Boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi sees the potential money fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terrence Crawford as more to attract casual fans than to have any real sporting value. ing.
Crawford (40-0, 31 KOs) moved up three weight classes with no intention of settling into the 168-pound division before challenging Canelo for the undisputed super middleweight championship.
Malignaggi feels Canelo vs. Crawford will be more for casual fans than true boxing fans because it won't feel like a real sporting event.
He considers this to be typical of a YouTuber, considering Crawford moves up three weight classes without proving himself or earning a title shot. It's a joke fight.
Money talks, Benavidez walks.
“I don't think it's necessarily about money. He can avoid David Benavidez and that means everything to Canelo,” boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi said on Probox TV's YouTube channel. He talked about the Alvarez vs. Terrence Crawford fight.
“This is a fight where he can say, “Well, guess what?'' They're paying me a lot of money here. This is the fight we need. Sorry, Dave. It's still not possible. I'm making another excuse not to fight you. ”
Malignaggi makes a good point. Fighting Crawford would give Canelo a good excuse to give fans for not fighting David Benavidez. If Canelo faces Crawford, no one can say anything about Benavidez.
Casual fans and true boxing enthusiasts
“That's a big thing for me too. This is a fight. [Canelo vs. Crawford] For more casual wear. The number one pound-for-pound match against the world's most popular fighter. They have a bit of a YouTuber feel to them, but these two are clearly world-class fighters and will appeal to a lot of casuals,” Malignaggi said.
It really looks like a celebrity or a YouTuber. Crawford moved up three weight classes, skipping 160 entirely and didn't fight a preliminary bout at 168 before winning the title against Canelo.
In an ideal world, Crawford would have to fight and challenge Morrell, Benavidez, and Caleb Plant, so there would be no sporting value. If Crawford wins these fights, he will earn a title fight against Canelo.
“To a certain extent, Turki Alarcik may be putting money into Canelo and Benavidez, but the fact that he's putting money into this kind of thing also makes him casual. It's a fight that everyone wants to see, and the boxing world would love to see Canelo and Benavidez,” Malignaggi said.
If Malignaggi is paying attention, the fight we saw between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua against former UFC champion Francis Ngannou looked like a YouTuber. Joshua and Fury both got a lot of money from their Lordships and fought fights they weren't supposed to fight against novices. The contenders were handed over to Joshua and Fury, who were set to fight the novices.
“This fight will attract attention. [Canelo vs. Crawford], most of it won't come from within boxing,” Malignaggi said. “The majority are going to be regular people or people who aren't even fight fans at all. They probably watch one fight a year, but this is going to be the one they watch.”
While many boxing fans will be tuning in to see the fight between Canelo and Crawford, there's no doubt that many general audiences will be watching as well. If Crawford wins, it will be interesting to see if he stays at No. 168. I don't think he will, but it would be interesting to see Crawford fight Jamie Munguia or Caleb Plant. He's certainly not going to fight Benavidez.
True Loser: Benavidez
“Obviously, no one is going to lose here other than David Benavidez. He's a great fighter, but unless he can win a bigger fight than he deserves, he'll take on Ls. He's 168 I think he deserves a fight against Canelo and a world title fight at his age,” Malignaggi said.