Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and/or the person advising him are ruining the fighter’s chance to become the straw that stirs boxing’s drink in the post-Floyd Mayweather Jr. era.
The battle for the right to be called the sport’s next pay-per-view king is still raging. Canelo has a leg up in this race, but he doesn’t appear to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to become the man. The underwhelming amount of pay-per-view buys for his last two fights prove Canelo isn’t taking a firm hold of his opportunity.
Canelo’s last fight against Amir Khan, a sixth-round KO victory garnered around 600,000 pay-per-view buys. The one before, a unanimous-decision win over Miguel Cotto came in just under a million. Those are decent numbers for the second or third biggest draw in the sport, but Canelo has the potential to be No. 1.
He is holding himself back.
Canelo should be gearing up for a fight with lineal middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in the fall, but instead Alvarez relinquished his WBC title rather than faced the powerful Kazakh.
Less than two weeks before Canelo vacated the title, he gave a spirited post-fight speech after knocking Khan senseless in Sin City. Canelo stood in the middle of the ring at the brand new T-Mobile Arena and said:
“Like we say in Mexico we don’t f*** around. I don’t fear anyone; we don’t come to play in this sport. I fear no one in this sport.”
That all sounded very convincing and it got a rise from the pro-Canelo crowd, but 12 days later he gave up his belt rather than face the man he swore he didn’t fear. Boxing is a business of posturing and leverage, but it’s hard to make an excuse for this one. Canelo and his side still tried as they blamed the deadline for the purse bid for their backing out of the negotiations.
Per a statement issued by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo said:
“For the entirety of my career, I have taken the fights that no one wanted because I fear no man. Never has that been more true than today. I will fight GGG, and I will beat GGG, but I will not be forced into the ring by artificial deadlines. I am hopeful that by putting aside this ticking clock, the two teams can now negotiate this fight, and GGG and I can get in the ring as soon as possible and give the fans the fight they want to see.”
Most believe Mayweather will have at least one more fight, but it could be a bout that few boxing fans acknowledge as a legitimate test if he faces UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
In any case, Mayweather probably won’t fight more than one or two more times tops. The time is now for the Mexican superstar.
Canelo is 25 years old, talented and fortunate enough to have a few other things in his favor. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and thanks to his handsome appearance, excellent record (47-1-1, 33 KO) and heritage, he’s as marketable as anyone in the sport within the large and loyal Latino boxing community.
Canelo’s allegiance to Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions only aids his status, and his affiliation with HBO is another positive. Some American fans may find it hard to connect with Canelo because he doesn’t speak much—if any—English, but his highlight-reel KOs translate in any language.
What is also easily discerned is a perception of cowardice. The root word coward is a rough term to use when describing a professional fighter. It’s always too harsh, as any man or woman who enters a ring or cage to do battle with another human being is anything but a coward—at least as it pertains to combat sports.
Still, the public will apply the label to any fighter they believe is attempting to duck a dangerous opponent. WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson’s reputation and reign as titleholder has been tainted by the perception that he has avoided lineal 175-pound kingpin Sergey Kovalev.
Even Mayweather has had to endure this criticism throughout his career. Back in 2006, it was implied that Mayweather was ducking Antonio Margarito. The latter was tearing through welterweight opponents at the time with his aggressive style. Some believed he would have created a problem for Mayweather.
In retrospect, that seems like a silly notion given the large gap GPS -2.24% in speed and overall skill.
Most infamously, Mayweather was accused of avoiding Manny Pacquiao. Many will still tell you Mayweather waited for Pacquiao to get old before fighting him in 2015. That too seems like a stretch considering Mayweather is older than Pacquiao.
Through all of the critic’s darts, Mayweather still participated and won all three of the bouts with the largest gates in the history of combat sports. As a matter of fact, Mayweather fought in and won six of the top seven on the linked list.
For as much as Canelo has going for him in regards to becoming the sport’s top dog, he has quite a few traits and distinctions that make him compare unfavorably to the man he could potentially succeed.
What’s the difference between Mayweather and Canelo? There’s several.
