Before the second clash against Sergey Kovalev, Eleider Alvarez and his coach made a pact together. At the next defeat, it was understood that the boxer had to hang up his gloves, in order to leave his sport in good health. This is the scenario that will occur after this painful loss against Joe Smith Jr., cashed Saturday in the Las Vegas bubble.
• Read also: Hard defeat of Alvarez
We should not be surprised at such an outcome. Alvarez (25-2, 13 KOs) was uncompetitive against Joe Smith Jr. (25-3, 21 KOs), while receiving a shrapnel of power shots. He underwent a correction. This is the obvious sign of a decline that began a year ago, according to his coach, Marc Ramsay.
“We said to ourselves that we were going to do one last lap together and that we were going to make sure that it was fun,” Marc Ramsay mentioned at the Journal of Montreal within minutes of the loss to Smith Jr.
“We were going to keep moving forward as long as it made sense. Against Smith Jr., this is the first time that we saw that we were really not in the game. I want us to stop this. We must not forget that there is life after boxing. ”
MARIO BEAUREGARD / QMI AGENCY
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Not the same guy anymore
Alvarez has been on a downward slope from training camp in the second clash against Russian Sergey Kovalev. We remember that he was champion at that time. It wasn’t just the heel injury that bothered the WBO light heavyweight monarch and his team at the time.
“We had difficulties during this camp,” said Ramsay bluntly. We continued to have them thereafter.
“I see him in the gym. Eleider isn’t the same guy anymore. I’ve been seeing it for a while.
“The legs are not there as before. His metabolism slowed down. He just isn’t able to keep up and neither is his body. ”
Eloquent statistics
At first glance, one might think that the words of the coach are harsh towards his protégé of the past 11 years. On the other hand, they are supported by statistics which do not lie.
Ramsay keeps track of all the data for each exercise of his foals at the gym. He follows their development very closely. When in doubt, he does not hesitate to consult high performance specialists.
For several months, Alvarez had presented figures that heralded what was to come on Saturday against Joe Smith Jr.
“His metabolism is not what it used to be,” he added. Rounds of sparring are more and more complicated, regardless of the partners he has in front of him.
“We knew that the end was drawing near with him.”
Over the years, Ramsay has been able to make several boxers listen to reason, so that they end their careers at the right time. He may add Eleider Alvarez’s name to this short list over the next few days.
A correction
Against Smith Jr., Alvarez was never in the game. From the first to the last second. The Quebecer of Colombian origin delivered his worst performance in his career.
Even though he was technically superior on paper, he was overwhelmed by pressure from the American who used his usual recipe. The latter applied sustained pressure on the representative of GYM. His power shots did damage.
“I watched Alvarez’s fight against Sergey Kovalev. It gave me the data I needed on how to beat him, said Joe Smith Jr.
“We worked with what we saw. I knew I had to box more because he has a good right hand. He hit me solidly, but I’m able to take it too. “
The quality of the camp is not in question
Several observers will try to find the precise reasons to explain the one-sided defeat of Eleider Alvarez against Joe Smith Jr. Among the points that will be raised, there will be the training camp which was held in Quebec with the restrictions of the Public health. However, Marc Ramsay quickly dismissed this argument with the back of his hand.
“It has nothing to do with it,” said the coach of the restrictions imposed by Public Health on combat sports. We did what we had to do in the gym to be ready for this fight. ”
Photo d’archives, AGENCE QMI
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“It’s not a question of tactics or preparation. Eleider is simply at its wit’s end.
“In boxing, it seems more than in other sports. You can’t hide on a fourth line like in hockey. “
A steamroller
From the first bell, Smith Jr. set the pace for the exchanges and Alvarez was never able to come up with solutions. At one point, Ramsay even indicated to his boxer that he was ready to stop the fight if he didn’t offer better opposition.
“We were not in the game from the first round. Still, I hoped that Eleider could change the pace of the fight with a power hit.
“I could see Smith was burning gas and I was still hoping it might work.”
In the seventh assault, Alvarez almost succeeded in his mission. He hit Smith Jr. with a good right at the temple, but was unable to keep up with a sustained attack that could have ended the fight.
“As the rounds went by, Eleider’s defense took the edge as well. After the eighth round, I warned him that it was his last round for him to do something. However, I wanted a good defense and a bomb.
“I didn’t want him to take bad shots like he had in previous rounds.”
Finally, Smith Jr. finished his demolition job within seconds of the Ninth Assault. It was Alvarez’s first career knockout loss.
Post-fight medicals revealed Alvarez suffered a broken nose during his fight against Joe Smith Jr.
The shoulder injury suffered by Alvarez in the first portion of training camp was not a factor in the setback, according to Ramsay. His boxer was 100% recovered.
According to the plan, Alvarez, Ramsay and Russ Anber jumped on the first plane on Sunday morning to return to Montreal. They must make a stopover in Philadelphia before landing at Montreal-Trudeau airport in the early afternoon.
The career of Eleider Alvarez in a few dates
- August 28, 2009: First professional fight against Jesse Sanders.
- November 28, 2015: Victory against Isaac Chilemba, and he becomes mandatory contender for WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. Ultimately, the clash with Stevenson will never materialize.
- February 24, 2017: He gets visibility by beating Lucian Bute in Quebec.
- June 3, 2017: Alvarez continues his road by beating Jean Pascal in a fight where he dominates.
- Aug 4, 2018: Alvarez is crowned WBO light heavyweight world champion with a knockout victory over Sergey Kovalev.
- February 2, 2019: He loses his belt against Kovalev in a duel where he is not the shadow of himself.
- 22 Aug 2020: Hard defeat against Joe Smith Jr. and he misses the opportunity to return to the world championship.
Combat statistics
Thrown shots: 153
Shots that hit the target: 51
Efficiency rate: 33%
Blows to the body: 23
Thrown shots: 369
Shots that hit the target: 125
Efficiency rate: 34%
Blows to the body: 8
Note: Smith Jr. hit the target more often than Alvarez in six of eight rounds of action. Smith Jr. led 80-72 and 79-73 [sur deux cartes] at the time of stopping the fight.
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