Want to know why the world of boxing is in shambles?
Exhibit A: Canelo Alvarez
Canelo is arguably the biggest PPV draw in the sport of boxing, yet he’s decided to use the Mayweather philosophy of booking opponents.
Canelo, or his advocate Oscar De La Hoya, have carefully navigated the 154 lb weight class and managed to turn a glorified welterweight into the most popular boxer in the world. Alvarez’s biggest fights have come against men that made their name at 147lbs (Floyd Mayweather & Amir Khan). He has faced one top-tier 154 lb fighter, Erislandy Lara, and in that case he knew his opponent lacked true punching power.
Canelo’s fighting resume gives credence to those who think a fight against the 160 lb champion Gennady Golovkin may never occur.
Golovkin has tremendous punching power and an olympic background, a combo not often seen in professional boxing. In fact, a prime Roy Jones Jr. was the last person to carry that specific tool set. People didn’t want to fight Roy back then either.
Canelo instead decided to call out another 140 pounder, Conor McGregor. McGregor has flirted with the idea of boxing Floyd Mayweather and he’d most certainly be a huge PPV draw for any boxer looking to make a buck. Canelo has now placed himself in that category.
“If he wants to try out boxing, then anytime he wants. If he wants to come over to this side of the world and try boxing, anytime he wants, to see that it’s not as easy as he thinks,” Alvarez told FightHub TV.
McGregor fits the mold of most Canelo opponents. An elite fighter in the 140 lb realm that is willing to move up in weight to fight the much heavier Canelo Alvarez.
So before you shrug Canelo’s comments off as absurd I think you should take a long look at the way boxing is trending. The scary truth is that in 2017 a Canelo vs McGregor fight is more likely than a Canelo vs GGG match-up.