Canelo: Biggest Ducker/Cherry Picker of All Time?

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by JacK Rauber, Jun 29, 2025.

?

Is Canelo the biggest cherry picker/ducker of all time?

This poll will close on Aug 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM.
  1. Yes

  2. N0

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. BubblesUK

    BubblesUK Doesn't buy hypejobs Full Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2021
    Messages:
    3,816
    Likes Received:
    6,755
    My thoughts exactly... Fighting good fighters, even if they're old at the time and could've been even better, sits nowhere near the kind of guys who refuse to fight anyone good fullstop.

    Canelo has his faults, but he's not in the same universe as a Wilder or Wahid.
     
  2. DirtyDan

    DirtyDan Worst Poster of 2015 Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2011
    Messages:
    10,672
    Likes Received:
    3,742
    Beterbiev was the lineal champ, he'll be a 41 year old half retired boxer who just lost a lopsided decision when both fighters finally decide on a official date come fight time. Arguably means nothing I agree, try telling that to the GGG fans though. :nonono

    Nobody asked for the third fight, it's just a cash grab, in everyone's mind Bivol is unofficially up 2-0, everyone wants to see the Benavidez fight. Benavidez beat former WBC champion Gvozdyk then top 5 ranked contender Morrell for the mandatory position, he's earned the right to challenge for the belts but Bivol or Beterbiev refuse to fight him. Anyway you spin it, refusing to fight your mandatory and even giving up your belts to do so is considered a duck in my eyes.

    Well who's gonna burst the Benavidez bubble when the lineal champions from his division and the division below absolutely refuse to fight him. I'm honestly not even sure why you're upset that Benavidez is getting ducked, seems absurd to me.
     
  3. Badbot

    Badbot You can just do things. Full Member

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2011
    Messages:
    46,184
    Likes Received:
    34,294
    Absurd is you claiming that Benavidez is being ducked. Even more absurd is you claiming that Beterbiev and Bivol refuse to fight him.
    Yes, Beterbiev was the lineal champion - 4 ****ing months ago! :lol:

    Like I said, this just stupid.
     
  4. DirtyDan

    DirtyDan Worst Poster of 2015 Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2011
    Messages:
    10,672
    Likes Received:
    3,742
    I mean, he is being ducked, to claim otherwise is simply stupid.

    Quick google search...
    "Dmitry Bivol has vacated his WBC light heavyweight title to pursue a third fight against Artur Beterbiev instead of facing David Benavidez, who was the mandatory challenger. The WBC subsequently promoted Benavidez to full champion status. "

    What difference does it matter how long ago it was, he's not the champion or even mandatory, lost a lopsided decision, 41 years old and halfway towards retirement. He looked absolutely terrible in the Bivol rematch, again... who asked for this fight?

    Yes I agree, very stupid.
     
  5. MagnificentMatt

    MagnificentMatt Beterbiev literally kills Plant and McCumby 2v1 Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2006
    Messages:
    4,439
    Likes Received:
    2,036
    No. ducking Benavidez was bad, but Canelo has a lot of quality names on his resume.
     
    JacK Rauber likes this.
  6. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 4, 2016
    Messages:
    13,730
    Likes Received:
    18,567
    Bowe ducking Lewis is the yardstick for ducks though Canelo's shameless avoidance of Benavidez is coming on strong to the outside.
     
  7. JacK Rauber

    JacK Rauber Unbourboned by what has been Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2013
    Messages:
    11,688
    Likes Received:
    14,311
    He could have fought GGG when he was closer to his prime but he waited until he was 35 when they first met. GGG would have overwhelmed Canleo in his prime. He was a beast. Better than Canelo ever was.
     
    crixus85 likes this.
  8. JacK Rauber

    JacK Rauber Unbourboned by what has been Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2013
    Messages:
    11,688
    Likes Received:
    14,311
    A lot of quality names, yes, but when did he fight them in their careers? That is the key.
     
    crixus85 likes this.
  9. MagnificentMatt

    MagnificentMatt Beterbiev literally kills Plant and McCumby 2v1 Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2006
    Messages:
    4,439
    Likes Received:
    2,036
    Golovkin, Bivol, Mayweather, and Lara were elite fighters who were still in great form.. I know some will say he lost 2 of theses, and got gifts in others, but the latter is arguable, and the conversation is about him being a duck, not his W/L…

    Then you have elite fighters who were clearly not near best form or weights: Kovalev being the most obvious, but also Cotto, Mosley, and arguably Charlo (he was widely seen as a top 5 p4p fighter not long before their bout).

