Is Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez still ‘the face of boxing?’ Is Canelo still a fighter to revere, respect, and admire in spades? Is Canelo still on top of his game at age 34? Has Canelo’s reputation suffered due to how he has “ducked” David Benavidez? Are YOU excited about this Saturday’s fight between Canelo and Edgar Berlanga?
There may be more questions you are asking of Canelo right now, as it does seem there is a firm split in place—this between Canelo supporters and Canelo ‘haters’—or critics. Yes, Canelo should be fighting the man who called him out, taunted him, and questioned his Mexican warriors, this, of course, Benavidez. But if Canelo has ducked Benavidez, he is far from the first great champion/superstar to have swerved an undesirable opponent.
And so we get Canelo-Berlanga on Mexican Indendance Day weekend. Many people have laid into the fight – Oscar De La Hoya, for one – with these folks saying the fight will bomb at the box office. In terms of Canelo’s hugesly succesful fights, maybe this Saturday’s offering will pull in chicken feed PPV buys by comparison. But will Canelo care? Does Canelo care at this stage is another question that could be asked of him. Canelo says what he wants, and he does what he wants. He has earned the right, too.
So we look ahead and try to get pumped up about the fight that will go down at the T-Mobile in Vegas a few days from now. Even if he isn’t giving us the cream of match-ups with this fight, Canelo is always worth watching (that PPV fee will sting, however), and we could get a good fight on Saturday. For sure, Berlanga, who is unbeaten and a man who started off his career with an eye-catching string of first-round KO wins, is talking about a great fight.
So too is Canelo, who says he will end up punishing Berlangs for the lip service he has been giving him. Both men are predicting a KO win: Canelo to put Berlanga in his place and shut him up, and Berlanga to get rid of Canelo and give fight fans “a new face.”
Canelo has said he will do away with 27-year-old Berlanga inside eight rounds. While Berlanga has stated he will “knock Canelo the f**k out!” Both men seem pumped up, even if plenty of fans are not so juiced. But again, this fight could surprise us by being an all-action affair. Berlanga is a big guy (see, the two stood next to each other, and the difference in size is noticeable), and Berlanga can punch. Quite a few experts think Berlanga’s bext shot is to go for the KO, maybe the stunning, quick KO.
The thinking goes that Berlanga cannot outbox Canelo, so the proverbial ‘puncher’s chance’ seems to be his best shot, his only shot.
Canelo, 61-2-2(39), recognizes the danger in Berlanga but says facing danger is nothing new to him.
“He is a young fighter; he is dangerous, but it is nothing new for me,” Canelo told reporters at a pre-fight presser. “I have experienced everything in boxing, with good fighters, strong fighters; I prepared for that; we are ready, and on Saturday, you are going to see a great fight.”
If Saturday’s fight turns out to be an engaging, fun slugfest, even for a few rounds, it may prove to be a smack in the face of the critics who have so lambasted this match-up. We fans who will be tuning in will be hoping the action heats up, that the fight is not a dud, and that both men bring their A-game. But will even Berlanga’s A-game be enough to trouble Canelo?
Berlanga, 22-0(17), has a lot of big talk to live up to here, yet at the same time, has he got anything to lose? He hasn’t, and that can make a fighter a dangerous fighter. Can Berlanga catch Canelo, a 65-fight veteran, with something, anything, by surprise? In terms of making Saturday’s fight a good fight, maybe even a great fight, let’s hope so.
