BoxRec

In Britain, Rhodes would paste little boy Canelo all round the ring. In Mexico, the home of the WBC, with a WBC belt at stake, Rhodes needs a knockout.

what an opportunity if it happens for rhodes.

after that long wait, the world will certainly look at him provided he can win or put in a great showing.

he deserved his chance after stopping jamie moore, in what was, after all, a world title eliminator.

Unless father time has finally caught up i'd see Rhodes making Alvarez look silly. The Matthews fight was 12 years ago he's a different fighter now.
If Jamie Moore can't nail him clean enough to hurt him i can't see Canelo doing it either. Baldomir was old and immobile, N'Dou old and too small, Jose Cotto was too small and not very good but had him on bandy legs despite that. All his opponents have been picked carefully but a slick, skilled boxer the same size as him who is not yet clearly over the hill would be a risky choice.

I hope it happens.

Shirow wrote:Unless father time has finally caught up i'd see Rhodes making Alvarez look silly. The Matthews fight was 12 years ago he's a different fighter now.
If Jamie Moore can't nail him clean enough to hurt him i can't see Canelo doing it either. Baldomir was old and immobile, N'Dou old and too small, Jose Cotto was too small and not very good but had him on bandy legs despite that. All his opponents have been picked carefully but a slick, skilled boxer the same size as him who is not yet clearly over the hill would be a risky choice.

I hope it happens.

Even then, Alvarez has still probably fought the better fighters of late, so I don't know why people are criticizing him for his opposition. I really doubt the gap in ability is big enough for one guy to make the other look silly. I think Alvarez will have a bit more and win a decision in a competitive fight. Rhodes is good, but looking at his record I have to wonder why so many people are so high on him. I still think this goes back to Moore being quite overrated.

crusader wrote:

Shirow wrote:Unless father time has finally caught up i'd see Rhodes making Alvarez look silly. The Matthews fight was 12 years ago he's a different fighter now.
If Jamie Moore can't nail him clean enough to hurt him i can't see Canelo doing it either. Baldomir was old and immobile, N'Dou old and too small, Jose Cotto was too small and not very good but had him on bandy legs despite that. All his opponents have been picked carefully but a slick, skilled boxer the same size as him who is not yet clearly over the hill would be a risky choice.

I hope it happens.

Even then, Alvarez has still probably fought the better fighters of late, so I don't know why people are criticizing him for his opposition. I really doubt the gap in ability is big enough for one guy to make the other look silly. I think Alvarez will have a bit more and win a decision in a competitive fight. Rhodes is good, but looking at his record I have to wonder why so many people are so high on him. I still think this goes back to Moore being quite overrated.

Moore was gone at the weight against Rhodes.
Rhodes lost to Gary Lockett.

big lennox wrote:

Pugilist-specialist wrote:

big lennox wrote: Mathews weighed about 20lbs heavier than Ryan on the night

About one and a half stone heavier ?

Did they have a check-weigh before the fight ?

I presume so.This is the information I was given.He certainly looked a lot bigger on the night.

I should point out that I was not suggesting that Ryan boxed badly against Blundell because of where he was boxing at the time, but because he appeared to me to be very distracted in the build up to that fight -a million miles away, and was not himself at all.

I am thrilled for him though, and feel he has earnt the opportunity.

Surely Ryan put weight on after the weigh-in rehydrating and carbing-up. Mathews would have had to put on approx 2 stone in 24 hours to have had that weight advantage taking him up to the old cruiserweight limit.

Rhodes wasn't really a middleweight, he just jumped up from 154 because a title shot came and it was a fairly easy fight to make.

anyway i hope rhodes gets the fight and has enough left to stay with alvarez (a big ask, but alvarez has flaws).

rhodes doesn't have the big build up behind him anymore, as he did back in the naz days, so it'd be good to see him put on a good fight on a big stage (surely HBO will be showing)?

the wins over moore (who i also think was weak at the weight) and vuma are impressive.

if rhodes can go from british, EBU to WBC champ that would be incredible, wouldn't it?

