The boxing world has been buzzing since promoter Eddie Hearn announced that Canelo Alvarez, the Mexican boxing star, will be taking a pay cut for his next fight against John Ryder in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, on May 6th on DAZN. This news has raised concerns about Canelo’s star power and the quality of his recent opponents.
Many boxing fans have been disappointed with Canelo’s choice of opponents in recent years, accusing him of taking “soft jobs” to pad his record. It seems that DAZN, the streaming platform that broadcasts Canelo’s fights, might be getting tired of paying him big money for fights that won’t bring value to their company regarding new subscribers.
Canelo’s last fight against Gennadiy Golovkin, a 40-year-old boxer, is rumoured to have brought in poor pay-per-view numbers on DAZN. This fight was four years too late in the making, and it was a bizarre move on Canelo’s part to go in that direction following a loss to Dmitry Bivol instead of taking the rematch, which would have likely brought in good numbers.
Furthermore, Canelo has been criticized for ignoring the demands of his fans. Many have been calling for him to fight David Benavidez, one of the most exciting boxers in the sport, but Canelo has not shown interest in the matchup. Instead, he put Golovkin on hold until he was 40 years old, ignoring the fans who wanted to see the two boxers face off again.
Some would argue that Canelo has purposefully chosen to ignore his fans for years, and now he’s taking a pay cut to fight the unheralded John Ryder in Mexico. This move has been met with disappointment from boxing fans who feel that Canelo is not living up to his potential as one of the greatest boxers of his generation.
The timing is bad for Canelo to take another easy fight, as he wasted much of the last five years fighting a mix of washed-up ex-champions and British fighters instead of the opposition that fans wanted to see him fight. It’s a mistake for Canelo to fight a low-level guy like Ryder, as he’s using up what’s left of his popularity in the boxing world by giving fans another fight they have zero interest in seeing.
If Canelo wants to continue to be a top draw in the sport, he needs to start listening to his fans and fighting the opposition that the boxing world wants to see. He should forget about fighting Ryder on May 6th, and instead of that fight, face the Caleb Plant vs. David Benavidez winner or battle Dmitry Bivol. If those fighters aren’t available, then Canelo should face either Jermall Charlo or David Morrell.
In conclusion, Canelo Alvarez taking a pay cut for his next fight against John Ryder is a worrying sign for the boxing world. It’s time for Canelo to start listening to his fans and fighting the opposition that they want to see him face. If he continues to take easy fights, he risks losing his star power and becoming just another boxer.
