By Dan Ambrose: Canelo Alvarez is failing to come clean and reveal if David Benavidez will be fight #3 of his three-deal with PBC. Is Canelo choosing to keep it secret so that can surprise the fans, or is he hoping Benavidez can no longer make weight for the 168-lb division by next year?
Fans are willing to give Canelo a pass for choosing Jermell Charlo for his September 30th fight, but they won’t be as tolerant if his next two fights of his three-fight deal with PBC are against scrubs.
We’ve already heard the rumors that Jermall Charlo will be next for Canelo after he faces Jermell on September 30th, but he’s surprisingly denied that, saying he’s not next.
With Jermall’s two+ years of inactivity and the slurring he’s been doing in interviews, he won’t be a good choice for Canelo to fight next.
It would be risky for Canelo to fight Jermall because he might not make it through training camp without pulling out for one reason or another.
Canelo has got to know who fights #2 and #3 are with PBC, and likewise, they must be aware of who it’ll be as well because they’re not paying him a boatload of money to have him fight soft opposition like we saw when he was with DAZN.
“Canelo is not aa big guy. Charlo is the bigger man, and he’s fast too. So I’m curious to see the speed differential of the two. Who is going to be the faster man, because I really don’t know,” said Chris Algieri to Inside Boxing about the Jermell Charlo vs. Canelo Alvarez fight on September 30th.
“Canelo is very explosive. His punches are very eye-catching. That’s something that worries me about Charlo [punch output]. In a fight where guys aren’t having a lot of output, Canelo tends to steal rounds.
“Canelo will be the heavy favorite. Some of Canelo’s past performances weren’t his best. So he seems like he’s on the slide, but how much has he really slid? That is the real question because 18 months ago, he looked unbeatable, and then he has a rough 12 to 18 months, and everyone is [questioning him]. Boxing is always, ‘What have you done for me lately?’
“Canelo is always respectful unless you push him the way Caleb Plant did; he’s going to be a respectful guy. He’s going to be kind of quiet, he’s reserved. Charlo is a bit of a loose cannon in these situations,” said Algieri.
