Should Canelo be given credit for fighting at higher weight classes despite his proportions?

Yeah, I think it's underrated how often he overcomes size and reach disadvantages. He's stout and burly but he is still a fair amount smaller than most of the guys he fights nowadays. I thought Berlanga looked considerably bigger than him, and Callum Smith obviously had a huge size and reach advantage.

 

Reasons he doesn't get the credit:

1. Clenbuterol
2. Bought judges
3. Aging out fights/ avoiding mandatory opponents

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

Interesting reading from way back in 2018:

https://thegruelingtruth.com/boxing/history-bad-judging-canelo-alvarez/

 

Yes, he’s visibly undersized anywhere above middleweight.

but he should have fought Benavidez, and his most recent announced opponent is shameful.

 

You fight with what you have. Canelo isn't doing what Pac did and fighting a couple of divisions above his natural weight, Canelo was always draining a lot of weight to make the lower weight classes and is now fighting at his natural weight.

Yes he is stocky so in terms of reach and height he is at a disadvantage and that can be difficult to do. But height and reach isn't everything. Tank is short for a lightweight, so was Tyson, Nick Ball now too is fighting guys much taller all the time. But they fought or are fighting at their natural weights or close to it.

I give Canelo credit for having the ring IQ too adapt to fighting taller guys as he's moved up but fighting taller guys is not the same as fighting bigger guys. He showed guts too to go all the way up to 175, but it didn't work out for him, he wasn't skilled enough to make up the difference in size.

 

No.

 

He should be fighting at LW just because he is s 5'7? lol.

 

In all fairness to the poster, he didn't say he "should", he said he "could".

 

I was a bit short with my response earlier.

Canelo was always a drained MW imo.

At MW I don't think he was too big at all.

His work at SMW and LHW deserves lots of credit though. Fully unifying SMW and facing two title holders at LHW is what got him number 1 p4p spot for the couple of years he had it.

 

He rehydrates to 180lbs+ on fight night.....

He is not a small fighter

 

He couldn't be fighting at LW though. Its just silly. He was rehyrating to 175lbs when he was fighting at 154 as a 23 year old. The guy is a tank.

 

Yes. At 175 the only contender that small since Qawi is Montell Griffin so he does deserve credit for going up to fight Kovalev and Bivol even if only for 2 fights and he didn't accomplish nearly as much. Reasons he doesn't get that credit is he was expected to win and it was 2 fights. He shouldn't have been expected to win but part of being overrated is not getting credit for doing great things.

What I think is more unfair is Canelo getting blame for avoiding someone like a Benavidez at 168. It was sorta unreasonable to expect Canelo to allow himself to be used as a stepping stone by someone who was going to leave the division instead of waiting him out and keeping all his stuff.

Now in terms of his whole career Canelo debuted at 140 and was 147 his 2nd fight. So saying he could be a LW is a bit dramatic. LW is very small.

 

It's the way Canelo is conducting himself whilst doing this.

If Canelo genuinely dared to fight the best such as Benavidez and Beterbiev he would get so much more respect. Canelo chose Kovalev because he saw Kovalev as the weakest champion at LHW and made him fight only a few weeks after whom he went life and death against Yarde hence Canelo saw Kovalev as a safe bet. Bivol, I do give some credit to Canelo but this was shortly after he looked unimpressive against Craig Richards, hence Canelo probably saw Bivol as a safe enough bet. And of course Benavidez - the fight that made the most sense, what does Canelo do? Of course - avoid Benavidez at all costs.

Canelo is a very good fighter which makes it even more frustrating because he should be fighting the best, in Benavidez, in Beterbiev a few years ago. He is taking the mickey by fighting Berlanga, Scull and so on.

 

It was unfair to expect the undisputed champion to fight the top contender after 4 years? Stepping stone? How many great fighters let Canelo use them as a stepping stone? The only reason Benavidez left 168 was because it was a dead end for him with the belts blocked. He waited years. What is unfair is apologising for Canelo ducking Benavidez.