Around the Net: Saul Alvarez vs Lovemore N'dou Edition

Saul Alvarez will attempt to take another step forward when he faces former belt holder Lovemore N'dou this Saturday night in Veracruz.  It will be the fifth appearance of the year for the much hyped 20 year old Golden Boy prospect, and second time in a row he's faced a man old enough to be his father.

Last time out, Alvarez handed Carlos Baldomir his first stoppage defeat, knocking the former 147lb champion flat in the sixth round of a scheduled ten.

Can he do the same to the durable N'dou?

The odds appear to be in his favor.  As tough as N'dou is, he's getting well up there in years and is giving away plenty of natural size to the Mexican youngster.  N'dou also has a grinding style and needs to get close to do his best work, and that will give Alvarez plenty of time to unload with heavy handed combinations.

Still, it should be mentioned that other big hitters such as Miguel Cotto and more recently, Kermit Cintron, have failed to stop the rugged Australian based fighter inside the distance.

Let's take a look around the net at some of the pre-fight buzz for the 154lb match-up...

Bad Left Hook Weekend Quick Picks: Saul Alvarez-Lovemore N'dou, Top Rank Pay-Per-View, and More

Right now, Alvarez is at that stage of a prospect's career where he starts blowing the doors off of old guys like Baldomir and N'dou, which gives those guys a better than normal payday, and gives the kid a name to put on his resume and a few decent looking highlights. It's the right sort of fight for Saul, but it's pretty predictable. Just like September, Alvarez will end the "never knocked out" streak of a gritty veteran. Alvarez TKO-7

The Queensbury Rules - Previews And Predictions For Saul Alvarez Vs. Lovemore N'dou, Nonito Donaire Vs. Volodymyr Sydorenko And Humberto Soto Vs. Urbano Antillon

N'dou either gives Alvarez solid, hard-nosed professional rounds in a decision loss or Alvarez makes a statement by knocking him out, albeit with an asterisk because of the career-high weight for N'dou. There's still an outstanding doubt about how well Alvarez takes a punch given that he was hurt by a blown-up lightweight in Cotto, but that increasingly looks like a fluke than any real vulnerability, and N'dou probably can't hurt Alvarez. I do believe in Alvarez' power, though, so I'm picking him to win by knockout in the 11th.

Boxing Scene - Saul Alvarez Conquering The World, One Fight At A Time

N’Dou (48-11-2, 31KO) enters this ring this weekend with nearly identical credentials, except for one area – the South African-born, Australian-based former titlist has never been stopped in more than 17 years as a pro.

Alvarez is confident that dynamic changes once he’s done taking care of business this weekend.

"I’ve seen a few fights of him on film, against Miguel Cotto and Matthew Hatton. I know he’s strong, a hard fighter. But I don’t see how he can beat me."

That seems to be the question a lot of fighters will be asking themselves once it’s their turn to step into the ring with Alvarez.

Boxing FanHouse - Julio Cesar Chavez Mulls Pawel Wolak, Yuri Foreman, Saul Alvarez

On a potential fight with Mexican countryman Saul Alvarez:

In Mexico, every one is expecting that fight to happen. So, you know, the expectations are there. But if you look at the last two guys that he's fought, he's fought one guy who was 40 years old in his last fight with Carlos Baldomir [sixth-round knockout for Alvarez.]

I would definitely like to fight Alvarez. I want them to make that fight.