Random thoughts: Canelo's search for fall foe insulting to fans
Plus: Bivol's disappointing encore; Tszyu's chances vs. Charlo; recovering from watching Prograis-Zzzzzorrilla; a great year for boxing so far except at heavyweight; much more
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A giant batch of boxing random thoughts…
Let’s begin with six things on Canelo Alvarez’s wholly unnecessary search for a September opponent when it is so blatantly obvious that the biggest and best fight currently available for him is David Benavidez — and it’s really not close, but he’s out there acting like he never heard of the guy.
1. Canelo manager/trainer Eddy Reynoso should have at least responded to the recent offer from Benavidez’s team instead of the nonsense of claiming he didn’t get the offer. Stop that. Stop that right now.
2. If the offer made by Team Benavidez, which was supposedly at least $50 million, wasn’t good enough there was nothing stopping Alvarez, who is not bound to any promoter or broadcaster, from making his own offer. And it’s not too late because even though Benavidez is headed to a fall fight with David Morrell it’s not signed yet.
3. I don’t blame cruiserweight titlist Badou Jack for rejecting Alvarez’s demand for the fight to be at 180 pounds (20 less than the cruiserweight limit, although Jack said he’d have done it at 190). I also don’t blame Jack for rejecting the demand for a rehydration clause that would have forced him to make an unspecified weight again on the morning of the fight. Jack is a veteran three-division titleholder who knows his body and he knows that those stipulations were not worth his health. In turning down the fight, even Jack said he’d rather see Canelo fight Benavidez.