    Then you have solid but not great fighters such as:
    Austin Trout, Danny Jacobs, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, Munguia, Berlanga..

    Canelo likely has the best resume of any active fighter, and arguably the best win of any active boxer with a clean but close win over GGG in the 2nd fight..

    As far as this conversation goes, moving up to fight Bivol was probably the ballsiest move any active boxer has made as far as moving up and challenging top level competition… Usyk moving up for AJ is probably the only thing comparable, but most people around here say AJ always sucked, so /shrug.
     
  10. JacK Rauber

    JacK Rauber Unbourboned by what has been Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2013
    Messages:
    11,688
    Likes Received:
    14,311
    This content is protected
     
  11. TNSNO1878

    TNSNO1878 Member Full Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2025
    Messages:
    299
    Likes Received:
    578
    I agree, so were they cherry picks or ducks? Neither definition applies; whether he lost or not is irrelevant. How can you fight these names and be accused of ducking or cherry picking?

    Mayweather had him fighting at Mayweather's catchweight. If anything, Mayweather was the one cherry picking on his terms. Lara is one of the most avoided and underrated middleweight fighters of this era, Golovkin was one of the most avoided fighters of all time, and Canelo fought him 3 times.

    Bivol is a P4P top 5 fighter, and Canelo went up a weight class to fight him. How can anyone be considered a ducker or cherry picker with these names on their resume, win or lose? Canelo's resume clears Crawford's by such a height that it's hard to put into words.
     
    Dorrian_Grey likes this.
  12. DirtyDan

    DirtyDan Worst Poster of 2015 Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2011
    Messages:
    10,672
    Likes Received:
    3,742
    This is probably one of the dumbest misconceptions I've ever read on this forum, I don't know if you're borderline stupid claiming this or just a flat out Canelo hater or both. Canelo fought GGG in his first fight at the full 160 pound limit while GGG was undefeated, p4p number 3 and on a historic title run. How do you "age" someone when you fight them a year and a half after moving to the middleweight division, doesn't make any sense. The way you guys make it sound like was that Canelo was forcibly making GGG fight bums his entire career and corrupting his lifeforce every month he didn't fight GGG. Once Canelo realized that GGG's lifeforce was finally spent at the age of 35, he then decided to try his luck vs GGG. :lol::rolleye:
     
  13. Grinder

    Grinder Dude, don't call me Dude Full Member

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2005
    Messages:
    5,840
    Likes Received:
    2,541
    DDD - duck, drugs, decision, is one of the worst duckers, but there are a lot, so to say he is the worst requires a bit of thought.
     
    vargasfan1985 likes this.
  14. vargasfan1985

    vargasfan1985 Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    16,973
    Likes Received:
    4,482
    Maybe Clenelo fought all of them because he knew the fix was in and he just had to win a few rounds and survive to hear the bell
     
  15. tarrant45

    tarrant45 Active Member Full Member

    Joined:
    Jun 17, 2023
    Messages:
    992
    Likes Received:
    1,103
    He avoided Charlo, Andrade at 154 and 160. Add on Benavidez thats 3.

    I will put it out there that even if Bivol beats Beterbiev again, he still won't fight Benavidez and will go a different path. Some people dismiss sparring but fighters know whats up and its well known a 22 year old Benavidez smoked Bivol in sparring multiple times.

    Lara elite? lol He was 19-1-2 and not a WC when Canelo fought him. Even since then he never won a real title in the ring, just upgraded reg belts.