Boxing
Paulie Malignaggi questions Canelo against the current 168 champions
He pointed to names in the division and made it clear that younger belt holders and recent challengers present a different problem than the versions Canelo faced during his title reign.
Malignaggi mentioned 168-pound champions Christian Mbilla and Jose Armando Resendiz, as well as Hamzah Sheeraz.
“He’s teenage, he’s forceful, you can come back from this defeat and this long break, be this age and fight Resendiz, you, and everything is fine,” Malignaggi told Probox TV about Canelo facing a fight with WBA champion Resendiz.
“None of these fights are uncomplicated for Canelo after a long layoff. Neither of them will probably ever fight for a title in the real world again, but they were there and that’s mainly why it’s compelling.”
If Canelo returns in September as planned, he says he wants a champion. But if Malignaggi is right, even a guy like Resendiz may be too much of a driving force for the 35-year-old Canelo, who has been through as many wars as he has.
It must be admitted that there is a colossal difference between Canelo, who fought Gennady Golovkin in a rematch in 2018, and the one who had no ideas in the fight against Terence Crawford last September.
Malignaggi may be a polarizing guy, but he’s looking at the chilly reality of the current 168-pound landscape. When you look at the guys holding the belts, it’s a different world than the one Canelo ran in.
The division was essentially revamped while Canelo was sidelined after elbow surgery and the loss to Crawford. Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias and Jose Armando Resendiz currently hold titles at 168.
Canelo’s style has become too meager. When you’re 35 years antique and undergoing major elbow surgery, relying on single, weighted power shots is a recipe for disaster against the monsters currently wielding the belts.
The Crawford fight was a wake-up call. These recent 168-pound champions are natural super middleweights with engines that won’t stop. If Canelo goes through with his plan to fight the champion on September 12 in Saudi Arabia, he will face a completely different physical challenge than the chess match with Crawford.
Since the second fight with Golovkin, the resume has been more of a strategic masterpiece than a competition one. Fights with Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant allowed him to unite, but none of these guys had enough firepower to really hurt him.
Even Berlang and Munguia’s fights felt like high-profile exhibitions, designed to keep the money flowing without risk.
The two times Canelo actually stepped outside of that comfort zone against elite, unsafe talents Dmitry Bivol and Crawford, he was defeated.
Carlos Adames said he can beat anyone at middleweight and super middleweight, but the statement was met with immediate backlash from newly crowned IBF super middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias. After Adames announced he was ready to fight, the undefeated Cuban responded on social media, calling for the fight to go ahead.
The exchange began when Carlos Adames stated that no one at 160 or 168 pounds could beat him. The fan quickly challenged him to fight Iglesias, one of the most hazardous names in the super middleweight division.
“Who are you? What I do in the ring confirms what I say here. Whenever you want, I’m ready to prove it to you,” Adames said in X.
That was met with a direct response from Iglesias (15-0, 14 KO), who is coming off an eighth-round victory over Pavel Silyagin and gained traction at 168 pounds after winning the IBF title.
“Enough talking. Let’s get on the same page and take the fight to the next level. I’m waiting for your call. My team is ready. I’m waiting for you,” said Osleys Iglesias.
Adames holds the middleweight title while Iglesias is one division above, so any fight would require one side to advance. This alone makes it more sedate than a routine online argument.
This exchange with Iglesias bears all the hallmarks of a potential bluff by Adames. Iglesias is now viewed by many as the 168-pound boss who stopped Pavel Silyagin in the eighth round just two weeks ago.
He’s a powerful southpaw with a 93% knockout rate, which isn’t usually the type of guy a champion fights unless he’s 100% sedate or looking for a huge payday.
Fans will soon find out if this was Adames’ social media stunt if he starts demanding a catchweight fight with Iglesias or tells him to drop down to 160 pounds. If he tells IBF 168-pound champion Iglesias to back off, he will simply be looking for a way out. It will be a foregone conclusion if he stays on X and does not lead to official negotiations between Adames’ promoters at PBC and Iglesias’ team.
The southpaw Iglesias is essentially a airy heavyweight who can reach 168 pounds and would also have significant height and an advantage over Adames. If Adames is sedate, he’s taking one of the toughest routes possible to make a super middleweight debut.
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Last updated: 23/04/2026 at 10:29
While talking about failed drug tests in boxing, host Simon Jordan cited an earlier estimate by panelist Spencer Oliver, who suggested the number could be as high as 70 percent. Hamed immediately disputed this statement.
“That’s a tough statement,” Hamed told talksport Boxing when the number was repeated during the episode.
“The same applies to me personally. Don’t take it personally. It’s like destroying the players, 70% of them,” Hamed said.
It was vintage “Naz” stuff, seeing him come out waving to players like that. He has always been devoted to the craft and clearly sees the 70% result as a slap in the face to the guys who live neat and do grueling work.
Oliver responded that this was his opinion based on repeated failed tests and suspicions surrounding the sport, not evidence against specific names. Hamed was not convinced and said that charges should only be brought when the militant was actually caught.
“You can’t accuse any single person unless he or she has been caught,” Hamed said.
Hamed’s point about “destroying” warriors is the most compelling part of his argument. When someone like Spencer Oliver comes up with a huge number, like 70%, it creates a lasting cloud of suspicion.
This means that even if a player delivers a legendary, career-defining performance, the first thing some fans will do is look for a reason to discredit him. For a legend like Hamed, this is an insult to the discipline required in this sport.
Hamed is the guy who shows me the bills. By insisting that no one can be charged until they are caught, he seeks to maintain some level of due process. In his eyes, if you have failed the VADA or UKAD exam, you are a pure athlete. Period.
What’s captivating is that Hamed doesn’t take it lightly. While supporting strict accountability policies, he says people should not be labeled as fraudsters without evidence. If the test comes back positive, you own it, regardless of tainted meat or supplement excuses.
This is an truthful position. He wants to protect the reputation of good actors in sports while making sure the hammer continues to fall on anyone caught breaking the rules.
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