“The heritage is safe.”
Every time someone talks about Saul Canelo Alvarez not wanting to fight David Benavidez, we hear negative cries. And it’s true: Canelo has spent most of his 15 years fighting tough opponents across various weight classes, almost always coming out on top. He has been inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
But legacy should not protect heroes from the criticism they deserve, even if their merits outweigh their shortcomings. Right now, Canelo is avoiding Benavidez for no reason. He hasn’t received a major challenge since losing to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight in 2022.
The loss to Bivol was Canelo’s first since losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Be brave enough, and eventually he will be very brave.
But if you think about it, maybe Canelo underestimated the challenge. Canelo moved up to 175 before beating an aging Sergey Kovalev. He won the game by biding his time and coming back to hit a big single. He was confident that he was capable of knocking down and stopping bigger opponents, and although he lost a few short rounds, in the eleventh round, he proved himself right.
Bivol is a different beast. He landed jabs and powerful punch combinations on Canelo, staying back and attacking in a way Kovalev had never done before. And most importantly, he took control of Alvarez with ease.
However, if you look at how Canelo fought Bivol, he did the same thing against Kovalev. Canelo threw more punches, mostly one at a time, trying to wear down Bivol. He hit Bivol’s hand, hoping that Bivol would push him away. If that doesn’t work, Canelo has no backup plan. He looked down before the end of the game.
We’ve seen Canelo’s impressive preparation in the ring before. Just look at how he lost Gennady Golovkin with a big right hand in a controversial fight in 2017 and how he defended for most of the 2018 rematch as he avoided Callum Smith’s long punches and Danny Jacobs with the headliner.
Canelo Alvarez Might Be Finished Taking Tough Fights https://t.co/orrzkBpPxH
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 28, 2024
Canelo isn’t on the same level as Bivol. All judges scored the Wall fight 115-113, but most media believed Canelo won in no more than four rounds. Many believe he only won once or twice.
Prior to his fight with Canelo, Bivol had rarely shown his ability to perform well. Artur Beterbiev, 175, cannot be called a “devil”, but Canelo has shown no interest in fighting him. Bivol is the biggest underdog in the betting heading into the Canelo fight. Some boxing fans and experienced writers recognized his true talent, but it is not fair to say that everyone saw it.
In the weeks before his loss to Bivol, Canelo talked about one day moving up to lightweight. He had combined all his belts in 168, and had four gruesome fights in 2021. Taking all of this into consideration, it seems like this is happening: Canelo wants a belt at 175 and is looking at a fighter in Bivol, due to the lack of close fight wins and impressive performances , the time is ripe for his choice. .
Canelo entered the ring, realized his mistake, but could not make amends because it was too late. His loss was easier than he thought.
Canelo panicked when his aura of invincibility was shattered. He thought about the rematch, knowing it would be a tough fight even though he was doing better, and decided he didn’t want a rematch. Canelo knew that, unlike when he lost to Mayweather, he had nothing to prove or come back from injury to enter the Hall of Fame. So he decided that not only did he not want to fight, but he was tired of losing, period. And he left Benavidez out cold.
Bivol has a huge advantage over Canelo, showing a good chin and landing combinations all the time. Can you think of any other opponents Canelo could fight? It’s a problem if Canelo defends his belt at 168 instead of challenging Bivol again. Here’s the dilemma in late 2022 and early 2023: Will Canelo try to avenge his first loss once and for all? Instead, Canelo chose option C: an easy unanimous decision against an opponent no one expected him to fight. His last three opponents were the 40-year-old Golovkin, the powerful John Ryder, and the unremarkable Jermall Charlo. Jaime Munguia is Canelo’s opponent, who the boxing world agrees is the reason he upset the fight against Edgar Berlanga. This is not the kind of resistance from a fighter who still wants to face his toughest challenger.
Benavidez has been Canelo’s main challenger for the past two years at 168 years old. There is a chance to compete with him. Benavidez secured this spot by defeating Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade. Canelo still doesn’t want to fight him.
What’s hard to accept is that Canelo seems to have a lot of money left. Many thought he would beat Benavidez. Of course, he has not been very good, as he has not scored since the end of 2021. But against Charlo, who was knocked out by Canelo, Alvarez showed that he was not crushed. In fact, he’s still very good. He’s so good that ESPN ranked him fourth overall, higher than Bivol, who easily beat him two years ago. There’s nothing Canelo likes more than Benavidez to fight, but Alvarez doesn’t think the idea of a fight is worth it. He also mentioned the importance of Benavidez. What happened to wanting to fight heavyweight? This, my friends, is what is called “duck”.
Many will wonder if Canelo will fight Benavidez and support a fight with a contender who has been ranked No. 1 in 168 for years. But it seems ridiculous, frankly, and hopeless to expect Canelo to ignore the fight.
Of course Canelo may change his mind. Maybe the fourth fight against an enemy that is a level below him will rekindle his desire to push himself. Maybe he’s saving Benavidez for the last fight of his career. In the face of that argument, maybe it’s time to brush up on the “people aren’t afraid to challenge” statement and remember that Canelo is waiting for Golovkin to show signs of weakness before he fight him, he stopped criticizing the sport of boxing. The long-lost golden boy.
Is Canelo’s legacy safe? Of course. But you’re delusional if you think he wants to add content.