Aimee
Boxing has a perception problem.
A big perception issue in the minds of the public, a notion that was only furthered on Saturday night when Golden Boy Promotion wunderkind Saul “Canelo” “Alvarez scored a split-decision victory over Erislandy Lara.
Entering embarrassed and humbled from a flailing at the hands of one Floyd Mayweather Jr. back in September (he’s won since, but the sting remains), Canelo flashed a new strategy and awareness against the southpaw that suggested he had learned from his recent transgression.
The problem is, many regarded Saturday night’s fight as too difficult to call, as Lara effectively controlled the pace of the match throughout—backpedaling or not. Even the numbers—recorded by Compubox, via Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix—prove, rather emphatically, that it was as close as could be:
