By Norm Frauenheim –
It was a homecoming that produced mixed reviews and perhaps a dilemma.
The mix, some praise and lots of criticism, was no surprise. Canelo Alvarez had to know that was coming. It was guaranteed the day Canelo signed to fight John Ryder, a tough fighter yet a second-tier talent.
Canelo beat him, bloodied him, in a one-sided decision last Saturday in his first fight in Mexico in more than a decade. The win was expected. So, too, was a knockout. The KO didn’t happen and therein rests the potential dilemma.
Who’s next?
Dmitry Bivol?
Or David Benavidez?
What’s next?
Legacy?
Or more money?
Canelo emerged from the predictable triumph at super-middleweight still sounding certain about his plans for a September rematch in a chance to avenge his loss to Bivol at light-heavyweight a year ago. It’s consistent with what he has been saying for weeks. It’s also consistent with his long-stated pursuit of legacy.
For years, he has said he wants to make history. If Forbes is accurate, he probably doesn’t need to make much more money.
Dollar-for-dollar, he’s a contender, according to Forbes, which produces a list more valuable than any pound-for-pound ranking. He’s fifth on Forbes’ latest edition of the world’s top earning athletes. The magazine reports he earned $110- million over the last 12 months.
Coincidently, he’s also at fifth in a lot of the pound-for-pound rankings. He’s slipped, or at least that’s the emerging consensus from media and bloggers who concluded that no KO of Ryder is a sure sign of decline in the Mexican’s long, rich career. It was also judged to be a sign that Canelo can’t beat Bivol at any weight.
For a man with just about everything, Bivol represents the one piece missing from a Canelo empire that includes real estate and his own line of gas stations. Bivol stands in the way of the legacy he pursues.
Canelo wants to be remembered as the best Mexican ever. That means supplanting Julio Cesar Chavez, for so long an enduring piece of Mexican history. Chavez is more than the face of Mexican boxing. He is its edifice.
Beat Bivol in a risky rematch, and Canelo will have carved out his own claim. For him, history means only one thing: Chavez. But there are doubts, more now than before the comeback against Ryder.
There are also complications about whether an agreement with Bivol can negotiated. Canelo, proud and stubborn, says he wants the rematch to be at the same weight, 175 pounds. But Bivol has been quoted as saying he wants it at 168. The light-heavyweight champion says he would be further motivated by a chance to take Canelo’s undisputed title.
However, one belt might not be there. The World Boxing Council has said it would not allow Bivol to fight for one of its titles because he’s Russian. The WBC has banned Russians because of Putin’s ongoing war with the Ukraine.
Even at the lighter weight, Bivol would still be the much bigger fighter. Barring some rehydration clause on the morning of the bout, Bivol’s size would still be an imposing challenge.
Canelo has heard that talk. It’s been impossible to ignore. Meanwhile, there’s the Benavidez option, who is still at 168 pounds.
The aggressive Benavidez is the WBC’s mandatory challenger for that piece of Canelo’s undisputed title. The Phoenix fighter is known for his volume punching and tireless pursuit. He moves forward, ever forward. He’s more powerful than Bivol, yet lacks some of the Russian’s agile defense. He might offer a better shot at victory for Canelo than Bivol ever would.
Benavidez might also offer a chance at bigger money than Bivol, the reigning Fighter of the Year, yet still an unknown Russian. Bivol has been inactive over the last year despite his upset of Canelo.
Benavidez is Mexican-American. He talks trash; Bivol speaks Russian.
Early Thursday, Benavidez got headlines for calling out Canelo on his Instagram account. It only would have been news if he hadn’t.
“Let’s give the people what they want to see,’’ Benavidez said all over again
From the promotional and pay-per-view perspective, Benavidez is the perfect opponent for a bout surrounding Mexico’s September 16 Independence Day.
I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again: In the history of Mexican-versus-Mexican American boxing, Canelo-versus-Benavidez could be the biggest since Chavez-versus-Oscar De La Hoya. It would generate huge money.
Canelo has plenty of that. Only the last piece to a legacy is missing.
