Canelo Alvarez Must Knock out Floyd Mayweather to Ensure Victory

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez isn't going to beat Floyd Mayweather by way of decision. 

The two fighters will square off this Saturday night at the MGM Grand in one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent memory. Both enter the bout with undefeated records, and they feature contrasting styles that make for a fascinating matchup. 

Mayweather is like a mad scientist who always seems to find a chink in his opponent's armor, and he uses speed, quickness and extraordinary defense to win his fights.

Alvarez, on the other hand, has been known more for brute force than anything else in his young career.

The stakes couldn't be higher for Money May, who is putting his legendary career on the line, in addition to his WBA super light middleweight title. He's the world's best pound-for-pound boxer and the industry's top money-maker, and if the fight lasts all 12 rounds he's going to keep his title. 

The only way Alvarez will come away from Saturday night's fight is by knocking out the champ, pure and simple.

Most experts agree that he's not likely to win, based on the fact that Mayweather has managed to survive his career without ever succumbing to defeat. He's faced down some of his era's top champions, including Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez.

If the fight goes to the judges, there's no doubt who will win—and it's not going to be Alvarez. Because if the fight lasts 12 rounds and Mayweather is still standing, then it will mean Canelo couldn't figure out a way to penetrate his otherworldly defenses. 

Mayweather is hard to hit.

According to CompuBoxOnline.com, Mayweather has the best plus/minus rating among active fighters in terms of punches landed. He connects on 41 percent of his punches on average while getting hit only 17 percent of the time.

Mayweather isn't the only fighter who brings an impressive resume to this superfight, however, and if any boxer has the chops to knock him out, it's Alvarez.

Though he's only 23 years old, the Mexican sensation has been fighting professionally since 2005, and his 42-0-1 record speaks for itself. Of his 42 wins, Alvarez has knocked his opponent out an astonishing 30 times.

Granted, he's never faced a fighter of Mayweather's caliber, and this will easily be the biggest test of his young career. He must not only outbox Money on Saturday night, he must also outsmart his opponent, which has never been done before. 

In order for Alvarez to win on Saturday, he must KO the champ. 

Nothing less will suffice. 

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