Tim Bradley says Canelo Alvarez is keeping boxing together right now and feels the sport needs him badly to stay afloat. Tim believes the sport will “die” without the superstar Canelo (57-1-2, 39KO).
If Canelo bows out now, there’s no one near as popular as him to carry the sport in the United States. British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua won’t be able to replace Canelo as ‘The face of boxing’ in North America. It might take someone like Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis to be the man.
Canelo’s career as we know it could be over by next year, as he’s running the gauntlet in taking on Dmitry Bivol & Gennadiy Golovkin in 2022. To be sure, those are high-risk fights for Canelo, and he could lose to both of those guys.
Canelo plans on fighting in December against a still to be determined opponent. If he chooses to take a risky contest against the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs. Joe Smith Jr. light heavyweight unification fight, the chances are high that Canelo loses.
In 2023, Canelo is expected to face Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez. Those are going to be incredibly tough fights for Canelo, particularly the match against Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs).
“I think it’s about the bread. Boo Boo [Andrade] is a great champion, he’s a tremendous boxer, he really is. He looked good in his last fight out,” said Tim Bradley to K.O. Artist Sports when asked if David Benavidez, Jermall Charlo, or Demetrius Andrade can beat Canelo Alvarez.
“We have all these expectations for Canelo, but we’re not putting any expectations on these other guys,” said Bradley. “Is it because Canelo is the cash cow? