I'm posting this here in Classic, not just as an excuse to share a video here, but I am likewise genuinely curious - since Canelo is now the widely recognized as the face of boxing, who would you most like to see him fight in terms of legacy from a fan's perspective? Which fights do you WANT for Canelo as a fan? More specifically, which 5 possible future opponents for Canelo do you find most interesting? Please explain. Thanks! This content is protected
I think Canelo's most creditable win was Danny Jacobs .. one extremely good, larger fighter in his own prime or very close to it .. of course Canelo can fight and is a major force but his other big wins are against big names past their best, I'm not so on top of the light heavyweights of today but I'm hearing from many that there are a few champs that would give Canelo a much sterner test than Kovalev .. I'd be interested to see if he chooses to fight any of them .. here's what I hope he does not do and that's now fight a pushing forty GGG .. or somehow get Andre Ward to come out of retirement ..
I tend to believe both GGG and even Ward would jump at the opportunity, even if they seem dismissive in a hard-to-get sort of play.
175 just doesn't seem feasible to me when I regard Canelo, even with this 'Krusher' win. I mean, imagine him against Beterbiev? Thinking about it, I'd like to see him firmly establish himself as the best 160. A rematch against GGG (which he would surely win in my estimation), Derevyanchenko, Andrade, etc. I would personally like to see a bout against Smith at 168, to truly see how great Canelo is. Here, he doesn't have a past prime fighter, or a size advantage. He does, however, hold the advantage in experience and skill. Intriguing IMO.
Ward is also an interesting option. I wonder whether he'd fight Canelo at 168 or 175? I'm guessing 175, which would also legitimize Canelo at 175 somewhat.
The issue becomes dropping back down .. never easy , ever .. I say he stays at 168 .. he is capable of using his star power to make a light heavyweight fight at catch weight but that would draw a lot of criticism as he didn't do that against Kovalev .. I am a fan of Canelo's skill for sure but physically he looked at bit like Mickey Walker to me at 175 .. just a bit stout .. we'll see .. he's still in his prime so the next year or two will be interesting ..
Canelo-Ward would probably be third on my list of these options. It's not really a legacy fight for either man. If Ward wins he has at the end of the day, despite his age and lay-off, only beaten a former WW. And if Canelo wins he has only beaten an old rusty Ward. It might seem that these two statements are mutually exclusive, but to boxing fans they are not. That's why I'd rather see Canelo go after prime meat (which also excludes GGG), preferably the top guys at LHW.
I would personally prefer GGG at 168. I don’t like the thought of Ward coming out of retirement at all. The best fight might be vs Beterbiev, but not sure we will actually get any of the ones listed.
Honestly, Beterbiev mauls his ass IMO. Too strong, too powerful, too skilled on the inside. Combined with Canelo's cement feet...
GGG needs the third fight the man won the first undoubtedly and the second was a close SD in either compatriots direction or a fair draw I want closure damn it. But I feel with the "Win" he has Cinnamon will just keep reminding us he already *Beat* GGG.