused Canelo to re-set - he isn't a natural counterpuncher, but has to shrug it off and then start a new attack sequence....and Rhodes was so much on the switcheroo defensive that he never let himself follow up on his own rare advantage, which wouldn't have been so rare if he wasn't gun shy at that point; he bounced most of his crosses off Canelo's head. Also, when Rhodes, in the later part of the fight, started mixing his annoying southpaw switching with head movement and body punches, Canelo froze and waited, showing frustration. Saul at this point is an offensive machine. This will be very bad for him when he moves up in competition. Good for us, because he's an action fighter with pop and combination punching skills.

Radam G says:

Eyes in the mugs of humans see so differently, because of the effects of brains. Team Canelo is running a great optical illusion. The kid is average at best. He shoulda kayoed the latest stiff in about a round or two. The kid would be in deep trouble when he even steps up to a bum. Canelo throws dramatic, theatric, picture-taking punches, not fast, quick or hard ones. A bum would counter him, twist and turn him and probably beat him silly. Plus, the greatest media redheaded love, since "I love Lucy," has no side-to-side movement and often stands in front of the opponent and don't bend his knees. Besides, he is apparently back-legged -- meaning that he knees arch back. As plain as I can put it, when he stands straight up, his knees are farther back than the back of his feet heels. Fighters with these types of knees really need to work on the bending, because they are a minute from getting KTFO!

I know that some sidewhiner is gonna accuse me of red-headed hatin.' Whatever! The game is what it is. And Canelo does not yet have it. Holla!

the Roast says:

I agree with Radam. I'm not completely sold on Canelo yet. That fight got dull. Alvarez should have got that vet out of there alot sooner. Cotto would kill this young man. I think he is headed for Fernando Vargas territory.

Shoulder Roll Defense says:

Canelo is a media creation and his fans seem to love him more for looking Irish then they do for his boxing skills. I think he would possibly beat Cotto, but Austin Trout (defeated Alvarez's brother), Sergi Dzindziruk, and Cornelius Bundrage would put on a boxing clinic vs. Canelo. Canelo is the second or third most protected fighter in the game after Pac Man and Chavez jr. The hype doesn't match the skill!

brownsugar says:

Shoulder Roll I don't know about K9 that maybe pushing it a bit LOL,..... but I think Canelo showed some ring savvy last night.... I honestly thought Rhodes would be on a mission but he was quickly reduced to a sparring partner after Canelo's first flurry. I have to give the kid props... He's better than I thought, maybe they can take the leash off him so he can venture into the "real" world of boxing. Let's see........ Baldomir, Hatton, and now Rhodes... bout time for HBO and the fans to get their monies worth out of this kid. Put him in a fight with a quantified entity, he's proven that he's ready to graduate to fighting a recognizable world class contender. Bring on Angulo, Williams, Dzinziruk, Wolak, Lara, Martrosyan, Cotto, Powell or even the remnant of Margarito.

the Roast says:

Yeah, the kid beats K9 for sure. I'd like to see Canelo in with any of the fighters B-Sug mentioned. Cotto would KO the kid. P-Will is a question mark after his KO loss. Angulo has been M.I.A. The rest of those guys would be a good test for the youngster.

admin says:

Lil too honest for the medium, Roast

admin says:

Like that handle, Shoulder Roll

admin says:

How about Angulo has a rest shedder, then Canelo-Angulo.

Shoulder Roll Defense says:

Contrary to what many of you think, I believe K-9 would have a solid chance of beating Canelo. Don't forget that his new trainer is the legendary Emanuel Steward. Manny would devise a fight plan that would be tailor made to defeat Canelo. I'm not impressed with Canelo beating second tier European fighters and you can't tell me that Rhodes is better than K-9. Don't get me wrong, K-9 is a C+/B- fighter, but Rhodes is a C-/C fighter. Holler back!

Radam G says:

K-9 would kayo Canelo in three rounds or less. Holla!

Tags:

Related Boxing News at TSS

< Prev		Next >