By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez is showing interest in fighting IBF/WBC/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, saying he likes “challenges.”
Unfortunately for fans, the odds of Canelo getting a fight against Usyk are low unless he pulls off a miracle upset of WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. I’m not expecting Canelo to do anything other than be humiliated again by Bivol and likely knocked out.
It would be a good idea for Canelo to keep his focus on Bivol because he will get embarrassed even worse than he did the last time they fought.
Those two are expected to fight on Cinco de Mayo, and Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) will likely get schooled even worse than had did the first time around last May.
Despite being two divisions above Canelo, the undefeated multi-belt heavyweight champ Usyk (20-0, 13 KOs) has put the Mexican star on his hit list of fighters he wants to face before he retires. Usyk recently named Canelo and Tyson Fury as someone he wants to face.
“Everybody would like to fight me. It’s not uncommon. Usyk is a great fighter, he’s been on a cruise, and he went all the way up. I am a fighter who likes challenges; he likes to feel in danger in the ring. It is what gives the adrenaline,” said Canelo Alvarez to Bet365.mx about Oleksandr Usyk.
As long as Usyk is willing to fight Canelo with him coming off a second defeat against Bivol, it’s a double fight, but I don’t see it as one that they’ll be able to peddle to the boxing public on DAZN or whatever platform it winds up.
If Canelo knew what’s good for him, he’d focus on facing the winner of the March fight between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant.
Canelo should leave talents like Bivol and Usyk alone because they’re far better fighters in terms of boxing ability. It has nothing to do with the lack of size of Canelo that would sink his ship against Usyk & Bivol. The Mexican star lacks the technical skills ever to beat fighters like them.
Canelo has gotten away with his counter punching & fast and speed all these years, but now that he’s mixing it with fighters with technical ability, he’s getting exposed as the flawed fighter he’s always been.
