In final week’s Notes from the Boxing Underground, I type of hyper-focused on the blood orgy of misinformation surrounding the Turki Alalshikh/Canelo Alvarez/Ring Journal scenario and the mendacity liars who deliberately lied to us about all of it.
Misplaced in that superb beatdown, although, was speak about Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and his deal, which features a combat this Could in Saudi Arabia, a September combat with Terence Crawford in Las Vegas, after which two 2026 Riyadh Season fights in Saudi Arabia (in February and October).
I’ve been saying this effectively earlier than he signed on with a murderous monarchy, however Alvarez has change into more and more irrelevant. Getting overwhelmed up by Dmitry Bivol in Could of 2022 appears to have sucked the final little bit of aggressive drive from his freckled intestine and he’s been coasting ever since.
Pre-Bivol Canelo benefited from cleverly calculated matchmaking, however no less than there was the pretense of precise competitors. The post-Bivol Canelo has given zero fucks about even pretending to care about boxing.
He half-assed his approach by means of a pale, jaded Gennadiy Golovkin, who was supplied up as somebody able to be taken out. He half-assed his approach by means of journeyman John Ryder. He carried a frozen junior middleweight, Jermell Charlo, over twelve rounds. He needed to work a bit versus Jaime Munguia, however was by no means prepared to step on the fuel and even attempt for a conclusive end. He additionally half-assed his approach in opposition to a wildly overmatched Edgar Berlanga, who he ought to’ve knocked out in 4 rounds or much less. This present model of Canelo Alvarez simply needs your cash, feels entitled to it, and expects you to thank him for the privilege of being fleeced.
That’s why him signing a multi-fight cope with Saudi Arabia shouldn’t have come as a lot of a shock. If all he cares about is displaying as much as acquire a paycheck, after all he’s going to stage dive on the largest cash provide. And, yeah, fuck the followers if he can get that loot with out having to even fake to cater to them. This can be a boxing whore’s final dream– large cash and nil accountability, working for the largest cash mark the game has ever seen.
Canelo ditched his Mexican followers and proud Mexicanismo as quick because it took Turki to transform riyals to pesos. Aside from the Crawford combat in September, he’s taking his act to Saudi Arabia, a half-planet away from the place his most loyal followers can truly see him. And, come 2026, he’s additionally ditching his Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day dates in favor of Saudi pageant dates. I wouldn’t be shocked to see shawarma meat changing carne al pastor in his tacos.
Alvarez had been negotiating a combat with influencer/novice boxer Jake Paul earlier than swerving to signal with the Saudis. After the deal was introduced, he’d double again to disclaim that he’d ever be concerned with somebody like Paul.
“Hey guys, do not take note of something of this fucking YouTuber,” Alvarez mentioned in a video posted by the Turki-owned Ring Journal. “I simply combat actual fighters. No fucking round with Canelo. Come on, let’s go.”
Paul, after all, would fireplace again through social media video, revealing particulars of their negotiations and even posting a display screen shot of a Canelo and Paul-signed contract.
“Oh, Canelo, you puta. Time to reveal him,” Paul mentioned. “So, we had a signed contract to combat. Right here, you’ll be able to see Canelo’s signature and my signature to the best. Claiming he’s not combating YouTubers? Bullshit. Have a look at the poster. We have been saying Tuesday, Feb. 11. Claiming he fights actual fighters, however he combating Crawford, a 135-pound fighter, and operating from an actual fighter like David Benavidez, you bitch.
“The reality is, you might be purchased. You’re a money-hungry squirrel chasing your subsequent nut. The reality is, the sportswashing shady characters are paying you a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars} to cease our combat from taking place as a result of they couldn’t fathom the truth that they’ll’t create a much bigger combat than me and also you. Al Haymon has made you a whole lot of tens of millions of {dollars}, and also you turned your again on him for this verify. Disloyal….You name me a YouTuber, however you’ve by no means had a boxing match as large as mine.”
I hate to confess this, however, in my thoughts, I truly kinda slow-clapped this comeback.
Canelo shall be combating William Scull in his first bout as star attraction within the Saudi zoo. And, sorry, Scull isn’t all that rather more of a “actual” fighter than Jake Paul. As a matter of reality, opening betting odds make the light-hitting Cuba-born, Germany-fed Scull a much bigger underdog than what Paul would’ve been.
Even with a paper IBF tremendous middleweight belt round his waist, Scull represents the weakest Canelo opponent since Canelo was combating in Mexican state gala’s. A lot for Turki wanting solely one of the best vs. one of the best.
And, whereas we’re at it, let’s simply be actual in regards to the “large” one after this Scull thrashing.
The Terence Crawford combat is simply barely much less of a gimmick occasion than a Jake Paul combat. Crawford, a former light-weight, junior welterweight, and welterweight champ, who simply received his first junior middleweight bout in a considerably shaky efficiency, shouldn’t be getting a shot at Alvarez– particularly contemplating that there are clearly higher and extra deserving opponents on the market for each Crawford and Alvarez.
The Omaha native is simply getting this crack at Canelo due to his standing as Turki’s man-crush/pet venture and since Canelo believes this to be a winnable combat in opposition to a smaller man. Boy, will it’s humorous when Crawford truly wins.
Anyway, dropping even an more and more irrelevant Canelo goes to be robust for the American boxing scene, which has misplaced a lot already since promoters began promoting themselves into eventual extinction for a style of Turki bucks.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that the man “saving” boxing is definitely simply strip-mining it and transport the viable items again house. Boxing is a star and event-driven sport and, with out occasions to truly attend or stars to construct by means of these occasions…effectively…we’re fucked.
However we’re dwelling within the age of highly effective individuals enjoying the much less highly effective for suckers– and the suckers truly thanking them for it. So, what’s in any respect stunning in regards to the tremendous wealthy Saudis making a brilliant wealthy Canelo even richer, whereas sucker-punched North American followers are requested to subsidize the entire thing?
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