Canelo Alvarez finally has a fight in hand. Come May 4, on Cinco de Mayo weekend, the undisputed super middleweight champion will defend his title from fellow Mexican Jaime Munguia. The boxing icon and fans can finally heave a sigh of relief. The fight dawns after months of rumors, talks, and discussions. The period saw Alvarez face criticism for avoiding fighters.

The fight confirmation should put many doubts to rest. But how to address the purported misgivings over Canelo Alvarez keeping away from notable fights? A former champion who trains alongside Alvarez at Eddy Reynoso‘s stable offered some explanation and tried to straighten out the facts.

From the Corner: Oscar Valdez’s Supportive Stance 

Canelo Alvarez is rarely conflicted by claims or counterclaims of any kind, asserts Oscar Valdez. The former two-division champion was speaking with Manouk Akopyan from Fight Hub TV. He further explained that when it comes to boxing, the only thing that he cares about is a fight. To that purpose, he practically lives in the gym, always training hard. So it was kind of disturbing for Valdez when he came across people criticizing the undisputed champion. Hence, he hoped more and more of them could show some understanding.

He said, “One thing about that it just kind of bothers me, but not really, because if it doesn’t bother him, I just, I wish people could understand the fact that he does not care about nothing he just, he wants to fight when he wants to fight, and he’s just, he’s the type of fighter, he’s always in the gym and training.”

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Hence, any sort of flak rarely irks him. The fact remains that he isn’t afraid to fight any boxer. “You know, you know, everyone criticize him every day, he just doesn’t care because he’s, he’s so, he’s so passionate about his about his lifestyle, the sports, boxing, and golfing, and he does not care. He’ll fight anybody, he’s not afraid of fighting anybody,” reiterated Valdez.

However, he emphasized that there will always be skeptics. Even if he has defeated the fighter they had been hoping he would face all along, the chain never stops.

Canelo Alvarez and the Perpetual Critique

So one fine day, he decides not to fight a particular boxer. Then everyone started bickering, saying that he was afraid to take up the match. “…I understand Canelo when he brings that up when he says, you know, um, ‘They said that this guy was going to beat me, and then I beat him’… ‘I’ll fight him’, then he beats them. They always bringing a new guy who would say, ‘oh, now you’re ducking him, now you’re ducking him’, but then when he doesn’t fight him, everybody say ‘they’re ducking him’,” said Valdez.

But at the same time, he expressed an understanding of the dilemma prevailing at the other end. Because a fight they choose might turn out to be a big money-spinning blockbuster every boxer dreams about.

Mexican Boxing Legend Says Canelo Alvarez Needs David Benavidez to ‘Push’ Him to Greatness

A boxing champion sitting at the top of the game becomes an easy target for all. But undeniably, in Canelo Alvarez’s case, he has reached the place where he is after fighting the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr., Dmitry Bivol, and Gennady Golovkin. Hence, suggesting at this point that he has avoided a specific fighter may seem a bit misguided to many.

What’s your take on Oscar Valdez’s conclusion? Or do you genuinely believe that Canelo Alvarez avoided certain boxers to leverage a much easier fight?

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