Canelo Alvarez Says Contenders Must Earn Their Shot

Since his defeat to Crawford last September and time away following elbow surgery, the belts at 168 have spread across a new group of champions that includes Christian Mbilli, Hamzah Sheeraz, Osleys Iglesias, and Jaime Munguia.

Despite coming off a loss, Canelo will still receive an immediate world title shot against Mbilli on September 12 in Riyadh.

That has created criticism from some fans who believe the former undisputed champion should now be the one proving himself against dangerous contenders before receiving another title opportunity.

Fighters such as Lester Martinez, Diego Pacheco, and Bektemir Melikuziev have all been mentioned by fans as the kind of opponents Canelo would normally face if he were being treated like a standard contender instead of boxing’s biggest commercial star.

Canelo also dismissed the idea of closely studying the newer names entering the division.

“I never check that,” he said when asked about the current super middleweight landscape.

For many fans, that response only reinforced the feeling that Canelo still views himself as operating above the rest of the division despite no longer holding all the belts.

The Mexican star remains the sport’s biggest financial attraction, however, which allows him to move differently than most fighters coming off a defeat. While younger contenders continue trying to fight their way into position, Canelo is heading straight back into another championship fight.