Canelo Haunted By The Mayweather Loss – ‘That Little Thorn’
Canelo Alvarez has admitted that the Floyd Mayweather loss still haunts him.
Canelo experienced his first defeat, losing a majority decision. While it was declared a majority decision, Mayweather outclassed him. Canelo entered the ring as a rising star who was only 22. Since then, Canelo has achieved massive success. He is a four-division world champ. Canelo also became undisputed at 168. He has only lost one other fight, losing a unanimous decision to Dmitry Bivol.
Canelo is coming off a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga. There are question marks over who he will fight next. The two biggest fights out there for him are David Benavidez and the Bivol rematch. There is also the outside chance of the Terence Crawford bout. But if there was one fight that Canelo wanted to run back, it was against Mayweather. Canelo arguably entered that fight without being in his prime, meaning the outcome may have been different if it happened years later.
Canelo Reacts
“Yes, of course [I would like to fight Mayweather again]. I would love the opportunity to get revenge. Obviously we know it’s not going to happen but yes, I would love to get rid of that little thorn,” Canelo said
His biggest rival, Benavidez, is desperate to face Canelo. The Mexican Monster failed in his attempts to make the fight at 168. He had been the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion for over two years. The fight never got made as the WBC did not enforce the mandatory. Canelo was also requesting $150-200 million to make that fight. Benavidez ultimately moved up to 175 pounds. Mayweather had no incentive to run things back with Canelo. But Alvarez has not faced Benavidez, creating the narrative that he is ducking him.
The Benavidez Fight
The Mexican Monster was adamant that Canelo did not have the belief to beat him. Benavidez’s current focus is on David Morrell Jr. They face off at 175 pounds in February. The winner becomes mandatory for the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship. That will be contested between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on February 22. Beterbiev won the first fight in a majority decision to win all the belts. But if the Canelo fight does happen, Benavidez has vowed to show that he is the best. He was confident of getting a win.
“It’s because he knows he’s not confident in himself. So, I’m doing everything in my job to keep going and keep winning. I did everything to prove that I’m willing to fight this fighter [Alvarez], but I mean, if it doesn’t happen, it’s because of him. Maybe he needs $200 million to face me, I don’t know. But other than that, I don’t think that’s his only point. That’s the only thing he’ll be willing to fight me for. I’m 100 percent confident in myself. Whenever that fight happens, I’ll be ready to go in there and win that fight,” Benavidez said
Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.
