Via Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez said the reason why he will be playing WBC cruiser class champion Ilunga Makabu and not David Benavidez is because he has just beaten all the champions in 168th place. He feels himself he can do whatever he wants now.
Boxing fans want to see Canelo, 31, defend his four super-middleweight titles against WBC’s Mandatory Benavidez (25-0.22 KOs) because he’s considered the No. 168-lb weight class.
Alvarez has beaten all the 168-lb champions who hold the paper variety belts, and perhaps none of them deserved the title. These are the belts that Canelo dived in and beat at 168:
- Rocky Fielding
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Caleb . Factory
- Callum Smith
Canelo says he does whatever he wants
“Right now, I can do whatever I wantNS. I’ve faced all 168lbs world champions; I took the title from all of them. Now I do what I want,“Canelo Alvarez said Thursday at the WBC convention why he’s up against Ilunga Makabu instead of David Benavidez.
Here is it. Simple as it is, Canelo explains why he doesn’t have to fight Benavidez. “I do what I want.”
If Canelo takes the WBC weekly belt from Makabu, his next move will likely be to shoot up heavyweight to take out ‘regular’ WBA champion Trevor Bryan. Some boxing fans consider him the weakest of the champions, and he is not a big boxer. If Canelo goes up to 200 lbs, he can beat that guy.
Canelo will not face IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk because he gave the Mexican flat-legged star a boxing lesson.
Canelo’s legs are too slow for him to compete with a boxer like Usyk, which would be a mismatch. Canelo is too small to fight WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury or 6’6″ Anthony Joshua if he recaptures his three titles.
Until Benavidez lost his WBC title in the weight division last year, he held the title and was seen as the top boxer in the super-middleweight division.
Shortly after Benavidez lost the 168lb WBC belt on the scale, Canelo took advantage of the situation by facing the inactive Avni Yildirim for the vacated WBC belt.
Incredibly, the WBC sanctioned that match even though Yildirim hadn’t fought in two years and was about to lose to Anthony Dirrell in February 2019.
Malignaggi approves Canelo to face Makabu
Paulie Malignaggi says, “When you gain weight, you can’t fight the best in every weight class. iFL TV about Canelo being said to be the worst cruiser class champion in Ilunga Makabu.
“I know Pacquiao spoils you, but some real thoughts here,” Malignaggi said of Manny Pacquiao having won world titles in nine weight classes while battling the best, not-so-best champions. is the worst, as Canelo did with Sergey Kovalev and is about to do with Makabu.
Malignaggi said: “Actually, I didn’t see it coming, but I didn’t pay attention to Makabu. “But when you look at the light weight class, all filled with monster punchers like Joe Smith, Dmitry Bivol, Artur Betterbiev, all are giant boxers. You have to gain weight and fight giant punchers?
“You look up another weight class, and you have a little-known guy with the main title, Makabu. Probably you take him and become the world champion cruiser and then watch how the heavyweights shuffle and then chase them later.
“Despite the idiots who will talk about the weight class once he becomes the cruiser champion because you know those idiots exist in boxing.
Andy Ruiz Jr is too strong for Canelo
“No, I don’t think so,” Malignaggi said, saying that someone believes Canelo will beat Andy Ruiz. “If you get hit with a hook. Ruiz takes out AJ. You don’t play video games.
“You have really attacked guys in there. If Andy Ruiz hit Canelo with a left hook, it would seriously injure him. Canelo is not that size. They train together, and they will never fight regardless.
“I would love to see him [Canelo] fight with Benavidez or [Jermall] Charlo,” Malignaggi said. “They are excellent fighters, and I think they deserve to be shot.
“Right now, he [Canelo] would probably go the Makabu route. That’s why they made the announcement at the WBC congress,” Malignaggi said.
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