Is Canelo Alvarez Getting Too Much Backlash?

Canelo Alvarez has received mass backlash for his boxing moves, but is it justified? 

Canelo received criticism over his last fight heading into it and in the aftermath. He faced William Scull for the right to win the IBF Super Middleweight Title, as he chased undisputed at 168 for the second time. The fight did not go down well, as the bout had the lowest punch-out ever recorded on CompuBox. Scull’s failure to engage during the fight, while Canelo’s struggles to cut the ring off, made it a dull spectacle. Oscar De La Hoya slammed the performance, while Bob Arum referred to Canelo as simply a businessman.

Arum On Canelo

“If I had to pay money to watch that fight, I wouldn’t do it, because Canelo has shown in his last few fights that he’s just a businessman. He’s not in there to entertain the public, he just takes the big cheque. But if Canelo really fights – because I think it’s safe to say Terence always fights, he doesn’t know anything else – then it could be a very good, interesting fight.

“Who is Canelo? What Canelo is going to show up? The Canelo who’s looking to cash a big cheque, or the Canelo that really wants to fight? The Canelo we’ve seen the last two years is not only boring, but he doesn’t have an incentive to mix it up and entertain people with a good fight,” Arum stated

Canelo’s four-fight deal with the Saudis is reportedly worth $400 million. He will face off against Terence Crawford in September, a boxer who is moving up two weight classes in a bout where Alvarez is a massive favorite. There are also suggestions he could box Chris Eubank Jr. next year, while there is no sign of the David Benavidez fight ever happening. Canelo is a four-weight world champion, two-time undisputed champion, who only has two losses on his resume.

Defeats to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol are no shame, given they are considered some of the best fighters ever. However, there is no guarantee that Canelo sees out his four-fight deal. Eddie Hearn has questioned whether Canelo can overtake Crawford based on the Scull performance.

Hearn On Canelo

His failure to cut the ring off would play into Crawford’s hands, given Bud boxing IQ. A loss to Crawford could arguably expedite Canelo’s eventual retirement, given it would be tough to come back from losing to a 154-pounder. Alvarez may well then explore boxing fights against the likes of Jake Paul, as Hearn questioned if Canelo was still hungry. 

“I just feel that desire is fading a little bit, not because of his love for [boxing], but just because of his age and life. The Crawford fight will definitely get him up for it. I don’t think he’d want to lose to Crawford, a much smaller guy, because he’s at the end of the road.

“The fight is so big and the money is so big that he has to take it. I bet he retires after that fight. Why would you carry on? You fight Crawford. Who else is there for Canelo to fight? Do you think Benavide is going to come back to 168 Again, I don’t think Canelo would want to lose to [David] Benavidez because he’s not the fighter that he was. There’s a lot of pride for those guys,” Hearn stated