Canelo Will Duck Mbilli – ‘Canelo Will Stay Far Away’
Tim Bradley expects Canelo Alvarez to duck Christian Mbilli.
Mbilli is coming off a one-sided unanimous decision win against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Despite dominating the fight, Mbilli failed to stop his man. Derevyanchenko injured his bicep, which became known in the corner at the end of the fourth round. However, Mbilli also hurt his left hand as he remained patient to take the win. The win took his record to 28-0, with 23 KOs. Mbilli has previously called out Canelo. This time, he refused to name the Mexican but did say he wanted the best, stating everyone knows who that is.
Alvarez defends his WBC, WBA and WBO belts against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 during Mexican Independence Weekend. The fight has come under fire after Canelo avoided the David Beanvidez fight.
The Mexican Monster was the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion for over two years. However, the fight never happened. Canelo demanded $200 million, which was seen as pricing himself out. Benavidez will stay at 175 as he is the WBC mandatory for the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol, who fight on October 12. Bradley expects Canelo to also avoid Mbilli.
Bradley Reacts
“Canelo will stay far away from him [Mbilli] — Tim Bradley…I think in a very peculiar way, Derevyanchenko stole the show by standing upright by surviving by insisting he finish the fight. When [trainer] Andre [Rozier] asked him [Derevyanchenko], ‘Do you want to go?’ He said, ‘Yes,’ but he didn’t say it with full conviction, but his deeds were his deeds and that will last.
“Later, when he was asked, there was actually no communication, which was very conspicuous in the corner there. Me witnessing the amount of damage that I witnessed Derevyanchenko take, nobody understands what that does to you. It depends on what’s at stake and what’s on the line, but this is a man that’s 38 years old,” Bradley said
Canelo’s Choices
Before taking the Berlanga fight, Canelo was linked with a bout against Chris Eubank Jr. and Jermall Charlo. Those are both seen as winnable fights which could be marketed. A Charlo fight was entertained before Canelo faced his brother, Jermell Charlo. A bout with Jermall could be seen as a way for the Charlos to gain revenge after Jermell’s loss.
Meanwhile, a fight with Eubank Jr. would sell out in the UK. It allows Canelo to fight in the UK for the first time, exposing him to a bigger audience. The Saudis have said they remain confident that a relationship can be made with Canelo. Turki Alalshikh recently confirmed that Canelo had personally reached out. Any relationship would be done to make the biggest fights. Canelo and Benavidez would be at the top of that list.
“He sent me a direct message that he wants to connect after the fight. It is nothing personal. It is business. I’d like to see it again, Crawford, and I’d like to see it against Benavidez. Of course, no one pays this kind of money. Nothing is impossible. Let’s see in the future what happens, but if someone can do it, it’s Riyadh Season,” Turki said
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