I hope that if he goes over there he and his camp are prepared to get messed about over the weight making. If a boxer and his camp said: 'NO'; the weight divisions are supposed to make things a level playing field and to make the sport safer. Though it'd not be me seeing a hell of a lot of money going down the river I'd love someone just to say; 'No; make the weight you signed, like I did'.

gobbles wrote:

crusader wrote:

Shirow wrote:Unless father time has finally caught up i'd see Rhodes making Alvarez look silly. The Matthews fight was 12 years ago he's a different fighter now.
If Jamie Moore can't nail him clean enough to hurt him i can't see Canelo doing it either. Baldomir was old and immobile, N'Dou old and too small, Jose Cotto was too small and not very good but had him on bandy legs despite that. All his opponents have been picked carefully but a slick, skilled boxer the same size as him who is not yet clearly over the hill would be a risky choice.

I hope it happens.

Even then, Alvarez has still probably fought the better fighters of late, so I don't know why people are criticizing him for his opposition. I really doubt the gap in ability is big enough for one guy to make the other look silly. I think Alvarez will have a bit more and win a decision in a competitive fight. Rhodes is good, but looking at his record I have to wonder why so many people are so high on him. I still think this goes back to Moore being quite overrated.

Moore was gone at the weight against Rhodes.
Rhodes lost to Gary Lockett.

The way i remember it I didn't think Rhodes deserved to lose that decision. Did you?

Shirow wrote:

gobbles wrote:

crusader wrote: Even then, Alvarez has still probably fought the better fighters of late, so I don't know why people are criticizing him for his opposition. I really doubt the gap in ability is big enough for one guy to make the other look silly. I think Alvarez will have a bit more and win a decision in a competitive fight. Rhodes is good, but looking at his record I have to wonder why so many people are so high on him. I still think this goes back to Moore being quite overrated.

Moore was gone at the weight against Rhodes.
Rhodes lost to Gary Lockett.

The way i remember it I didn't think Rhodes deserved to lose that decision. Did you?

Me too mate if ya watched that fight without commentary on you would watch a totally different fight

Rhodes was hurt against Moore is now two years further down the road and very inactive. Alvarez fighting on his home turf - can only see one winner, and I think Alvarez will be too relentless and will stop him.

stujones wrote:Rhodes was hurt against Moore is now two years further down the road and very inactive. Alvarez fighting on his home turf - can only see one winner, and I think Alvarez will be too relentless and will stop him.

I agree; Ryan fought a great bout v Moore but we've not really seen if it's taken much out of him. He has lost the momentum; Alvarez seems very busy and finished strong v Hatton. If the bout is June 18th it'll be scorching hot; Saul is conditioned for the heat; Ryan is not, the South Yorkshire weather is far from Mexican/Californian.

Shirow wrote:

gobbles wrote:

crusader wrote: Even then, Alvarez has still probably fought the better fighters of late, so I don't know why people are criticizing him for his opposition. I really doubt the gap in ability is big enough for one guy to make the other look silly. I think Alvarez will have a bit more and win a decision in a competitive fight. Rhodes is good, but looking at his record I have to wonder why so many people are so high on him. I still think this goes back to Moore being quite overrated.

Moore was gone at the weight against Rhodes.
Rhodes lost to Gary Lockett.

The way i remember it I didn't think Rhodes deserved to lose that decision. Did you?

Don't remember the fight that well, but doesn't stick out in my mind that it was controversial. Didn't Lockett put him down a couple of times?

gobbles wrote:

Shirow wrote:

gobbles wrote:
Moore was gone at the weight against Rhodes.
Rhodes lost to Gary Lockett.

The way i remember it I didn't think Rhodes deserved to lose that decision. Did you?

Don't remember the fight that well, but doesn't stick out in my mind that it was controversial. Didn't Lockett put him down a couple of times?

No but Ryan put him down in tenth and was so close a ko victory

I remember them both been on the canvas though it may be my memory. Ryan did well and Gary was a little bit too strong; Rhodes moved down a weight after that fight which seems to say something.

