The current “Face of Boxing” has been considered that for quite a while now. After falling to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in late 2013, Canelo Alvarez embarked on a long-winding journey that saw him become the biggest draw in the sport. For a long time, he was untouchable, despite Gennady Golovkin‘s best efforts and a venture to light heavyweight against Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
His journey didn’t come without criticisms, though. As Alvarez has gotten older, so has the drumbeat that he’s not close to the boxer he used to be. The statistics do point to that, as he hasn’t scored a knockout since 2021. It hasn’t been due to a lack of power, though. Alvarez just hasn’t been able to connect on enough power punches because his opponents haven’t wanted to throw down. But that’s not always their fault.
Canelo Alvarez can’t cut off the ring like before?
With the Terence Crawford fight approaching, Alvarez is once again dealing with criticism surrounding one of his skills. Analysts don’t believe the Mexican can cut off the ring like he used to, which allows his opponents to roam freely and brings about uneventful bouts.
A couple of weeks ago, in an interview with Uncrowned, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn fueled this narrative around what has become Canelo’s biggest weakness. That weakness was exposed in Alvarez’s last fight against William Scull.
[Scull] was running around the ring, doing anything he could not to engage in a fight. That night made me really think about who is going to win this fight, because the thing is with Crawford, when you spend time around him, he is so confident. He has no doubt in his mind that he is going to win this fight. And anyone that has movement is going to cause Canelo problems at this stage in his career.
It’s clear that Alvarez isn’t being considered as the unbeatable boxer he was for so many years. Given Crawford’s abilities and credibility, he’s not the big underdog almost everyone that fights Canelo usually is. And at this point in time, he may actually have the technical boxing advantage.
It’s up to Alvarez to put all of the doubts to rest on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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