“His legacy is protected.”
We’ve heard that numerous times when discussing Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s refusal to fight David Benavidez. It is also true: Canelo has fought tough opponents in a variety of weight classes for the better part of 15 years, almost always winning. He is already guaranteed to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
However, even if a fighter’s accomplishments outweigh their flaws, they shouldn’t be immune to justifiable criticism due to their established legacy. Today, as of now, Canelo is staying away from Benavidez understandably. Since his defeat to Dmitry Bivol at light heavyweight in 2022, he has not faced a significant challenge. That merits discussing.
The Bivol misfortune was Canelo’s most memorable loss since he tumbled to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Canelo’s ceiling is believed to have been reached that night in 2022; he had been daring to be great for a long time before finally becoming a little too daring.
Canelo Alvarez Might Be Finished Taking Tough Fights https://t.co/orrzkBpPxH
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) April 28, 2024
Yet, looking back, maybe Canelo essentially misjudged the test before him.
Canelo had gone up to 175 once previously and taken out a maturing Sergey Kovalev. He won that battle by sitting tight for chances to counter and tossing enormous single shots. Even though he lost several rounds, he was proved right in the eleventh because he had complete faith that his power would be sufficient to drop and stop a larger man.
Bivol was something else entirely. He used combinations and stiffer jabs against Canelo and sat down on his punches, something Kovalev never did. Furthermore, critically, he took Alvarez’s power serenely.
However on the off chance that you watch the manner in which Canelo battled Bivol, he basically utilized a similar style he did against Kovalev. Again, Canelo attempted to knock Bivol out with a series of powerful punches, mostly one at a time. In the hope that Bivol would drop his arms, he struck Bivol. At the point when that didn’t work, Canelo had no Arrangement B. He looked flattened well before the finish of the battle.
In the past, we have witnessed Canelo’s preparation shine in the ring. Just look at how he made Gennady Golovkin miss big right hands in their tense fight in 2017 and how he moved forward for most of their rematch in 2018. He dodged Callum Smith and Danny Jacobs’ long jabs with expert head movement.
Canelo obviously didn’t do a similar degree of prep against Bivol. Every one of the adjudicators scored the battle 115-113 for Bivol, yet most media individuals thought Canelo won something like four rounds. Many idea he won as not many as a couple.
Prior to battling Canelo, Bivol had shown practically nothing to demonstrate he was prepared to do such an impenetrable execution. At 175 he wasn’t seen as the bad guy; that honor went to Artur Beterbiev, who Canelo hasn’t been interested in fighting. Bivol was a reasonable wagering longshot going into the Canelo battle. Although some knowledgeable boxing writers and fans recognized his true talent, it is incorrect to assert that it was obvious to everyone.
Canelo talked about one day moving up to cruiserweight in the weeks leading up to his loss to Bivol. At 168, he had just won all the belts and fought admirably four times in 2021. He hadn’t lost beginning around 2013. He presumably felt powerful – and for good explanation.
In light of all that, this appears to have occurred: Canelo needed one more belt at 175 and saw a contender in Bivol who, given his absence of late knockout successes and interjection point-commendable exhibitions, was ready to go.
Canelo got in the ring, acknowledged he was off-base, and neglected to change since it had been for such a long time since he expected to. He lost more conveniently than he suspected was conceivable.
Canelo became alarmed when his aura of invincibility was broken. He contemplated a rematch, acknowledged it would presumably be a daunting task regardless of whether he performed better, and concluded he didn’t need one.
Canelo came to the realization that, unlike when he lost to Mayweather, he had nothing more to prove and could have made it into the Hall of Fame without regaining his composure. So he concluded that not in the least did he not need the rematch, he was finished taking battles he had a respectable possibility losing, period. Consequently, he left Benavidez alone.
Bivol consistently threw combinations, displayed a strong chin, and had a significant reach advantage over Canelo. Might you at any point consider another rival Canelo could battle who has those equivalent ascribes, shares the initials “D.B.”, and has much more pop in his punches?
It would be a certain something in the event that Canelo shielded his belts at 168 against the top challengers as opposed to taking one more break at Bivol. That was the pressure in late 2022 and mid 2023: Would Canelo fight Benavidez or try to avenge his first loss in forever, which he was said to be determined to do? All things being equal, Canelo has picked choice C: prevailing upon simple consistent choices rivals nobody believed that him should battle. The 40-year-old Golovkin, the overmatched John Ryder, and the completely uninterested Jermell Charlo have been his three opponents in the past. Canelo will fight Jaime Munguia next, who the boxing world is okay with because he first said he would fight Edgar Berlanga.
This doesn’t seem like the resistance of a keen on taking on the hardest conceivable warrior challengers.
Benavidez has gone through the most recent two years getting himself ready as Canelo’s unmistakable essential challenger at 168. Canelo once stated that he wanted the division’s contenders to compete for a shot at him. Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade to earn that shot. Canelo will not fight him even now.
What makes this hard to stomach is that Canelo seems to have a considerable amount left. Bounty actually figure he would beat Benavidez. He hasn’t been at his best, and he hasn’t won by knockout since late 2021. Additionally, fighting a murderer like Benavidez when you’re clean is pointless. Yet, against Charlo, whom Canelo basically shut out, Alvarez showed that he isn’t washed. In point of fact, he is still pretty good. He’s great to the point that ESPN positions him fourth pound-for-pound, even over exactly the same Bivol who beat him serenely a long time back. Alvarez has dismissed the possibility of a fight between Canelo and Benavidez as unimportant, despite the fact that Benavidez is by far the most compelling opponent. He’s additionally referenced how large Benavidez is. What befell those desires to battle as cruiserweight?
My friends, this is what we refer to as a “duck.”
If Canelo fights Benavidez, many people will be surprised and applaud him for fighting the man who has always been his No. 1. 1 competitor at 168 for quite some time. In any case, it feels senseless and, to be perfectly honest, frantic to continue to expect a battle that Canelo has communicated all of zero interest in.
It’s conceivable, obviously, that Canelo will have a shift in perspective. Perhaps a fourth consecutive battle against a rival a full level underneath him will stir up his hunger to propel himself. Perhaps he’s saving Benavidez for the last battle of his vocation. Until that speculative point, maybe now is the ideal time to treat the “this man has never avoided a test” talk, review how Canelo held on until Golovkin gave indications of decline prior to battling him, lastly censure boxing’s long-term brilliant kid.
Is Canelo’s heritage secure? That’s right. However, if you think he is currently interested in expanding it, you are kidding yourself.