What’s next for Canelo Alvarez?

This is your boxing face?

Would Menu Delgado: Boxing’s biggest superstar, hailed by the sport itself as the face of boxing, considered by many to be a living legend, will undoubtedly cement his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame as one of the greatest Mexican fighters to ever live. That being said, his last four fights, over the last year and a half, have left a lot to be desired. All easily won fights that posed no threat to him and weren’t competitive in the slightest. Many sports fans ask, “This is your boxing face?”

Needless to say, fans have not been happy with his recent matchup choices, and the question is, “Should Canelo continue to box or retire to play golf instead?” as he was spotted thoroughly enjoying himself, in one At one point, he was even criticized by the boxing media because he plays too often and doesn’t want to focused 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, which Canelo often claims. Having done all that, he went as far as becoming the only super middleweight world champion in the history of the sport in 2021 and facing the best the sport had to offer at his weight class. However, one huge star remained, and that is the specter David Benavidez, otherwise known as the ‘Mexican monster’, and for an extraordinary reason.

His loud, fast and explosive style is cited as one that could cause huge problems for Canelo’s lackluster performance, especially his counter-killing mood. Stylistically, it’s the kind of fight that could go down as an instant classic. Depending on who wins, it could catapult Benavidez to superstardom, having defeated the man himself who is the “face of boxing” or, in Canelo’s case, silence his opponents once and for all, officially recognizing as the man who beat what many consider his biggest challenge so far.

Canelo and Benavidez’s verbal feud that has been going on for more than a year has been a tense exchange of their opposing opinions on the matter, with Canelo briefly saying in an interview:

“It brings nothing to my table; he only brings 25 pounds more in the fight of the night”

That was over 10 months ago, and Canelo recently stated that he would fight Benavidez if the purse was $150 million to $200 million. To which Benavidez responded with an angry attitude:

“@canelo if I have nothing to offer then why are you asking to get 150-200 million to fight someone worthless? Hopefully, after you make that 150 million, you’ll have enough left over to buy a couple of nuts.”

Benavides’ argument, combined with other statements he’s made regarding the fight, is practically, why are lesser opponents allowed a gift to win Canelo’s sweepstakes? And not him, who is more than deserving. It remains to be seen if we’ll ever see an official poster for the fight that says “Canelo vs. Benavidez,” and it’s one of the biggest questions in boxing right now.

Canelo vs. Crawford

That being said, Canelo vs. Crawford has recently been rumored to be set for September 13th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 168 pounds. A matchup that could offer what you might consider guaranteed excitement due to Crawford’s impressive boxing skills. Considered one of the most well-rounded or “complete” boxers in the sport with multiple high-level attributes that make him the adaptable fighter that they are, he is currently still undefeated with a record of 41-0 and a 2x undisputed two-weight champion, at Welterweight (140) and superlight (147).

In Canelo’s case, he’ll be the former undisputed middleweight champion (168) who has defeated everyone who has given him a legitimate challenge, at least presumably, since most fans agree he lost to Golovkin the first time around and back-to-back rematches are generally considered a thing opinions about who won, because they didn’t count as decisive victories for either side, depending on who you ask, but that’s a whole other topic. In addition to this and the big star whether or not he can beat Benavidez, Canelo is considered the current face of boxing due to his impressive resume and equally impressive boxing ability. Primarily known for his elite-level striking ability and slick defense that have earned him bout highlights that satisfy purists and casual fans alike.

A mega-fight that fans consider a fantasy matchup that would likely manifest in reality would be a huge blockbuster draw, but despite that, Canelo is actually very disdainful of Crawford, 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. Besides, 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 probability of possible excitement during the build-up and when gloves touch, has many fans wondering if a fight where the much lighter Crawford moves up two weight classes to fight a man who is naturally much heavier than him even is also a struggle 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; In addition to Crawford’s exceptional boxing skills, strength, endurance and mobility do not transfer well from lower weight through the higher weight classes.

Canelo vs. Buffalo

For example, Canelo recently moved up to light heavyweight (174) to fight Buffalo, a fight that casual fans considered a “wrong ball,” but die-hard fans of the sport knew better and that Buffalo could be Canelo’s biggest challenge. until now. Canelo looked completely out of his element against Buffalo, not only because Buffalo is as elite as they come, with his high mobility and intensity, Soviet-style, but also because Canelo looked like he was carrying extra weight that made it difficult for him to is moving, which it was. Already considered a heavy and flat-footed fighter who looks like he walks on 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 hit on shots that he might otherwise have been able to block or dodge, taking no credit away from Bivol’s ability to land his shots effectively. In short, if Bivol and Canelo were at 168, Canelo probably would have been hit less.

A potential ruling for Canelo vs. Crawford

Could Crawford face a similar verdict? Where despite being what many consider a “complete” fighter, more chameleon-like than human. Will his boxing skills translate to moving up two weight classes? or will he simply suffer Kanel’s fate? and falling behind a naturally larger man, his skills take a huge hit through the added weight of combat. Any opinion on this matter is pure speculation and no one can say for sure what the outcome will be, the only thing that is certain is that Crawford will be in the ring against Kanello, but he will be fighting himself. to the disadvantages of fighting at a weight you are not normally used to fighting at. If there is a man or boxer who can overcome both challenges, it is definitely Crawford. For this reason, despite what many sports fans consider an unnecessary fight, it could still be a very promising and entertaining fight.

Canelo’s legacy

But aside from this potential matchup, what’s next for Canelo? Will he finally face his personal boogeyman, David Benavides? If we want to follow the entire narrative of events and indirect exchanges between the two, it is unlikely. The most reasonable prediction would be to say that he continues to box fights where his opponents pose no real threat to him, thus continuing his retirement tour with no clear end in sight or expectations for him to do anything different. What do you personally believe is in the near future for Canelo? and how does that affect his overall legacy as a fighter?