Weight divisions exist for a reason, asserts Ben Winward
‘A good big‘un always beat a good little‘un’
After a dominant display by undisputed super-middleweight king Saul Canelo Alvarez over undisputed super-welterweight champ Jermell Charlo last Saturday, whispers of a potential future showdown with fellow P4P star Terence Crawford have resumed, but BBN'sBen Winward questions whether we have learnt our lessons from these risky rises in weights.
Last Saturday night, September 30, under the glittering lights of Las Vegas, we witnessed the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2 39KOs), post a one-sided beat down of undisputed 154lb champion, Jermell Charlo (35-2-1 19KOs), claiming a wide unanimous points decision in defence of his own undisputed 168lb championship.
Canelo was certainly a heavy favourite going in, however this was underpinned by a layer of curiosity. Was the super-middleweight king starting to show signs of slowing down after a glittering 18-year career? Would Jermell Charlo’s combination of footwork and hand speed, two attributes which have been shown to highlight chinks in the Mexican legend's armour, once again prove problematic?
There was one overriding question going into the fight however, which in the end proved pivotal in explaining the battle’s conclusion. That being the impact of a 14lb difference in both combatant’s typical weight limits, and how Jermell Charlo would cope with Canelo’s extreme natural size advantage.
Bar sporadic flashes of outside work and the occasional single shot counter from the 154lb champion, Canelo dominated the fight from start to finish.
American hero Jermell Charlo is of course not someone who typically backs down from a firefight or fades under heavy pressure, with both wars against Argentine brawler Brian Castano demonstrating this. In those epic battles ‘Iron Man’ would often stay in the pocket for too long than necessary, looking to return Castano’s relentless onslaught with his own power shots. In this latest showing however, Jermell was extremely negative and never looked like he wanted to take the risk of getting involved in a back-and-forth exchange.
Given the sample size of nine prior world title fights, the vast majority of which resulting in a KO victory for the Derrick James trained Charlo, we can only assume there was something else at play here. I believe Jermell felt the additional weight of Canelo’s power from the onset, which immediately put him into a never before seen negative, defensive first style.
Pivotal to the Texas residing sharp shooters immense success two weight divisions below, has been his punch power, often bailing him out of difficult situations. Overreaching with one shot against Charlo or leaving your chin out to dry for a split second too long, traditionally can lead to a fight being over via either fist in an instant. At the very least Charlo’s power would warrant your respect and make you earn your time on the inside. On this night however, Canelo had no such respect.
More or less from the sound of the first bell, Canelo was able to manoeuvre his way into distance with ease, often just walking the 154lb top dog down, coming in straight down the line with no care for what was coming back. The fact of the matter is the dynamite fisted Mexican was just too big and too strong for Charlo to ever have any chance of sustained success.
Of course this is not the first time we have seen this narrative unfold in fights containing fighters previously separated by two weight classes. Other examples in recent memory where the weight differentiation has proved key in determining the outcome include:
- Gennady Golovkin vs Kell Brook
- Canelo vs Amir Khan
- Errol Spence Jr vs Mikey Garcia
- Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar De La Hoya
It is one of the oldest adages in boxing. A good big man always beats a good little man.
And yet here we are, in the days following the latest example of this factual reality, with rumours once again circulating that undisputed Welterweight champ and P4P #1 Terence Crawford may well be a future possibility for the three-weight division heavier Canelo.
I am not doubting the ability of ‘Bud’ Crawford, who may well be one of the best to ever do it. His skills in the ring are indisputable and, in all honestly, likely streaks ahead of Jermell Charlo, who himself is still an elite fighter, but weight divisions exist for a reason.
Whilst watching last Saturday night’s battle unfold as Canelo easily edged Charlo back against the ropes, before ripping in thunderous right hooks to both head and body, I could not help but ask myself how Terence Crawford, a man who himself won his first world title all the way down at Lightweight, would be able to gain more respect with his own power. Even if his hands may be quicker, his combinations more accurate and his movement slicker, over a 36-minute war with a man some 20lb’s heavier, likely even more come fight night, those advantages are only going to get you so far.
However this is boxing and money talks, and I would not be remotely surprised if at some point in the next 12 months we were to see these two elite combatants face off in what would undoubtedly be one of the biggest events we have seen in recent times. For me, however, it would be a great shame to witness ‘Bud’ Crawford likely suffer a sole blemish and potentially even stoppage defeat, some three weight divisions above his natural class and six above where his world title run began, purely due to promoters seeking to put together a mega money event, without due thought as to how the fight would likely play out.
To add to this, there is no shortage of options for both men in and around their respective weight classes. The Nebraskan has the rematch with Errol Spence to deal with, the imposing threat of the heir apparent Jaron Ennis, as well as a potential fight with Jermell Charlo for the undisputed Junior Middleweight championship, which itself would give him a never-before-seen achievement of a three-division undisputed titlist. For Canelo, fights with the likes of David Benavidez, the Bivol rematch, Arthur Beterbiev or even Jermell’s twin brother Jermall would all be huge events.
If a fight between Crawford and Canelo is to be made, of course the world would still watch with intrigue. My fear is upon conclusion of the bout, just as we have done this past Saturday, we will look back with the realisation that the lighter man never stood a fair chance.
Article sponsored by HÖRFA