As information/rumor/buzz spreads of promoter Sampson Lewkowicz providing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez a deal that might ship as a lot as $50 million, assured, to combat his shopper David Benavidez, we’re reminded of the powerful spot by which the Mexican celebrity finds himself.
On paper, in phrases, and in Eddie Hearn’s coronary heart of hearts, Dmitry Bivol is subsequent for Alvarez. However I’ve lengthy said my belief– from the primary second that Alvarez stated he needed a Bivol rematch in Could of 2022, with followers nonetheless buzzing at T-Cellular Area and bruises nonetheless forming on his face– that Alvarez needed no second serving to of the reigning WBA mild heavyweight champ.
Alvarez is a brilliant sufficient boxing man to know simply how decisive and borderline dominant that loss was. The three 115-113 scorecards advised a distinct story and Alvarez, when requested, rewrites historical past to make the bout appear nearer, extra aggressive. However Bivol didn’t simply barely beat Canelo, he outclassed him. By the top of that combat, Alvarez was drained, battered, and resigned to defeat. This was not a Canelo we had ever seen earlier than, not even in his dropping effort towards Floyd Mayweather ten years earlier.
All of the “It doesn’t finish this fashion…we would like the rematch” discuss, no less than in my eyes, was to save lots of face. Bested the way in which he was, how may Alvarez NOT demand a return bout to make issues proper? He could also be a brand new age form of Mexican boxer, however he’s Mexican nonetheless and a proud Mexican doesn’t simply whimper again residence, tail between legs, after being slapped round for all of the world to see.
Nevertheless, the trilogy bout with Gennadiy Golovkin took precedence over a right away Bivol rematch. Then, Alvarez’s Guadalajara homecoming towards John Ryder was pushed in entrance of Bivol half 2. Now, there’s a dispute over the burden for the following Bivol combat, tentatively deliberate for September.
Alvarez reportedly desires the combat on the 175 lb. restrict like final time, whereas Bivol apparently prefers to combat on the 168 lb. restrict to problem for Alvarez’s 4 tremendous middleweight belts. The WBC, although, says that it could refuse to sanction a Bivol-Alvarez tremendous middleweight title combat due to their ban on Russian fighters.
Don’t be stunned if this weight stuff turns into a conveniently insurmountable impediment, killing off Bivol-Alvarez 2 shortly earlier than the time comes to start out selling Alvarez’s September combat.
No person will weep for the loss as a result of the primary combat wasn’t all that shut and it’s laborious to think about Alvarez with the ability to try this a lot better within the rematch. At any fee, each have far more intriguing bouts on their horizons– Bivol in a 175 lb. unification, towards three-belt mild heavyweight champ Artur Beterbiev and Canelo, with…David Benavidez?
And that is the place Alvarez’s second dilemma comes into play.
The quickly to be 33-year-old Canelo doesn’t actually appear to wish to combat the 26-year-old Benavidez, both. When requested in regards to the all-offense Phoenix native, Alvarez has usually hemmed and hawed and kicked the proverbial can down the highway.
The justification in not preventing Benavidez, as Alvarez set about changing into the unified tremendous middleweight champ, was that the two-time former tremendous middleweight titlist didn’t have any titles to place up. Truthful sufficient. However now Alvarez is the four-belt champion and Benavidez has established himself as, by far, the highest contender to Alvarez after destroying Caleb Plant in March. There may be now legit cause to forged shade on Canelo if a Benavidez combat isn’t subsequent.
The Mexican-American strain fighter could be a supremely powerful problem for Alvarez, particularly for the Alvarez we’ve seen recently, who has appeared tepid, sluggish, and/or marginally occupied with current outings. Benavidez, whether or not his abilities are overrated or not, will beat the doldrums out of any semi-motivated opponent, even one headed for the Corridor of Fame.
It’s not a stretch to imagine that Alvarez would favor to not take care of an enormous, robust freight prepare at this level of his profession. He’d additionally most likely want to not take care of a slick stylist like Demetrius Andrade or a blue-chip 20-something stud like David Morrell, both.
And, if Bivol is not within the image, that depart Canelo with, virtually actually, no one of word (and no one deserving) to combat in a real Canelo-worthy occasion.
With Canelo’s big-money expectations, no network– not even the mind belief at DAZN– desires to hemorrhage cash anymore only for the sake of getting Alvarez combat on their airwaves. The person has to combat somebody marketable sufficient to be a high quality B-side in a bout aggressive sufficient to stimulate gross sales.
And Alvarez, no less than this Alvarez proper now, who, rightfully or not, appears to really feel that he’s earned some matchmaking deference, doesn’t appear to wish to do something however decide at low-hanging fruit.
After an incredible 2020-2021 run, the Mexican celebrity seems to have grown outdated and jaded. The boxing enterprise, in the meantime, continues to push him in the direction of a passing of the torch problem that he’s not but able to take.
