By Norm Fraueneim –
Last week, there was a question. Is Canelo Alvarez listening?
This week, there’s an answer.
No.
It’s a definitive no, delivered by Badou Jack, who spoke for impatient fans in a restless, yet evolving marketplace.
Jack, a sudden entry in a search for a fall foe, withdrew from the Canelo lottery and left Jermall Charlo as the only option after getting an offer that would have made him fight at about 20 pounds lighter than his current division, cruiserweight. It also included a deadly rehydration clause.
That’s not an offer. It’s an outrage, but also no surprise. In a column headlined by the aforementioned question, Canelo’s offer was predicted:
Jack, nobody’s fool, did more than just say no, however. He ended his twitter reply with this:
“Canelo let’s give the fans what they want to see and fight David Benavidez.”
Jack repeated what has been said, ad nauseam, for a couple years. Yet, Canelo ignores the refrain. Jack called for Canelo to fight Benavidez on Monday. On Thursday, there was news that Canelo ignored him and just about everybody else all over again.
Instead of Benavidez, he’ll fight the seldom-seen Charlo on Sept. 16, according to a twitter report from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.
After his last few fights, Canelo wore a crown that symbolized his long reign. But his silence about anything Benavidez is turning him into the proverbial king with no clothes. You can speculate as to why.
Maybe, he fears the younger Benavidez’ abundant energy late in a long career when Canelo’s measured performances are characterized by fatigue in the late rounds.
Maybe, he’s angry at the trash talk from Benavidez and his trainer/father, Jose Sr. Canelo’s documented pay-per-view power has allowed him to dictate. He wants praise, not insults. Try to bully Canelo and he’ll walk away, angry and defiant. Maybe, that’s why it took so long for a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin.
Maybe, all of the above. Maybe, not.
Maybe, it changes.
But time isn’t exactly on Canelo’s side any more. Patience is quickly draining through the hourglass in a marketplace that is moving on. There are abundant signs that there’s business beyond Canelo.
It was there in April with Tank Davis’ stoppage of Ryan Garcia in a pay-per-view bout that drew a reported 1.2 million customers.
On July 29, there’s the long-awaited Terence Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. Crawford and Spence continued negotiations after talks failed last October.
It’s still uncertain whether they’ll be rewarded with numbers even close to Davis-Garcia. Still, there’s good news in the attempt. It’s simply says they’re responding to a market demand, one of many. For now, it looks as if Canelo is only trying to satisfy himself.
Benavidez never heard from Canelo on an offer for a September fight from Benavidez promoter/manager Sampson Lewkowicz. Reportedly, the deal was potentially worth as much as $60 million. From Canelo, however, it was met with just more of the same:
Silence.
The Phoenix-born Benavidez is now talking about fighting Jamie Munguia or David Morrell. Morrell had been the original plan. Contrary to some reports, however, David Benavidez says there’s no tentative date or final deal.
Meanwhile, Morrell has started to sound a lot like Benavidez. Morrell is trash-talking him, through a publicist, in an attempt push him into a bout.
Long-term, Canelo’s moves are a signal for Benavidez to move up, from super-middleweight to light-heavy. That’s where his future is. Where his prime is. `
On the Benavidez clock, it makes little sense to wait anymore on Canelo, who will turn 33 on July 18 and then enter the next stage of his long career against Charlo on a PBC deal that reportedly includes two more fights, May and September in 2024.
An agreement for two more Canelo fights, both next year, could mean just about anything.
But Benavidez can only judge it from what he already knows. To wit: Canelo won’t fight him. There’s no other way to interpret what Canelo has done since the Benavidez-Canelo possibility entered the public conversation. Repeatedly, the undisputed 168-pound champion finds another way to avoid him.
The latest example: Charlo.
Charlo, a middleweight belt holder, hasn’t fought in two years. He’s never fought at super-middleweight. Yet, he’ll fight Canelo instead of Benavidez, the World Boxing Council’s so-called mandatory challenger and a former two-time WBC champion. From virtually every conceivable corner, there’s no reasonable explanation for it.
Before Thursday’s news, Canelo’s sometime promoter Eddie Hearn told several media outlets that Charlo was next. In almost the next breath, Hearn went on to say it wouldn’t be a competitive fight. With that kind of recommendation, who’s going to buy?
From Benavidez’ perspective, there’s only one conclusion. For the sake of his career, he has to assume Canelo won’t fight him, now or next year.
For years, Benavidez has been chasing Canelo as though that one fight will define him.
Now, he’s forced to think about a career without Canelo. At 26, he’s got lots of time to do exactly that: Re-define himself according to his own terms.
Move on. A lot of fans already have.