First and unfortunately foremost, Mayweather is American. He speaks English which automatically makes him a little easier for the American audience to relate to. It’s unfair, but a foothold with the American audience is the key to true mass appeal in the sport.
Mayweather is also a polarizing figure who has embraced the villain role.
Many people hate him. He has his fans for sure, but a large percentage of casual and hardcore fight fans despise Mayweather for his arrogant persona and his legal issues. That passion makes people want to see him fight—whether it’s to lose (which of course he’s never done) or to win.
Canelo doesn’t evoke the same passion in fight fans that Mayweather did. He’s quiet and he appears to be put off by the glamour and glitz that comes along with being a celebrity. Every athlete is not cut out to thrive as a villain. It takes a special guy or girl to be OK with being the most hated person in an arena with 10,000-plus fans.
We don’t know this for sure, but Canelo doesn’t appear to be cut from that cloth. Without a villainous presence and no real personality for fans to relate to, where does Canelo stand in pop culture? The answer could be: on the outside looking in while the suddenly appealing heavyweight division surges to popularity.
Another factor is Mayweather’s 2013 victory over Canelo.
Head-to-head battles in combat sports end arguments quicker than in any other branch of athletics. Because Canelo doesn’t carry the mystique of an undefeated fighter, putting him over as the best in the sport is a more difficult task.
Canelo’s path to validation as a potential people’s champ and undisputed king of boxing has to include a list of opponents that reads as the who’s who in his weight region. That begins with a bout against Golovkin.
Before Mayweather reached his current level in the sport, he took the tough fights. He fought Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah (when that was a big deal) Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Diego Corrales and others. Canelo hasn’t fought and defeated that level of opponent.
Instead, his best moments have come against defense-less slugger James Kirkland, an undersized Khan and an over-the-hill Shane Mosley. With a questionable resume and a less-than magnetic personality, Canelo’s could ultimately be described as an underachiever.
If Canelo is to maximize his earning potential and fight legacy, the tombstone on his boxing career must read “took on all comers.” If he never fought again, the inscription would say “Cautious.”
That won’t cut it for Canelo.
The battle for the right to be called the sport’s next pay-per-view king is still raging. Canelo has a leg up in this race, but he doesn’t appear to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to become the man. The underwhelming amount of pay-per-view buys for his last two fights prove Canelo isn’t taking a firm hold of his opportunity.
Canelo’s last fight against Amir Khan, a sixth-round KO victory garnered around 600,000 pay-per-view buys. The one before, a unanimous-decision win over Miguel Cotto came in just under a million. Those are decent numbers for the second or third biggest draw in the sport, but Canelo has the potential to be No. 1.
He is holding himself back.
Canelo should be gearing up for a fight with lineal middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in the fall, but instead Alvarez relinquished his WBC title rather than faced the powerful Kazakh.
Less than two weeks before Canelo vacated the title, he gave a spirited post-fight speech after knocking Khan senseless in Sin City. Canelo stood in the middle of the ring at the brand new T-Mobile Arena and said:
“Like we say in Mexico we don’t f*** around. I don’t fear anyone; we don’t come to play in this sport. I fear no one in this sport.”
That all sounded very convincing and it got a rise from the pro-Canelo crowd, but 12 days later he gave up his belt rather than face the man he swore he didn’t fear. Boxing is a business of posturing and leverage, but it’s hard to make an excuse for this one. Canelo and his side still tried as they blamed the deadline for the purse bid for their backing out of the negotiations.
Per a statement issued by Golden Boy Promotions, Canelo said:
“For the entirety of my career, I have taken the fights that no one wanted because I fear no man. Never has that been more true than today. I will fight GGG, and I will beat GGG, but I will not be forced into the ring by artificial deadlines. I am hopeful that by putting aside this ticking clock, the two teams can now negotiate this fight, and GGG and I can get in the ring as soon as possible and give the fans the fight they want to see.”
Most believe Mayweather will have at least one more fight, but it could be a bout that few boxing fans acknowledge as a legitimate test if he faces UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
In any case, Mayweather probably won’t fight more than one or two more times tops. The time is now for the Mexican superstar.
