Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has rejected the idea of defending his four titles against welterweight Terence Crawford for his next fight on May 4th on Cinco de Mayo.
The reasons are apparent. Canelo feels that he would have “nothing to gain” fighting the 147-pounder Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs), who has never competed at 168 to prove himself capable of hanging with the talented superstar Canelo.
With Crawford out of the mix and Jermall Charlo saying there’s been no contact made for negotiations from Canelo, it could mean that David Benavidez is being considered for the Mexican superstar’s next fight on May 4th.
That’s a good thing for fans and for Benavidez, given that he’s been hounding Alvarez nonstop for a fight,
“Too Small” and High Stakes
“I have everything to lose and nothing to gain because if I win, they’ll say, ‘Oh, he was too small,'” said Canelo Alvarez to Box Azteca.
If Canelo were to agree to the fight and then blow Crawford out of the water, the boxing world would discredit him in mass, saying he cherry-picked another smaller fighter, and then it was obvious from the start that he would destroy him.
Moreover, Crawford isn’t young at 36, another reason Canelo would be discredited for beating him. People would say Canelo has been pooling from the old folk’s homes, dragging Crawford out, taking him away from his crossword puzzles and bingo, and using him as his next opponent.
Avoiding Diminished Returns
It’s important that Canelo NOT fight another smaller guy for his next clash, as the last thing he wants is to be viewed as a fighter who is intentionally selecting from weight classes below him to keep his career going.
It would spoil Canelo’s legacy if he used Crawford as his opponent, given that he’s fought in the 168 division. It would be fine if Crawford moved up to 168 and ran the gauntlet, beating these three:
- David Benavidez
- Caleb Plant
- David Morrell Jr.
Obviously, Crawford had no intentions of fighting ANY of those fighters to earn a shot against Canelo. He just wanted the fight without having to work, which some boxing fans wouldn’t be a good look.
Canelo’s last fight was against junior middleweight Jermell Charlo, who moved up two weight classes to fight him last September and was no competition due to his inability to handle the power of the Mexican star.