The former undisputed champion still speaks from a position of control at 168 despite losing his titles to Terence Crawford
Canelo Alvarez may no longer hold every belt at super middleweight, but the Mexican star still believes contenders must earn the right to face him. Speaking this week, Canelo suggested the division’s rising names should fight each other first before positioning themselves for a shot at him.
“They need to fight each other, and then I find out the winner,” Canelo said to Mr. Verzace. “We all, at some point, need to earn what we deserve, right? And they need to earn it.”
The comments were notable because Canelo is no longer a world champion at 168, yet he is still speaking from a position that allows him to bypass the same contender route he believes others should follow.
Since his defeat to Crawford last September and time away following elbow surgery, the belts at 168 have spread across a new group of champions that includes Christian Mbilli, Hamzah Sheeraz, Osleys Iglesias, and Jaime Munguia.
Despite coming off a loss, Canelo will still receive an immediate world title shot against Mbilli on September 12 in Riyadh.
That has created criticism from some fans who believe the former undisputed champion should now be the one proving himself against dangerous contenders before receiving another title opportunity.
Fighters such as Lester Martinez, Diego Pacheco, and Bektemir Melikuziev have all been mentioned by fans as the kind of opponents Canelo would normally face if he were being treated like a standard contender instead of boxing’s biggest commercial star.
Canelo also dismissed the idea of closely studying the newer names entering the division.
“I never check that,” he said when asked about the current super middleweight landscape.
For many fans, that response only reinforced the feeling that Canelo still views himself as operating above the rest of the division despite no longer holding all the belts.
The Mexican star remains the sport’s biggest financial attraction, however, which allows him to move differently than most fighters coming off a defeat. While younger contenders continue trying to fight their way into position, Canelo is heading straight back into another championship fight.
