Saudi Arabia seems obsessed with heavyweights right now, but will Canelo Alvarez be next for the country? Canelo may lack the size to interest the Saudis, but he is popular among American fans who want him to match Anthony Joshua.
(Photo Credit: Esther Lin & Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
If the Saudis are interested in adding another big star who resonates with fans in the United States as well as the United Kingdom, Canelo would be the man they need for their event.
The Brits are happy that Saudi Arabia is focusing on their fighters Tyson Fury and Joshua, but the Americans don't care about those two.
They have already seen Joshua lose so many times that they view him as a hype job, but if promoter Eddie Hearn, after two losses against Oleksandr Usyk, says that A.J. If they didn't play against soft opponents in four consecutive games, they would still lose.
One of the fights fans want to see is Canelo vs. David Benavidez, and Saudi Arabia has the money to make that fight happen if they're willing to pay Alvarez the $150-200 million he wants for this fight. have.
“Saudis love heavyweights.”
“Saudis love heavyweights. Canelo, there is no bigger star in boxing. Saudi Arabia already has AJ. They want to bring Canelo, another big star in boxing, to Saudi Arabia. You think? It's possible,” boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi said on the Probox TV YouTube channel.
If Saudi Arabia doesn't care about the North American crowd, they'll ignore Canelo, keep their focus on British powerhouses Joshua and Fury, and ride them until the wheels come off.
The Saudis could tolerate a lackluster PPV event in the U.S. and could choose to continue to focus solely on the heavyweight division, eliminating the thriving 135-, 140-, and 168-pound divisions. For American fans, it's the division, not the heavyweight division, that interests them.
“This is a big ego push and they have the funds to do it. If you tell them about it, [Saudis] Their love for the class they like to follow,” Malignaggi said. “Canelo just doesn’t seem big enough physically. These guys love big guys.
“That's the kind of money they've been paying so far. Canelo has put up amazing numbers. What did Ngannou-AJ sell? What did they sell? United States That's 4500 PPV. [the Saudis] There is no need to change the PPV time to make it easier for US viewers to purchase the PPV. These guys are stealing money. they don't care. It’s about ego,” Malignaggi said.
If the Saudis didn't care about money or ratings, they would choose not to bring Canelo to their country for the event. He will lose American fans who don't care about Fury or Joshua.
Heavyweight renaissance or sweepstakes mentality?
“They're trying to bring back heavyweight boxing,” Chris Algieri said of Saudi Arabia. “Do they want to do it to everyone or just the powerful?”
“That's the problem, because now no one wants to fight each other just to stay in a sweepstakes where big money might be at stake. “I don't want to fight anyone right now,” Malignaggi said.
“They don't care if their players lose. They set up losers,” Algieri said.
