Former tremendous middleweight world champion Andre Ward believes Canelo Alvarez’s resolution to not battle David Benavidez is a strike in opposition to his legacy.
Ward feels that Canelo has hand-picked lots of his opponents rigorously throughout his profession, dealing with the highest names once they had been older or not the identical fighters they’d been throughout their prime years.
For instance, Ward mentions former unified gentle heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev as a fighter that Canelo fought on the tail finish of his profession, not when he was ‘The Krusher.’
Non-prime fighters Canelo fought:
Shane MosleyMiguel CottoAlfredo AnguloGennadiy GolovkinErislandy LaraCarlos BaldomirBilly Joe SaundersLovemore NdouKermit CintronJohn RyderDaniel JacobsJermell Charlo
Not Simply Names, However Timing
“Completely,” stated Andre Ward to the Breakfast Membership Energy YouTube channel when requested if he would give a strike in opposition to Canelo Alvarez if he doesn’t battle David Benavidez earlier than retiring.
Canelo’s legacy shall be tarnished if he avoids Benavidez for the rest of his profession with out testing himself in opposition to the undefeated fighter.
It’s already gotten to the purpose the place Canelo is shedding reputation due to his ducking, and if he doesn’t change that quickly, his PPV fights will endure.
“By way of his resume, you’ll be able to take a look at the opponents that he fought, and other people say, ‘He fought this identify and that identify.’ The place did he battle that identify when he fought them?” Ward continued about Canelo.
“He’s 32 and coming off two losses. He’s 35. When he fought Kovalev, Kovalev was cooked. He wasn’t ‘The Krusher,’ he wasn’t the undefeated man. He had misplaced that. I’m not knocking the hustle, however you lose me while you begin saying, ‘I’m the most effective fighter on the earth.’”
Aside from Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol, Canelo has accomplished job of choosing opponents he might all the time beat. Bivol is seen by many as a cherry-pick gone fallacious for Canelo, as he’d just lately seemed poor in a battle earlier than that in opposition to Craig Richards.
The Want for Dangers
“You lose me while you don’t battle the most effective, however you say all people else has bought to battle the most effective,” stated Ward. “Canelo is a very good fighter, however you don’t know the way good you might be till you battle the opposite greatest. You shouldn’t battle high guys each battle out. That’s not smart, and that’s not protected.”
There was a time in Canelo’s profession when he took extra dangers, however he stopped doing that after his loss to Bivol. Since that defeat, he’s taken two gimmes: John Ryder and Jermell Charlo. Now, he’s preventing Jaime Munguia on Could 4th, which is alongside the identical traces as these fighters.
“You want tune-up fights. You want these sorts of fights, however when most of your fights are like that. Come on, man,” stated Ward.
“That’s the dangers you are taking,” stated Ward when requested if individuals will discredit David Benavidez if he beats Canelo as a result of they’ll say that he’s been within the sport a very long time.
