We should be happy to watch the Ginger **** fight. He truly has fought the best from 154 through 175, regardless of how the fights were scored. He was smart enough to move away from single promotion and fight who he wants and when. We can knit pick anyone in the history of the sports resume, and even more the face of boxing as they're up to much more scrutiny. Canelo actually made big fights, against legitimate opponents, all while the other guys swerved each other. And so what he took a loss, a legitimate loss that could have been scored 120-108. He played his hand and he took a shot at greatness. He belonged in that ring with Bivol and honestly anyone with eyes could tell the extra weight made a huge difference in the fight. Canelos big power shots did not have the same effectiveness as they did at 68, plus Bivol punches while not full strength were clearly causing Canelo to be cautious. Clearly a step too high, but nonetheless he took it. That's the **** we need in boxing, fighters taking chances and daring to be great. Not afraid to lose that 0 , turning 30 and still basically a prospect . Getting 1 belt out of 6 and holding it hostage, all the while never fighting anyone top 5 in their division . Guys claiming we can't make the fight cause you're on the other side of the street promotional wise, Straight bullshittin, make those fights, boxing is a sport. If it's not about who is the best, then what's it about?
"And so what he took a loss, a legitimate loss that could have been scored 120-108." aaaand there's where the whole damn things fell apart. and it didn't take going to 175lbs to lose (most probably) all 12 rounds in a title fight. It also happened at 154 in his EIGHTH title fight against Mayweather. Also dropped 8-9 rounds against GGG at 160lbs . Clenelo is very talented (and very much juiced up as is literally everyone in Reynoso's camp), but he's been smoked three times now. Maybe just focus on a little comback fight with Chavez jr in Mexico, work to Charlo and Benavidez, transition out of the game with the Paul brothers. We've seen him test the top level and it ain't pretty.
Anyone who says the size didn't matter in that fight has never boxed someone with a significant natural size advantage who really knew what they were doing. If your opponent has some comparable technical capability to begin with, size only compounds that, regardless of whether said opponent has a particularly bruising, physical style or not. That's not said to deduct anything from Bivol, who backed himself (apparently in defiance of the knowledge that extracting his purse was going to be a problem) and fought a polished, disciplined fight. Canelo wanted the challenge and he was given what he asked for.
A lot of fans dont realize just how big natural, career LHWs are. Not some guy who pumped iron to get there or started at 160 and made his way to 175. I'm talking about career 175 pounders. A guy I know saw Beterbiev Gvozdyk in Philly. He says he walks around 190 and thought of himself as a LHW. Then he saw those guys in person. He said they were ****en monsters. Huge and twice his size. LHWs are massive.
What’s the point of your post? That he should’ve avoided these fights? Decisions aside, boxing is pretty damn useless without the fights being made. 154-Mayweather, Lara, Trout 160-Cotto, Golovkin, Jacobs, 168-Smith, BJ, Plant 175-Kovalev, Bivol. If he stayed winning you’d best bet Beterbiev was all but a done fight.
