LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez landed one of his patented left hooks on Edgar Berlanga's chin in the third round as the big underdog fell to the canvas Saturday.
Berlanga slapped his gloves in frustration and collected himself. He then proceeded to throw his jab from the outside, avoiding the right hand that made him famous in the first place.
Berlanga scored a moral victory, perhaps, by reaching the final bell. For Canelo, it is the fourth consecutive fight in which he knocked down his opponent but settled for a decision win.
Still, Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) didn't seem bothered by not having scored a KO since November 2021.
“Now, what are they going to say?” Alvarez, 34, said during his post-fight interview. “I fight younger fighters. They say I fight older fighters. They always talk about… My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence, all together.” [makes me the best].”
What they can say: Canelo was a -1600 favorite and after a string of wins over boxers who are clearly not on his level since his loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, he needs a challenge. Fortunately, there are options to cure what ails boxing’s biggest star. One such fighter hoping to get the assignment is Terence Crawford, who was ringside.
Crawford compared his quest to move up in weight for a shot at Canelo to the 1983 fight between Marvin Hagler and Robert Duran (Duran moved up from 154 pounds). “Except the smaller guy wins this fight,” Crawford told ESPN on Thursday.
Canelo’s next fight could be a radical departure from the last four in which he was the heavy favorite to win. It could be his return to the elite level of competition, his toughest fight since being defeated by Bivol. The possible assignment for Alvarez’s long-awaited return on Cinco de Mayo weekend next year? A rematch against Bivol, if all goes as planned.
Bivol defeated Canelo in the defense of his light heavyweight title despite close margins on the scorecards (115-113 on three occasions). And if Bivol can beat Artur Beterbiev in a highly anticipated fight for the undisputed light heavyweight championship on Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday that he is interested in a rematch.
Alvarez is motivated, he said, to get revenge on the only man who has beaten him other than Floyd Mayweather in his 66 professional fights. The Mexican icon is also excited about the idea of becoming the undisputed champion in a second weight class.
“Nothing went right in that fight for me. [vs. Bivol]“Canelo dealt with a left wrist injury and then underwent surgery following his September 2022 victory in his third meeting with Gennadiy Golovkin,” Alvarez said.
With his right hand surgically repaired, Canelo dropped Berlanga in his three subsequent fights (John Ryder, Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia) before dropping Berlanga on Saturday. All four opponents, however, had little chance of beating Canelo, but if Canelo fights Bivol again, he will find himself in a rare position as the underdog.
“I don't think he should lose that fight, but it is what it is,” Alvarez said. He added that he's motivated by the opportunity to fight Bivol “to be there at 100 percent.” Of course, Bivol first needs to defeat Beterbiev, boxing's only champion with a 100 percent knockout ratio; Bivol is a -125 favorite, according to ESPN BET.
“He has that ability to [beat Beterbiev]”Canelo said, adding that he is only interested in Bivol if he wins, not Beterbiev. “… Beterbiev is a strong fighter, he is also a good fighter, and it will be a tough fight.”
There is another hurdle, though. Alvarez expressed interest in a rematch with Bivol following his May 2023 win over Ryder, but only at 175 pounds (where the first meeting took place). Bivol insisted on a return fight at 168 pounds for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight championship.
It could present a sticking point again, though Alvarez represents the biggest payday available to Bivol, as Canelo does for every potential opponent.
“I need motivation,” Bivol, ESPN's No. 4 pound-for-pound fighter, told ESPN last summer. “And fighting him is not an easy fight. And I already beat him at 175. Why should I fight him again? Well, we're going to try to win his belt, but he doesn't want this fight.” [at 168] and I don't care.
“Of course he feels deep inside that he won that fight, but we are athletes. We can always find excuses and reasons why it happened. Every time I finish my fight I think: 'Oh, I could fight better, but I didn't do it because of this or that, because I felt pain in my leg or I had a bad breakfast or something else.'”
Alvarez has found reasons to refuse to fight David Benavidez, a hard-hitting fighter and longtime mandatory challenger who has pushed to face Canelo. Benavidez eventually moved up to 175 pounds in June and did not impress in his win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk, although Benavidez suffered a torn ligament in his hand.
Canelo still shows no interest in meeting with Benavidez.
“He's fighting in his weight class, 175, and he doesn't look like his usual self. [looks] “Because it's different when you fight in your weight class,” Alvarez said.
The other attractive option for Canelo is Crawford, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter. The former undisputed welterweight champion made his 154-pound debut with a decision win over Ismail Madrimov last month, but he was far from dominant against a vastly underrated fighter who reigned as junior middleweight champion.
Crawford, 37, continues to campaign for a shot at Canelo at the 168-pound weight limit, though he remains two weight classes (or 14 pounds) below Alvarez. While there are plenty of questions about Crawford's ability to compete with Canelo's size advantage, there are no questions about Crawford's talent or the commercial viability of the event.
A Canelo-Crawford fight is arguably the biggest in boxing below heavyweight, and it's one Crawford is seeking beyond the immense prize money it would represent.
“I feel like it's a legacy fight and it's a fight I can really win,” Crawford said. “I've always been a small guy. Every weight class I've competed in, everyone always said I was too small for this guy, too small for that guy, and I've always been successful in the fight. Being bigger doesn't win fights. So my skills pay the bills and my skills have gotten me this far.
“I think I would tell the [who is the] Number one… in the post-Mayweather era, who is the king of kings?
Crawford hasn't come that close to losing yet, though Madrimov gave him his toughest fight. He's moved through all the weight classes after winning his first championship at lightweight, becoming undisputed champion at junior welterweight and welterweight. And, as Crawford points out, he's taller than Canelo and has a longer reach (½ inch tall and 3½ inches reach).
Still, Canelo is much bigger than his height and has the punching power to match. Ten of Canelo's last 13 fights have come at 168 pounds: two at 175 and one at 160. The last time Canelo competed at 154 pounds? September 2016.
“If I beat him, nobody's going to say, 'Oh, he beat Crawford because… [Canelo’s] “He's a good fighter,” Canelo said. “He's [a] Pound for pound, he's also great, but he's smaller. They'll start to see 'but he's small and this'. But if the money is right, why not, at this point in my career? “
Canelo is referring to his legacy, which is already secured as one of the best of all time and the face of the sport for a long time. He earns more than 35 million dollars every time he steps on the ropes and has nothing left to prove.
However, he is still hungry to compete and train hard, and at some point, he will surely want to challenge himself. That means the next fight will be with Bivol or Crawford.
“I'm already fighting the best there are and I'm still doing good things,” Canelo said. “I'm the best in the world.”
