Floyd Mayweather has been praised as having the same power as super middleweight king Canelo Alvarez by a mutual former opponent.
Shane Mosley, a multi-weight boxing legend who lost to both, says Mayweather has strength equal to Canelo despite the weight differential.
‘Sugar Shane’ fought Mayweather in 2010 before battling Canelo two years later. Despite similarly losing on points, Mosley hurt both boxers. However, it’s the return fire that Mosley is adamant was of equal measure.
“So Floyd has good punch power, but it’s underestimated,” Mosley said. Asked who hits harder, he added: “I thought they hit about the same after both of them hit me.”
It’s a topic that has raised its head several times before and was obviously evident when Floyd and Canelo fought each other in 2013. The fight went the distance, as usual for Mayweather at that time. The five-weight superstar hadn’t stopped anyone since Ricky Hatton and seemed content to coast fights knowing he had it in the bag rather than risking the knockout.
Canelo, in contrast, has moved up the weight and been taking people out. Therefore, the conclusion is that the super middleweight was considerably restricted by staying at 154 and below.
Only when Canelo hit middleweight and above did the brute superpower that he showed against Sergey Kovalev, James Kirkland, Caleb Plant, and Billy Joe Saunders come to the fore.
The Mayweather vs Canelo fight, named ‘The One,’ was indeed that for the latter. Canelo took what he learned from that fight and became the number one ticket and pay-per-view seller in the sport.
As Mayweather did against Oscar De La Hoya in 2007, Canelo hasn’t looked back. He has taken the ‘Money’ blueprint to another level in a move that could eventually see him surpass Mayweather’s career earnings.
Mayweather retired with over 1.1 billion dollars in purses. Canelo currently has a $35 million guarantee with addons from his PPV sales. If he can secure an even more significant contract from Saudi Arabia for his retirement fund, there’s no doubt Canelo will leave the sport as the biggest earner ever.
As for Mosley, he retired in 2016, having fought a few years past his expiration date, boasting a Hall of Fame career. His willingness to face anyone and everyone during his era will forever be applauded by boxing fans worldwide.
Read all articles and learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor Phil Jay.
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