Now that the PPV event that showcased Saul “Canelo” Alvarez against Liam “Beefy” Smith is over it’s time to do some analyzing of some of the hits and misses from the show.
The main event was better than expected. I didn’t know much about Smith coming into the fight other than he was undefeated, had 13 KO’s and was a belt holder. I expected Canelo to destroy the Brit early on until I saw how quickly Canelo went through the weigh-in. I figured there would be a late stoppage.
Canelo shined as expected and Smith showed balls. He said he was off the entire fight and I’ll give him his props for being honest about himself as not many fighters are. Smith deserves to be brought back to this side of the pond as he makes for an entertaining fight. Despite the flack Canelo has gotten, including from me, he was impressive. You could tell he had a chip on his shoulder from the opening bell but his aggressiveness, defense, and speed were all on display and he entertained. Canelo deserves props for his performance and soundly beating a top ten junior middleweight.
I expected so much more from the co-main event between Willie Monroe Jr. and Gabe Rosado. Monroe fought a typical Cuban style fight, which I normally don’t mind, but it seemed to bore the crowd and those watching. Rosado is usually entertaining whenever he fights but the unwillingness to engage by Monroe, and Rosado being hesitant, really put a damper on hyping up the main event. The fight looked good on paper but failed to live up to its expectations.
Joseph Diaz shined bright by outclassing Andrew Concio who failed to get himself in the fight. It was the right fight for Diaz and moving on to the next level of opposition should take place within a fight or two.
Diego De La Hoya had a lot to live up to besides a name. He was the opening act for the pay per view against a more experienced opponent but while the crowd did not get into the fight that much, he got the job done and looked good doing so.
Overall, the main event was worth watching. The undercard on the other hand sizzled. The co-main lacked the type of action people wanted to see and even though Diaz and De La Hoya got the wins they needed, it did not feel right for those fights to be on the undercard of a pay per view. They are tremendous prospects but it would have been a better idea to build them up a bit on HBO’s Boxing After Dark and then put them on the pay per view against better opponents. Their skills are there but the popularity needs to build more. Fighting on the undercard of Canelo-Smith is great exposure don’t get me wrong but it could have been better for their sake.
