Another fight for Canelo Alvarez, and once again, his opponent seemed unwilling to truly engage. This led to an underwhelming night where the boxing superstar secured a win, but the fans felt shortchanged. This disappointing scenario has become a pattern.
This concerning trend must be addressed, and there is hope that Terence Crawford will push Canelo into a genuine fight, which is something boxing enthusiasts truly deserve.
Regrettably, Canelo bears some responsibility for this situation.
Canelo`s unanimous decision victory over William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, marked the latest instance in his recent series of bouts lacking drama or excitement. Against Scull, Canelo reportedly threw just 152 punches in total. This number stands as the second-lowest punch output in a 12-round fight in CompuBox history, spanning 40 years. This is remarkably low, even for Canelo, who is known for his controlled output. However, he faced a fighter who appeared uninterested in winning, seemingly content merely to survive. Scull moved around the ring, landing only 55 out of 293 thrown punches. None of these punches posed any threat, and the previously undefeated Scull never remotely challenged Canelo.
The reality is, Canelo arguably brought this upon himself.
Since his loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, Canelo has reportedly focused on increasing his earnings while facing less challenging opponents, leaving fans craving more significant matchups. He received some leniency for fighting an aging Gennadiy `GGG` Golovkin years past his prime and following that with a return bout against John Ryder. However, after those fights, the widely held expectation was that he would face the deserving mandatory challenger, David Benavidez. Instead, Canelo opted for bouts against Jermell Charlo, who moved up significantly in weight, and other opponents like Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga, who weren`t considered mandatory challengers in the same vein. While some argue Canelo had to fight Scull for a specific title, that`s only partially true. Ultimately, Canelo has the power to choose his path, and the opponent boxing fans truly demanded was Benavidez. For reasons known only to him, Canelo avoided that confrontation, leading us to the current situation.
Frankly, a fight against Jake Paul might have been more entertaining than what was witnessed with Scull. While Paul is also not traditionally deserving, would anyone doubt that he would at least attempt to win? Canelo was reportedly close to finalizing a fight with Paul before Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia`s General Entertainment Authority, intervened with a financially compelling offer Canelo couldn`t decline.
This pattern wouldn`t be as criticized if Canelo consistently delivered exciting fights. Instead, his recent outings have felt overly cautious, prioritizing financial security over taking risks and finishing his opponents decisively. He has fought too conservatively. Even when he has opponents in trouble, he seems to allow them to reach the final bell. His recent opponents appear satisfied simply with surviving, rather than attempting to win, and Canelo seems accommodating, ensuring they walk away with significant paychecks.
He will not have that same luxury against Crawford when they are expected to meet. While Canelo will possess a noticeable size advantage, as Crawford, a former undisputed champion in lower weight classes, will move up significantly, Crawford is recognized as one of the finest fighters of this era. He possesses a relentless intensity that will likely prevent Canelo from cruising to another decision. At some point in that fight, Canelo will be forced to dig deep and engage Crawford, something we haven`t truly seen from him since the Bivol bout. He has spent the last few years in what have felt like high-stakes sparring sessions, seemingly free from genuine danger.
At this stage of his career, Canelo requires the kind of formidable challenge that Crawford presents. For the majority of his career, he built an impressive record against quality opponents. However, the more recent phase has seen him seemingly sidestep difficult challenges while accumulating large payouts. Before arguing he has earned the right to do so, it`s equally valid that fans and critics have earned the right to critique these choices.
While this approach may benefit Canelo financially, it doesn`t serve the fans well. The fighter often called the `Face of Boxing` should be elevating the sport into the mainstream, not contributing to less engaging spectacles.
Canelo`s recent agreement with Riyadh Season will undoubtedly ensure the substantial checks continue, but fans are eager to witness one of this generation`s greatest boxers tested in a truly challenging contest.
And a fight with Crawford is exactly that challenge.