Boxing
Canelo: ‘I can do whatever I want’ but Benavidez, Crawford should be next
Published
9 months agoon
By
J. HumzaLAS VEGAS – For the fifth time in five fights for the undisputed super middleweight crown, Canelo Alvarez remained king and, more importantly, maintained his status as the face of boxing.
As the most profitable fighter in the fighting game, Alvarez is the deciding factor and once again found an opportunity to score a knockout, even if it didn’t result in a KO victory. Alvarez knocked down Jaime Munguia in the fourth round of Saturday’s victory, but like Jermell Charlo and John Ryder before him, he cleared the defeat counter with a lopsided decision.
Now the public demand for Alvarez to fight rising star David Benavidez, the “Mexican Monster” who broke out last year with brutal beatings of Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, will grow louder.
“If the money is right… I can fight [Benavidez] right now,” Alvarez said. “I do not care. At this point it’s just a matter of money. Everyone asks for everything.
“When I was fighting [Erislandy] Lara, Austin Trout, Miguel Angel Cotto, [Floyd] Mayweather, Billy Joe Saunders, GGG, they all said I didn’t want to fight them, and I fought them all. So now… I can do whatever I want.
Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO) has resisted calls to fight Benavidez, repeatedly saying he can do whatever he wants after everything he has achieved. There is no doubt about his legacy and credentials. The 33-year-old is an all-time phenomenon. But when you’re the biggest star in an entire sport, it comes with the demand to deliver what the audience wants.
“The fans are nervous right now because it’s the biggest fight on the table,” Benavidez, 27, said earlier Saturday at a news conference to promote his June 15 fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk. “And why do we leave it on the table for no reason?
“It’s a fight that has to happen. … And I’m going to continue to put on these types of shows where people want to see her. The demand for this fight is really high. It’s bad blood. I do not like him. He doesn’t like me.
Alvarez is the No. 4 boxer in ESPN’s weight-for-pound rankings and hasn’t lost a fight since moving up to 175 pounds to challenge Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. Since then, he has attracted some noteworthy fighters, most notably a trilogy fight with Gennady “GGG” Golovkin.
However, none of these fighters – not even the aging GGG – posed the threat that Benavidez poses at this stage.
“He won’t fight me,” Benavidez added. “I think there’s just nothing left to say. He literally made every excuse. He said I only brought £25 and I was nothing. I am this and that. I’m not devoted, I’m not respectful.
I think he’s afraid he’ll lose and then I’ll take everything from him [fans]. This is it. I really don’t think he’s afraid of me. I guess he doesn’t want me to pass the torch.
But Benavidez isn’t the only fighter Alvarez could face to silence his critics. There’s also Terence Crawford, the No. 1 boxer in the ESPN rankings. Crawford was ringside and came away impressed with Alvarez’s performance.
Crawford (36) won in July by TKO in the ninth round over Errol Spence Jr. and became the undisputed welterweight champion. He plans to move up to 154 pounds before his title fight with Israil Madrimov on Aug. 3, which will put him closer in weight to Alvarez in a potential showdown.
The Crawford-Madrimov fight is the first boxing event organized by Saudi Arabia outside the Kingdom. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, told ESPN last week that he would like to stage the Canelo-Crawford fight in December or January.
“You have two of the best fighters of this decade, not just the last year,” Crawford told ESPN after Alvarez’s win over Munguia, when asked why he thought the fight against him would be more significant than the Alvarez fight against Benavidez. “You have two players who have been at the top for 10 years. You’ve got the No. 1 fighter in the world pound-for-pound, and you’ve got a man who’s making money. I never like to leave anyone out, I have a fight coming on August 3rd and that’s my main focus.
“I thought it was a good fight. I thought Munguia fought difficult. I just think his inexperience caught up with him and made him fall and fight, and not stepping in with his punches allowed Canelo to sit back and counter and pick his punches…Canelo was really patient.”
Whoever Alvarez chooses, he has proven it will be on his terms. He deserves that autonomy at this point in his career. So whether he is the ponderous favorite in his next fight against a fighter like Edgar Berlanga or faces a challenge from Benavidez or Crawford, one thing is certain: Canelo will do whatever Canelo wants.
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
4 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
6 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
2 weeks agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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