Canelo is 25 years old, talented and fortunate enough to have a few other things in his favor. He was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and thanks to his handsome appearance, excellent record (47-1-1, 33 KO) and heritage, he’s as marketable as anyone in the sport within the large and loyal Latino boxing community.
Canelo’s allegiance to Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions only aids his status, and his affiliation with HBO is another positive. Some American fans may find it hard to connect with Canelo because he doesn’t speak much—if any—English, but his highlight-reel KOs translate in any language.
What is also easily discerned is a perception of cowardice. The root word coward is a rough term to use when describing a professional fighter. It’s always too harsh, as any man or woman who enters a ring or cage to do battle with another human being is anything but a coward—at least as it pertains to combat sports.
Still, the public will apply the label to any fighter they believe is attempting to duck a dangerous opponent. WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson’s reputation and reign as titleholder has been tainted by the perception that he has avoided lineal 175-pound kingpin Sergey Kovalev.
Even Mayweather has had to endure this criticism throughout his career. Back in 2006, it was implied that Mayweather was ducking Antonio Margarito. The latter was tearing through welterweight opponents at the time with his aggressive style. Some believed he would have created a problem for Mayweather.
In retrospect, that seems like a silly notion given the large gap GPS -2.24% in speed and overall skill.
Most infamously, Mayweather was accused of avoiding Manny Pacquiao. Many will still tell you Mayweather waited for Pacquiao to get old before fighting him in 2015. That too seems like a stretch considering Mayweather is older than Pacquiao.
Through all of the critic’s darts, Mayweather still participated and won all three of the bouts with the largest gates in the history of combat sports. As a matter of fact, Mayweather fought in and won six of the top seven on the linked list.
For as much as Canelo has going for him in regards to becoming the sport’s top dog, he has quite a few traits and distinctions that make him compare unfavorably to the man he could potentially succeed.
What’s the difference between Mayweather and Canelo? There’s several.
First and unfortunately foremost, Mayweather is American. He speaks English which automatically makes him a little easier for the American audience to relate to. It’s unfair, but a foothold with the American audience is the key to true mass appeal in the sport.
Mayweather is also a polarizing figure who has embraced the villain role.
Many people hate him. He has his fans for sure, but a large percentage of casual and hardcore fight fans despise Mayweather for his arrogant persona and his legal issues. That passion makes people want to see him fight—whether it’s to lose (which of course he’s never done) or to win.
Canelo doesn’t evoke the same passion in fight fans that Mayweather did. He’s quiet and he appears to be put off by the glamour and glitz that comes along with being a celebrity. Every athlete is not cut out to thrive as a villain. It takes a special guy or girl to be OK with being the most hated person in an arena with 10,000-plus fans.
We don’t know this for sure, but Canelo doesn’t appear to be cut from that cloth. Without a villainous presence and no real personality for fans to relate to, where does Canelo stand in pop culture? The answer could be: on the outside looking in while the suddenly appealing heavyweight division surges to popularity.
Another factor is Mayweather’s 2013 victory over Canelo.
Head-to-head battles in combat sports end arguments quicker than in any other branch of athletics. Because Canelo doesn’t carry the mystique of an undefeated fighter, putting him over as the best in the sport is a more difficult task.
Canelo’s path to validation as a potential people’s champ and undisputed king of boxing has to include a list of opponents that reads as the who’s who in his weight region. That begins with a bout against Golovkin.
Before Mayweather reached his current level in the sport, he took the tough fights. He fought Oscar De La Hoya, Zab Judah (when that was a big deal) Jose Luis Castillo (twice), Diego Corrales and others. Canelo hasn’t fought and defeated that level of opponent.
Instead, his best moments have come against defense-less slugger James Kirkland, an undersized Khan and an over-the-hill Shane Mosley. With a questionable resume and a less-than magnetic personality, Canelo’s could ultimately be described as an underachiever.
If Canelo is to maximize his earning potential and fight legacy, the tombstone on his boxing career must read “took on all comers.” If he never fought again, the inscription would say “Cautious.”
That won’t cut it for Canelo.
Article courtesy of Forbes
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