I think also people seem to forget that Ryan looked pretty poor for the first few rounds against Moore. He seemed to be slow, had nothing on his punches and just looked flat. Does Ryan need rounds these days to get going? Did Ryan's power flatter the rest of his performance a fraction? What also concerned me was that Ryan did seem to punch himself out on a few occasions (and Moore made him pay by getting him going).

I don't think Moore was at his best that night, had weight issues and yet gave Ryan all the trouble he could handle. I think Alvarez is better in every department than THAT version of Moore - and I think will have that youth relentlessness to stop him.

Rhodes should be going for Bunderage.

I think you're under-rating Rhodes' performance in that fight, somewhat

i think it was a case of ride out the early storm and come on strong. they saw Jamie looked bone-dry at the weigh-in and halfway adopted tactics to suit- i say halfway because part of the way the early going went was simply because Moore imposed his will on Rhodes early.

i know whay you are asking 'does his power flatter him', but IMo that would be a question more suitable to a single punch come from behind jobby

it should be noted that rhodes hurt Moore to the body at the end of round 4 and that he was landing harder and harder shots from the 4th round onwards. i take your point about Rhodes' early sluggishness but actually i am not sure alvarez has the relentless pressure style- and particularly i doubt he has the footwork to cut the ring off effectively on Rhodes- to make Rhodes look quite that bad early.

Canelo has beaten three named fighters; Baldomir (old, flattered by two win streak and a Welter), N'Dou (solid fighter but old and a 140 at his best. A weight he made with ease) and Hatton (who was a welter, took his welts but was never a title challenger).

RHodes could do this, depends on his tactics to some extent, but he's as big, hits hard and wont be phased (one would assume).

Counter-puncher wrote:I think you're under-rating Rhodes' performance in that fight, somewhat

i think it was a case of ride out the early storm and come on strong. they saw Jamie looked bone-dry at the weigh-in and halfway adopted tactics to suit- i say halfway because part of the way the early going went was simply because Moore imposed his will on Rhodes early.

i know whay you are asking 'does his power flatter him', but IMo that would be a question more suitable to a single punch come from behind jobby

it should be noted that rhodes hurt Moore to the body at the end of round 4 and that he was landing harder and harder shots from the 4th round onwards. i take your point about Rhodes' early sluggishness but actually i am not sure alvarez has the relentless pressure style- and particularly i doubt he has the footwork to cut the ring off effectively on Rhodes- to make Rhodes look quite that bad early.

Can see what your saying, good post

I would like to see Rhodes have a tune up before taking on Canelo. I aint the biggest Canelo fan out there, I just feel stylewise he is wrong for an unsharp Rhodes. If Ryan is the same fighter that beat Woolcombe and that African (Vera?) - then it is a good fight, but I'm not convinced he is. The Moore fight was fantastic, but I think it was so fantastic because they were both slowed down and more vulnerable than in their peak years. Ryan was easier to hit than in his prime, Jamie was eaiser to hurt than in his prime.

stujones wrote:

Can see what your saying, good post

I would like to see Rhodes have a tune up before taking on Canelo. I aint the biggest Canelo fan out there, I just feel stylewise he is wrong for an unsharp Rhodes. If Ryan is the same fighter that beat Woolcombe and that African (Vera?) - then it is a good fight, but I'm not convinced he is. The Moore fight was fantastic, but I think it was so fantastic because they were both slowed down and more vulnerable than in their peak years. Ryan was easier to hit than in his prime, Jamie was eaiser to hurt than in his prime.

good point on the tuneup and i totally agree

agree on the last point too, though i think there is another slight equivocation, both men are/were also better/more wellrounded boxers as well as easier to hit/ hurt

Rhodes is a carefully picked opponent coming off some inactivity, I expect like many who posted above, him to be stopped sometime late by the young up and coming Canelo. That does not mean he doesn't stand a chance but it does mean his chances are not good I would say it's like a 75% win chance for Canelo, if they fought 4 times Rhodes might just win one but I doubt even that statistic. Carefully picked are the key words here.