Twenty one yeard old Saul Canelo Alvarez fought veteran Sugar Shane Mosley on May 5th. Canelo was dominating the old man for three rounds when a Mosley head butt resulted in a cut above Canelo's eye. Suddenly the victory parade was put on hold. Fight fans wondered how the 21 year old would handle the cut?
The Cut sparked memories of two former champions.
Juan Baby Bull Diaz and Victor Vicious Ortiz both prized fighters with a bright future faced similar cuts for the first time at one point.
Diaz was 25 years old when he met, journeyman, Nate Campbell he was on is way to a victory when he was cut above his left eye.
The kid went ape shit at the sight of blood and was soundly defeated for the first time. He never over came the cut. He won two fights out of the next five five, and those victories were questionable, before retiring at the age of 27.
Victor Ortiz was 22 years old when he stepped in the ring against Marco Maidana at the Staples Center. The fight was suppose to be a homecoming for the Golden Boy prodigy from Oxnard. Then in the middle of the fight he suffered a cut above his right and an ass beating not seen since Apollo Creed- Ivan Drago. Ortiz quit the fight and in the post interview questioned retirement.
“Im gonna stop while I'm ahead that way I can speak well when I'm older ….I'm young but I don’t think I deserve getting beat up like this I got a lot of thinking to do”
Ortiz followed up nicely though beating up a couple of bums before drawing with Lamont Peterson, beating Andre Berto and getting sucker punched by Mayweather.
Canelo on the other hand handled his obstacle differently. He showed the poise of a veteran sticking to his game plan dominating most of the fight and turning the cut into a non factor. The victory train continues he beat Mosley by decision and suppose to fight James Kirkland in September and Miguel Cotto in December.
People argue that Mexican Americans like Diaz, Ortiz, and DeLa Hoya are not as tough as 100% Mexicans like Canelo, Chavez Sr, Morales, Barrera, and the Marquez brothers. Judging by the previous three exhibits i'm inclined to agree.
Canelo beat a washed up Mosley, big deal...
ReplyDeleteYeah he fought through the fight with a cut but still doesn't change the fact that Mosley wasn't winning the fight regardless. Canelo is a good fighter but that's it. He is no Ortiz.
the point is not about who they were fighting it is how the fighters handled similar obstacles.
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