Terence Crawford: The Fight Canelo (and Boxing Fans) Deserve

Yet another fight involving Canelo Alvarez featured an opponent reluctant to engage, resulting in a disappointing evening where the boxing icon secured a victory, but spectators were left wanting. This has become a pattern.

This worrying trend needs to end. Hopefully, a potential bout with Terence Crawford will compel Canelo to genuinely fight, as fans are entitled to more exciting contests.

Regrettably, Canelo is largely responsible for this situation.

Canelo`s unanimous decision win (scored 119-109, 116-112, and 115-113) against William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday continued his recent streak of bouts short on drama or intensity. Against Scull, Canelo threw only 152 punches total – the second-lowest count in a 12-round fight tracked by CompuBox in four decades. This is exceptionally low, even for Canelo, who isn`t known for high volume. However, his opponent, Scull, seemed content simply to survive, circling the ring and landing just 55 of 293 punches, none of which posed any real threat to the undefeated Scull. Canelo was never in danger.

CompuBox Punch Stats

In truth, Canelo`s recent choices have contributed to this outcome.

Since his defeat to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, Canelo has primarily focused on lucrative matchups against less challenging opponents over the last three years, frustrating fans who crave significant tests. While his bout against an aging Gennadiy `GGG` Golovkin (arguably too late) and a homecoming fight against John Ryder were somewhat understandable, fans expected him to face the highly deserving WBC mandatory challenger, David Benavidez, next. Instead, Canelo chose fights against fighters like the smaller, outmatched Jermell Charlo, and others deemed less deserving such as Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. Although some might argue Canelo was obligated to fight Scull to regain undisputed status and fault the IBF for mandating an untested fighter, this isn`t the full picture. Canelo has considerable control over his opponents, and the opponent fans truly demanded was Benavidez. For undisclosed reasons, Canelo avoided that confrontation, leading to the current situation.

Frankly, a fight against Jake Paul, while also featuring an underserving opponent, might have been more entertaining than the Scull fight. At least Paul would likely attempt to win. It`s notable that Canelo was reportedly close to fighting Paul before Turki Alalshikh of Saudi Arabia`s General Entertainment Authority intervened with an offer that proved irresistible.

This pattern would be less concerning if Canelo consistently produced exciting fights. However, his recent appearances feel overly cautious, prioritizing financial gain over challenging matchups and knockout finishes. He has appeared quite passive. Even when opponents seem hurt, he often seems to let them survive to the final bell. His recent foes appear content simply to finish the fight, rather than pursuing victory, and Canelo seems willing to allow this, securing them significant paydays.

He won`t have this luxury when facing Terence Crawford, scheduled for September 12th at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Certainly, Canelo will hold a considerable size advantage, as Crawford, a former undisputed champion at junior welterweight and welterweight, is moving up two weight classes for this challenge. However, Crawford is widely regarded as one of his era`s elite fighters and possesses an aggressive style and killer instinct that won`t permit Canelo to simply box his way to a decision. At some point, Canelo will be forced into a real fight against Crawford – something he hasn`t genuinely done since the Bivol bout. For three years, his fights have resembled advanced sparring, lacking genuine peril.

At this point in his career, Canelo arguably requires the type of significant challenge Crawford offers. While the initial phase of his career built a strong record against notable opponents, the recent period has seen him sidestep tough tests in favor of financially lucrative, less risky fights. And before asserting he has earned the right to do so, remember that fans and critics are equally entitled to voice their dissatisfaction.

While this strategy might benefit Canelo personally, it fails to deliver what fans want. The figure often called the `Face of Boxing` should ideally be pushing the sport forward into greater prominence, but these recent matchups appear to be doing the opposite.

Canelo`s recent agreement with Riyadh Season ensures continued financial success, but boxing enthusiasts still deserve to witness one of this generation`s top fighters compete in truly challenging encounters.

And a fight against Crawford represents just such an opportunity.