Canelo Alvarez claims his body didn’t react the way he wanted the night he faced Terence Crawford, but what may be more crucial is why he felt like he couldn’t budge at all.
On the Ring podcast, Alvarez described issues that came to delicate during the fight, including fatigue, hefty legs and cramps. He also made it clear that he wasn’t using this as a way to take anything away from Crawford.
“My body didn’t respond the way I really wanted it to,” Alvarez said. “I wanted to move faster. I didn’t gain the weight back like I needed to. So I felt a little tired and my legs were a little tired too.
“I did well, even if my body didn’t feel the way I wanted it to. I tried, but my body didn’t respond.
“I had leg cramps, so he’s not responding the way I want him to.”
Alvarez then explained why the score still feels unfinished to him, even with Crawford’s full credit.
“I always give him all my credit, but we have to get it back,” Alvarez said. “That’s why after the fight I say, ‘we have to do this fight again’ because I don’t feel the way I want and I have to make this fight happen again and it will be different.
“I think for him to deserve all the credit, he obviously has to give me a rematch. But he decides to retire and we have to accept that and move on.
“I’m going to move forward and fight the fights I want and fight world champions again and that’s it. But I think a rematch will be perfect for boxing.”
Why leaving wasn’t simple
At the highest level, fights are not always made when everything seems perfect. Sometimes a decision is made because the cost of withdrawal seems greater than the cost of overcoming it.
For Alvarez, withdrawing from the Crawford fight would not be treated as a normal withdrawal. When the enemy is so large, the time is so tight, and the event is so public, the story quickly turns into something else.
This is what Alvarez’s comments highlight. They focus less on explaining the performance and more on explaining why the option to leave didn’t seem clear at the time.
Zuffa boxing
Future plans may close the door even further
World Boxing News understands that Turki Alalshikh is working behind the scenes on Alvarez’s next move and such a direction may naturally leave no room for Crawford on the other side of the ring.
There are ongoing discussions about a WBC title fight for Alvarez against Christian Mbilla on September 12. The Mexico vs. gala has already been confirmed. The world is part of that picture and it doesn’t obviously fit into a rematch with Crawford anyway.
If this is the route Alvarez chooses, Crawford could get a long break. The window may not reopen until 2027, when the issue shifts from legacy talk to a plain choice: stay retired or come back for the money, which forces a arduous decision.
Meanwhile, Alvarez did something most stars avoid. He admitted that his body didn’t give him what he wanted that night, but at the same time he made it clear that he was moving forward. With this combination, the Crawford fight remains in the background, even if there is no rematch in sight.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN), boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Tim Bradley anticipates a “hell of a fight” unfolding between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli, but only sees one man emerging victorious on October 31.
The pair will collide in a super-middleweight contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.
He was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion following the retirement of Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed 168lb king by dethroning Canelo with a unanimous decision victory in September.
That same night, Mbilli defended his then-interim belt with a 10-round draw against Lester Martinez, producing a performance that aptly reflected his high-volume style.
But while the Frenchman does, indeed, force a considerable pace in the ring, many doubt that this will be enough to trump the 36-year-old Canelo.
Despite coming to the end of his decorated career, the Mexican hardly disgraced himself against Crawford and, prior to that, had remained unbeaten since his 2022 defeat to Dmitry Bivol.
Not only that, but many feel Alvarez is a more technically savvy operator than Mbilli, who throws punches in bunches but typically comes forward in straight lines.
It is partly because of this that Hall of Famer Bradley, while speaking with FightHypehas predicted a dominant victory for Canelo.
“He going to piece Mbilli’s ass up. I like Mbilli – tough guy, comes to bring the pain. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. But Canelo going to catch and shoot on his ass all night long.
“Uppercuts, hooks … it’s going to be bad. [Canelo’s] going to look like he’s back [to his best].”
By “catch and shoot”, Bradley means he is expecting Canelo to punish Mbilli with his counterpunching prowess, even if the 31-year-old keeps springing back with relentless aggression.
Devin Haney is currently searching for his next opponent and Shakur Stevenson believes there is only one option for him.
Haney hasn’t fought since becoming a three-division world champion when he defeated Brian Norman Jr by unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title back in November.
He has been rumoured to face a number of opponents since then, including Stevenson himself, but it looked like ‘The Dream’ would finally settle on a mandatory showdown with Keyshawn Davis after Top Rank won the purse bid for the clash last week.
Those plans went up in smoke when Davis pulled out of the contest, and Stevenson has explained why he thinks Haney now must target a battle against unified super-welterweight champion Jaron Ennis.
“You said you’d fight Conor Benn? You said you’d find Xander. Why the f**k you don’t say you want to fight Boots now? Matter of fact, you’ve got no other option.
“There’s nobody else on the table. There’s no me, there’s no Key[shawn Davis]there’s no Rolly. Who do you go to? Boots is free. Go get him.”
Ennis previously became unified champion at welterweight before moving up to 154lbs, making an instant impact in the new division when he stopped Xander Zayas in June to win the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles.
It remains to be seen whether Haney would have any interest in moving up in weight to take on Ennis, with ‘Boots’ also having been linked to fights against IBF champion Josh Kelly, and fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz.
A newly-crowned world champion believes he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin by becoming the best middleweight fighter on the planet.
Canelo and Golovkin each ruled the 160lb division for a number of years, culminating in two middleweight battles between the pair and one at super-middleweight.
While ‘GGG’ may have last competed in 2022, Canelo remains active, but now fights at super-middleweight, opening the door for a fighter to step up and become the top dog in the middleweight division.
One man who believes he can do just that is Aaron McKenna, who won the vacant IBF middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Etinosa Oliha in Dublin on Saturday.
Speaking to Sky Sports following that win, McKenna explained how he has ambitions to pick up where the likes of Canelo and Golovkin left off.
“It doesn’t matter [who’s next]whoever wants it. I’m easy to find now, I have a belt. There’s no hiding any more. I want to collect every single belt in boxing. I’m the best middleweight and super-middleweight in the world. I don’t mind jumping up.
“The middleweight division’s there to be took over. It’s been dying for years since GGG (Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I said it again, a year ago, I think I’m going to be the man to take it over.”
The other world champions at 160lbs may have a thing or two to say about McKenna’s plan, as Denzel Bentley is the current WBO champion, Carlos Adamas holds the WBC belt, and Erislandy Lara is the WBA titleholder.
MMA2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
MMA2 days ago
Boxing1 day ago
Boxing1 day ago
MMA1 day ago