Via Mohamed Horomtallah: Becoming a Canelo Alvarez fan is not an easy task! I like his skills, his fighting style and the fact that he seems to improve with each match. He is the biggest draw of the sport.
But instead of just being the face of boxing, I also wanted him to have the face to cement a legacy, a real legacy, and go down in history as the greatest of all time.
Unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment.
Canelo’s next decision to move up to cruiser rank and challenge the unheard of Ilunga Makabu is pointless.
If the goal is to conquer a new division, there is nothing to “conquer” and most likely defeat the weakest link in the division. This is not a heavier version of Rocky Fielding.
I have nothing against Makabu because I respect the people who have entered the ring but when I heard him say “Canelo is the best in the world and I think in my heart that I can do it!” Tell me everything I need to know about this war.
Canelo is giving me the impression that he’s confusing boxing with stats! Winning a belt just for the sake of adding another title to the collection is an odd thing. It’s like winning a championship without facing the best teams in that sport. It is, and I’m choosing my words carefully, ridiculous!
I’m delighted that Canelo has become undisputed in the press in the 168-pound division. Yes, on paper! Any boxing fan knows he didn’t legally win the WBC belt. It was vacated and it belonged to David Benavidez, the last boss of the division.
I entertained the thought that Canelo would face him side by side to validate his undisputed position but I was clearly mistaken.
I’ve already started – and hoped – for Canelo to sit on the great throne but his latest move has forced me to take the red pill and its effects play out quickly, raising many questions. in my head:
- Has Canelo distance himself from the top competition he faces? Are not. Too many fights and controversy.
- Does he use catch weights, rehydration provisions, and other advantages before fighting? Correct. Great people don’t depend on you being weak to make them strong.
- Does he benefit from a favorable rating? Correct.
- Does he face the best fighters in every department he campaigns for? Are not.
- Has he introduced us to complete strangers? Correct. Thanks to him, I now know more people in Rocky Fielding, Avni Yildrim and Makabu.
It seems more and more analysts are taking the red pill. Teddy Atlas, Juan Manuel Marquez and Mike Tyson, to name a few, share the same opinion. I commend them for their bravery because God knows it takes courage to speak the truth and the backlash that comes with it.
It’s a shame to see some prominent figures in boxing, be it journalists, famous boxers or sanctioning agencies praising Canelo’s latest move and equating it with making history history.
It doesn’t make history. It makes history. It is a focal point of all transactions and a master of zero. Beating Sergey Kovalev, just starting a tough fight, didn’t make Canelo the legitimate 175-pound champion.
They say the numbers don’t lie but in Canelo’s case, they do.
I was (mildly) mocking Teofimo Lopez for placing alongside Canelo as an undisputed champion but even though he still had a belt to go, he was up against some good guys. best in my department, back and after seeing how Canelo is running, I wish I could personally apologize to Mr. Lopez.
Canelo needed to represent the proud and brave Mexicans and give them the glory they were used to and deserved.
How tall would Canelo be on the list of all-time greats if he faced Benavidez, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, Artur Beterbiev, Dimitry Bivol and Gilberto Ramirez? Sky high and he will take down the critics once and for all.
It’s not too late for him to do the right thing and erase his divisions, by facing the best and nothing but the best.
Until that becomes a reality, he’s just selling us an illusion. Greatness is never achieved when playing in easy mode.
