Canelo Alvarez Has Regressed and Lost His Way
Reigning unified super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is arguably boxing’s most well-known current fighter. However, he’s losing the respect of boxing’s public with each passing day. 3Kings Boxing has learned Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) has signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season. Furthermore, Canelo’s next outing will be on May 3 in Saudi Arabia against reigning IBF belt-holder William Scull to determine the undisputed champion. The announcement was met with derision and condemnation from many fans throughout social media and on message boards.
It’s a fight that no serious boxing enthusiast wanted or asked for. A Canelo win would mean he would become a two-time undisputed champion. However, it would be at the expense of Scull, one of boxing’s least recognized and unaccomplished world champions. Alvarez gains nothing from this upcoming battle.
FLEECING THE PEOPLE
It’s the continuation of a disturbing trend from the Mexican superstar. Since first becoming the undisputed champion at 168 in November 2021 with a stoppage win over Caleb Plant, Alvarez has mainly feasted on mediocre competition. When he faced a high-caliber opponent in May 2022 against Dmitry Bivol, Canelo was thoroughly outboxed and lost by unanimous decision.
Pundits have clamored for Alvarez to face David Benavidez, who was his mandatory challenger. Yet all we got was excuse after excuse from the unified champion. After it became obvious that Canelo wanted no part of him in the ring, Benavidez moved up to the 175 and is a serious threat to take over the light heavyweight division.
What makes matters worse is that before the announcement of Alvarez versus Scull, word on the street is that Alvarez was in negotiations to fight YouTube sensation turned boxer, Jake Paul, someone who has done nothing to deserve that kind of opportunity.
Should Alvarez defeat Scull, his next fight would likely be a September showdown against reigning junior middleweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford. While Crawford is one of the best in the business and it would be a high-profile matchup, Bud is also a naturally smaller man.
Enough is enough with Alvarez. In his younger days, he sought out and fought most of the best available in and around his division. That’s no longer the case.
Sure, Alvarez is a future Hall of Famer who has created generational wealth for his family. However, currently, he’s a fighter who has lost his fistic street cred with boxing’s most ardent supporters. The 34-year-old has become mainstream and corporatized and his historical legacy is plummeting as a result.
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