What’s next for Canelo Álvarez?

Is this your face of boxing?

By Manny Delgado: Boxing’s greatest superstar, hailed as the face of boxing by the sport itself, who many consider an arguable living legend, who will undoubtedly cement his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame as one of the greatest Mexican fighters ever. has existed. That being said, his last four fights, dating back to the last year and a half, have left a lot to be desired. All easily winnable fights that posed no real threat to him and weren’t the least bit competitive. Many sports fans ask themselves: “Is this your face of boxing?”

Needless to say, fans have been unhappy with his recent fight choices, and the question arises: “Should Canelo continue boxing or should he retire to play golf?” As it has been noted that he thoroughly enjoys it, at one point he was even criticized by the boxing media for playing too often and not focusing enough on his boxing training.

Canelo vs Benavidez

In his defense, we could say that he has earned the right to choose his fights as he pleases, Canelo also states this many times. Having done it all, he even went so far as to become the only super middleweight world champion in the history of the sport in 2021 and take on the best the sport has had to offer in his weight class. Still, one big asterisk remains, and that is boogeyman David Benavidez, also known as ‘The Mexican Monster’, and for exceptional reasons.

His high volume, fast and explosive style is cited as one that could cause big problems for Canelo’s low production, mainly his counterpunching disposition. Stylistically, it’s the kind of fight that could be considered an instant classic. Depending on who wins, it could catapult Benavidez to stardom, having defeated the man who is “the face of boxing” or, in the case of Canelo, silence the detractors once and for all, being officially recognized as the man who beat , which many consider to be his greatest challenge to date.

The verbal dispute between Canelo and Benavidez that has lasted more than a year is a tense exchange between their opposing views on the matter, with Canelo briefly quoted as saying in an interview:

“He brings nothing to the table for me; “He only contributes 25 pounds more in the fight of the night”

That was more than 10 months ago, more recently Canelo stated that he would fight Benavidez if the purse was between 150 and 200 million dollars. To which Benavidez responded with the angry disposition of:

“@canelo, if I have nothing to offer, why do you demand between 150 and 200 million from me to fight someone who is worth nothing? Hopefully, after you earn that 150 million, you will have enough left to buy a couple of nuts.”

Benavidez’s argument, combined with other statements he has made about the fight, is practically, why are lesser opponents allowed the gift of winning the Canelo draw? And not him, who is more than deserving. It remains to be seen whether or not we will ever see an official fight poster that says “Canelo vs. Benavidez” and is currently one of the biggest questions in the sport of boxing.

Canelo vs. Crawford

That being said, more recently, there is a rumor that Canelo vs. Crawford is in process for September 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 168 pounds. A matchup that can offer what could be considered guaranteed excitement due to Crawford’s impressive boxing skills. He is considered one of the most complete or “complete” boxers in the sport with multiple high-level attributes that make him as adaptable a fighter as they come, currently remaining undefeated with a record of 41-0 and 2x Undisputed Champion in two weight classes, both at welterweight (140) and super lightweight (147).

In Canelo’s case, we will be the former undisputed middleweight champion (168) who defeated everyone who posed a legitimate challenge to him, at least possibly, since most fans agree that he lost to Golovkin the first time, and back-to-back rematches are largely considered a matter of opinion as to who won, as they are not considered decisive victories for either side, depending on who you ask, but that’s another topic entirely. Aside from this and the huge asterisk of whether or not he can beat Benavidez, Canelo is widely considered the current face of boxing due to his impressive resume and equally impressive boxing ability. Primarily known for his elite-level counterpunching ability and skillful defense that have earned him notable fights that please purists and casual fans alike.

A mega fight like this that fans consider a fantasy matchup, possibly manifesting in reality, would be a huge box office hit, but despite this, Canelo is actually very dismissive of Crawford, even going so far as to say:

“Look, I respect Terence Crawford. He’s very talented, but he just won a big fight. If you look at his record, he just beat a good fighter. Other than that, he hasn’t beaten other good fighters like Spence.”

Crawford, in turn, confidently responded on Twitter with:

“Noted! Just remember what you said because I’ve always had the joy of making someone look like a nobody.”

This potential fight, while offering a high chance of potential excitement during the build-up and once they touch the gloves, many fans have wondered if a fight in which a much lighter Crawford moves up two weight classes to fight a man who is naturally much heavier than him. It’s even a fight worth considering. We’ve all seen what happens when a naturally smaller fighter moves up in weight to fight a bigger man, and it rarely ends well; Crawford’s exceptional boxing skills aside, power, endurance and mobility do not translate well from lighter weight to higher weight classes.

Canelo vs. Buffalo

As an example, Canelo recently moved up to light heavyweight (174) to fight Bivol, a fight that casual fans considered “a pick gone wrong,” but avid fans of the sport knew that Bivol could be Canelo’s biggest challenge. to date. . Canelo looked completely out of his element in his fight against Bivol, not only because Bivol is elite, with his high mobility and intensity, Soviet style, but because Canelo looked as if he was carrying extra weight which made it difficult. move, that was him. Already considered a lumbering, flat-footed fighter who appears to be walking through mud, adding more literal weight to his fighting frame was not a good combination. Not to mention, his gas tank eventually ran out and he kept getting tagged by shots he could have otherwise blocked or avoided, without taking any credit away from Bivol’s ability to land his shots effectively. In short, if Bivol and Canelo were both 168, Canelo probably would have taken fewer hits.

The potential verdict of Canelo vs Crawford

Could Crawford face a similar verdict? Where despite being what many consider a “complete” fighter, more similar to a chameleon than a human. Will his boxing skills translate into a move up two weight classes? Or will he simply suffer Canelo’s fate? and falls short of the naturally larger man, his abilities take a huge hit due to the added weight of the fight. Any opinion on the matter is pure speculation, and no one can say with certainty what the outcome will be, the only thing that is certain is that Crawford will not only be in the ring against Canelo, but will also fight against himself. to the drawbacks of fighting at a weight you’re not normally used to fighting at. If there is any man or boxer who can overcome both challenges, it is definitely Crawford. For that reason, despite being considered an unnecessary fight by many sports fans, it could still be a very promising and entertaining fight.

Canelo’s legacy

But aside from this possible confrontation, what’s next for Canelo? Will he finally face his personal bogeyman, David Benavidez? If we are to follow the entire narrative of events and indirect exchanges between the two, this seems highly unlikely. The most reasonable prediction would be to say that he will continue to give the sport of boxing fights in which his opponents pose no real threat to him, thus continuing his retirement tour with no clear end in sight and no expectations from him for anything different. What do you personally think Canelo’s near future will be? And how does this affect his overall legacy as a fighter?