Is this your face of boxing?
By Manny Delgado: Boxing’s greatest superstar, hailed as the face of boxing by the sport itself, considered by many to be a questionable living legend, who will no doubt cement his place in the Boxing Hall of Fame as one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all time. That being said, his last four fights, over the past year and a half, leave a lot to be desired. All easily winnable fights that posed no real threat to him and weren’t even competitive at all. Many fans of this sport ask themselves: “Is this your face of boxing?” »
Needless to say, fans haven’t been happy with his recent fight choices, and that begs the question: “Should Canelo continue boxing or should he retire to play golf instead?” as he was observed thoroughly enjoying himself, at one point he was even criticized by the boxing media for performing too often and not focusing enough on his boxing training.
Canelo vs. Benavidez
In his defense, one could say that he has earned the right to choose his fights as he pleases, Canelo often claims this too. Having done it all, going as far as becoming the only super middleweight world champion in the history of the sport in 2021 and taking on the best the sport has had to offer in his weight class. However, there remains one huge asterisk, namely bogeyman David Benavidez, otherwise known as “the Mexican Monster”, and for an exceptional reason.
His high-volume, fast-paced, explosive style is cited as one that could pose huge problems for Canelo’s low output, primarily his counter-punching disposition. Stylistically, this is the type of fight that could become an instant classic. Depending on who wins, this could propel Benavidez to superstardom, having defeated the man himself who is “the face of boxing” or, in Canelo’s case, silence the naysayers once and for all, being recognized officially as the man who beat, whom many beat. considered his biggest challenge to date.
The verbal feud between Canelo and Benavidez that has lasted over a year is a tense exchange between their opposing views on the matter, with Canelo briefly quoted as saying in an interview:
“It brings nothing for me; he brings just 25 more pounds into the fight of the night”
That was over 10 months ago, more recently Canelo said he would fight Benavidez if the purse was $150-200 million. To which Benavidez responded with the furious disposition of:
“@canelo, if I have nothing to offer, then why are you demanding that you get 150-200 million to fight someone who is worthless? Hopefully, after you win that 150 million, you’ll have enough left over to buy a pair of nuts.
Benavidez’s argument, in combination with other statements he’s made regarding the fight, is pretty much this: why are lesser opponents entitled to the gift of winning the Canelo draw? And not him, who is more than deserving. Whether or not we’ll ever see an official fight poster that reads “Canelo vs. Benavidez” remains to be seen and that’s currently one of the biggest questions in the sport of boxing.
Canelo vs. Crawford
That being said, more recently there has been a rumor that Canelo vs. Crawford is in the works for September 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 168 pounds. A match that can deliver what you might consider guaranteed excitement due to Crawford’s impressive boxing skills. He is considered one of the most complete or “complete” boxers in the sport with multiple high-level attributes that make him as adaptable as a fighter, being currently still undefeated with a record of 41-0 and being 2x. undisputed champion in two weight classes, both welterweight (140) and super lightweight (147).
In Canelo’s case, he is a former undisputed middleweight champion (168) who has beaten everyone who posed a legitimate challenge to him, at least arguably, since most fans agree he lost against Golovkin the first time, and that back-to-back rematches are largely considered a matter of opinion as to who won, as they are not considered decisive victories for either side, depending on whose you ask, but that’s a whole other subject. Aside from that and the huge asterisk of whether or not he can beat Benavidez, Canelo is widely considered the current face of boxing due to his impressive resume and equally impressive boxing abilities. Primarily known for his elite-level counterattacking ability and skillful defense that have earned him some strong moments in combat that appeal to purists and casual fans alike.
A mega-fight like this, fans consider a fantasy clash, possibly manifesting in reality, to be a massive draw, but despite this, Canelo is actually very dismissive of Crawford, going so far as to say :
“Look, I respect Terence Crawford. He’s very talented, but he just won a big fight. If you see his record, he just beat a good fighter. Other than that, he hasn’t beaten other good fighters like Spence.
Crawford, in turn, responded confidently on Twitter with:
“Noted! Just remember what you said because I always got the joy of making someone look like crap.
This potential fight, although it offers a high probability of possible excitement during the preparation and once they touch gloves, many fans are wondering if this is a fight in which a much more Crawford lightweight moves up two weight classes to fight a man who is naturally much heavier than him. It’s even a fight worth considering. We’ve all seen what happens when a naturally smaller fighter moves up in weight to fight a bigger man, and it rarely ends well; Aside from Crawford’s exceptional boxing skills, his power, endurance and mobility do not translate well from lighter weight to higher weight classes.
Canelo counters. Buffalo
As an example, quite recently Canelo moved up to light heavyweight (174) to fight Bivol, a fight that casual fans considered “a pick gone wrong”, but avid fans of the sport knew better and that Bivol could be Canelo’s biggest challenge yet. . Canelo looked completely out of his element in his fight against Bivol, not only because Bivol is as elite as they come, with his high mobility and intensity, his Soviet style, but because Canelo looked like he was wearing a extra weight which made the task difficult. move, which he was. Already considered a heavy, flat-footed fighter who looks like he’s walking through mud, adding more weight to his fighting frame wasn’t a good combination. Not to mention that his gas tank eventually ran out and he continued to get hit by shots that he otherwise could have blocked or avoided, without taking any credit away from Bivol’s ability to place his shots effectively . In short, if Bivol and Canelo were both 168, Canelo probably would have been less affected.
Canelo’s potential verdict against Crawford
Could Crawford face a similar verdict? Although he is what many consider a “complete” fighter, closer to a chameleon than a human. Will his boxing skills translate into a move up two weight classes? Or will he simply suffer the fate of Canelo? and is no match for the naturally larger man, his skills taking a major hit due to the added fighting weight. Any opinions on the matter are just speculation, and no one can say for sure what the outcome will be, the only thing that is certain is that not only will Crawford be in the ring against Canelo, but he will also be fighting him -even. to the downsides of fighting at a weight you’re typically not used to. If there’s any man or boxer who can overcome both challenges, it’s Crawford. For this reason, even though many fans of the sport consider it a pointless fight, it could still be a very promising and entertaining fight.
Canelo’s legacy
But aside from this potential matchup, what’s next for Canelo? Will he finally face his personal bogeyman, David Benavidez? If we are to follow the entire narrative of events and indirect exchanges between the two, it seems very unlikely. The most reasonable prediction would be to say that he continues to practice the sport of boxing fights in which his opponents pose no real threat to him, thus continuing his retirement tour with no clear end in sight or expectation of anything from him. something different. What do you think is next for Canelo? and how does this impact his overall legacy as a fighter?