Canelo Alvarez is an endling.
The post-Super-Six super middleweight hegemony he dismantled en route to undisputed glory is all but extinct. Billy Joe Saunders is retired, Caleb Plant just got his clock cleaned by a mid-tier middleweight, and Callum Smith is taking care of business at 175. The old world is dying and yet Canelo remains, a stubborn strip of duct tape keeping the new one trapped in its egg.
I’ve already said more than enough about Canelo’s refusal to honor the obligations of a champion, but what I don’t think gets discussed enough is the way he’s stunting the division’s growth, which goes well beyond forcing potential heirs like Davids Benavidez and Morrell Jr to abandon ship.
Hidden in the shadow of Canelo’s upcoming clash with Terence Crawford is a hyper-concentration of crowd-friendly finishers arguably unmatched in the current boxing landscape. Osleys Iglesias, Christian Mbilli, Diego Pacheco, Hamzah Sheeraz, Kevin Lele Sadjo, Lester Martinez, Bektemir Melikuziev; any combination of these men would produce an “of the Year” of some variety.
And yet none of them have shared the ring. Turki Alalshikh has proposed pitting Mbilli against Martinez later this year, but Mbilli vs Pacheco, Mbilli vs Sadjo, and Iglesias vs Sadjo all fell apart.
While a good chunk of those struggles can be attributed to traditional boxing politics, it’s impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. The Canelo Sweepstakes is on its last legs and everyone from 160 to 175 is desperate for one of those final tickets; without major name value or an alternative hook, a loss permanently ends the dream.
In halting the natural progression of the division in favor of vanity fights, Canelo compromises its future. The incredible potential of this division will never be realized so long as its future flag-bearers are financially disincentivized from taking risks. Their current options are to sit in holding patterns until Canelo retires or, like Sheeraz, acquire the patronage of an autocrat.
Where’s a Super Series when you need it?
