Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
Canelo Alvarez may be the biggest franchise moneymaker in pro boxing now but he’s on the WWF circuit, barnstorming around North America doing exhibitions against hired patsies.
There is exactly zero chance Canelo is ever going to fight a dangerous, high risk adversary at this stage of his career. There is no chance Canelo is going to bite the bullet and be a “Mexican warrior” and get in the ring and risk his value, leverage, reputation and earning power in a REAL fight against a hungry, driven beast like David Benavidez or a genius marvel like Terence Crawford.
Why? Because Canelo is a WWF franchise now. He generates mountains of money for many people, regardless of who he handpicks or hires to be his opponent. The most recent opponent was hired because he was polite and respectful, in other words, he came to serve, spar and lose to Canelo for the career high jackpot payday. Also this opponent received enormous exposure and it will graduate him to more big fights in the future.
Canelo and his business partners are not ready to stop the gravy train. Greed controls boxing. The Canelo corporation believes they can continue to keep ducking and dodging Benavidez and the dumb public will keep buying his counterfeit fight events.
Canelo has become a master ducker, like his predecessor Floyd Mayweather. Canelo knows every trick in the book to dodge a bullet. We saw it in the last fight. Benavidez applied heavy media pressure on Canelo to fight him. Benavidez earned the opportunity years ago but Canelo escaped using several escape routes – I can fight whoever I want, pay me $200m to fight Benavidez, etc. Canelo was cornered but he eventually found his escape hatch by making a deal with his most hated enemy in boxing, Oscar De La Hoya, who controls his last opponent. Yes, Canelo was so desperate to duck Benavidez that he had to give his worst enemy in the industry a huge favor and payday.
If Benavidez was smart he would keep pressuring, chasing, hounding and humiliating Canelo in public and the media. Because only dummies want to pay to see Canelo fight another hired patsy like Berlanga.
