TACTICS FOR THE FIGHT The more active the bout is, the more it favors Alvarez. The last thing he wants is a slow-paced chess match. Yeah, he’s a cerebral and technically sound boxer in his own right, but there is no need to overthink this, according to Hernandez. “I would tell him to take it to [Crawford], make it a fight, and fight him from Round 1 to the end. Fight him!” Hernandez said. “I want Canelo to put his weight on him, stay on him, force him to fight. Make a fight out of it. Remember, [Crawford is] the smaller guy coming up to your division.” When Alvarez scored knockdowns against Jermell Charlo and Berlanga, those two chose to go into survival mode rather than fight their way back. Some argue that Alvarez could’ve done more to press the attack, but it’s difficult to make fights against opponents who are so reluctant. They made, as Teddy Atlas famously described it, the “silent agreement” to see the final bell. The hope is that should Crawford get nailed, he will react differently. “Is [Crawford] going to be aggressive, or is he going to be humbled?” asked Hernandez. “That could be the difference. He’s never been in a fight where he’s been hit and humbled. Hector Camacho got hit against Edwin Rosario and he chose not to get hit again and became more of a boxer than a fighter.” Should Crawford decide to stand and fight, this is what Alvarez wants. If there is a constant exchange of punches, chances are that with the superior hand speed and quickness, Crawford will touch up Alvarez in spots. But on the flip side, it is Alvarez who has the heavier hands. Hernandez doesn’t think that he should be too selective in his shots. “[Canelo] just needs to hit him,” he said. “I need [Canelo] to hit him from the belt up, take his space away and impose [his] will. Have your body on him and break him.” BATTLE PLAN: CANELO ALVAREZ
LOYALTY
Team Canelo has stuck together through thick and thin.
The boxing business for the most part isn’t one based on loyalty. That’s an uncomfortable truth. Most relationships simply aren’t built to last in this racket. But the union between Canelo Alvarez and Eddy Reynoso has stood the test of time. The fighter-trainer dynamic can be a volatile one. They usually start off with a young and compliant boxer who will listen willingly to everything that a trainer has to say. Over time, they develop a rapport, and soon they are off on a journey. If the boxer has enough talent, they will go into the pro ranks and there is money to be made. If the boxer has enough success, the compensation can become very significant. Over time, that 10% that the trainer receives can become problematic. Trainers become expendable if they start making too much for the boxer’s liking. Many times,
Former 154-pound champ Jermell Charlo was outgunned by Canelo.
“I’d prepare him more for speed than strength,” he stated. “Again, we’re living in an era when people love that strength-and-conditioning. I would not put any muscle on him at all. [I’d] get the speed going.” Hernandez does not want a slow and lumbering fighter chasing around the more athletic Crawford, who figures to box and move a bit. With that, the last thing you want is to overtrain a fighter who has 67 bouts under his belt and is now in his mid-30s. Hernandez points out, “He’s not as young as he used to be. Fighters don’t understand that when you’re between 18 and 22, you work a certain way. [From] 22 to 26, or 30, things start to change. You’ve got to be smarter and get better.”
going to be running, and he’s not going to be as fast as he was in his 20s when he was a lightweight. That speed is gone.” Logic says that Crawford will have to box intelligently to win. But, according to Hernandez, if you really examine Crawford, he isn’t a guy that constantly circles the ring. He is more likely to edge forward and control the center. He has become very comfortable inside the pocket. “Crawford’s not a runner,” insists Hernandez. “But he’s a slick boxer. He has good timing. He has good everything, but the thing is, once you get hit in a fight with 10-ounce gloves, it’s a big difference in a fight without headgear against a guy with the intention of knocking your head off.”
trainers are jettisoned, replaced by one that will work for a flat fee or just flat- out cheaper than their predecessor. Alvarez and Reynoso long ago reached that stage where they were making millions. But it seems that this is the rare partnership that has become strengthened instead of fractured as they made history together. Nobody really knows how much Reynoso gets, but it seems as though money has never been an issue with these two. From the time that Alvarez turned professional in 2005 until now, these two have been joined at the hip through thick and thin. It looks like they will start and end together. That in itself is remarkable.
In recent fights, Alvarez has fought at a relatively measured pace. Perhaps he was content to fight in this manner because he didn’t want to chase opponents who were aiming to go the distance. It was more than that against the constantly moving Scull, however. In that fight, Canelo clearly looked a step slower. Perhaps Alvarez was just bored (like the rest of us). Or was it a sign of a declining fighter? While many say that Alvarez should focus on cutting off the ring, Hernandez disagrees. “No, because Crawford’s not
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