Talks about a possible super fight between Manny Pacquiao and Saul Canelo Alvarez are brewing, and longtime HBO boxing analyst Harold Lederman believes that the proposed showdown will be big for boxing.
In an interview with BoxingScene, Lederman said that he would love to see Pacquiao and Alvarez go toe-to-toe against each other, but he admitted that Canelo might just be too big for the Filipino boxing icon.
"I'd love to see Canelo fight Manny, but I think maybe Canelo's a little too big. But then again, I said the same thing when he [Canelo] fought Mayweather. I thought he was too big for Floyd," Lederman said.
Lederman said that Alvarez is indeed of the biggest stars in boxing today, but he expressed doubt on whether or not Canelo will be as effective when he goes down from his normal 154-pound weight division.
"You know, Canelo Alvarez at junior middleweight, there's no question, you look at the kid, that kid's a star. He's a very, very good fighter. You look at him and you see Canelo's at least a 154-pounder. He can't go below '54," Lederman said.
Some analysts are convinced, though, that Alvarez will eventually agree to go down to at least 152 pounds like what he did for the Mayweather bout, considering the fact that a showdown with Pacquiao will definitely be another potential blockbuster.
However, Lederman believes that Alvarez has learned his lesson, and will not agree to a catch weight against a fighter like Pacquiao, who is slowly regaining his confidence after his strings of victory over Brandon Rios and Timothy Bradley.
"There's no way he's going to come down to '52 to fight Manny," Lederman stressed. "You know, they can't make a catch-weight. Canelo's really a '54 pounder. He moves very, very well. I'm really looking forward to Canelo and Erislandy Lara. There's no doubt about it, it's going to be a very, very good fight."
Lederman was also asked about his thoughts on a possible fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather, and the HBO unofficial ringside judge thinks that Mayweather has an advantage when it comes to hand speed, but Pacquiao will be a tough opponent for the reigning pound-for-pound king.
"You know, he's a very tough guy to fight. He'd be a great fight for Floyd Mayweather, because he'd have Floyd Mayweather turning in circles, undoubtedly. Floyd, of course, would have the advantage in hand speed, so, you know, it'd be a sensational fight," Lederman said.
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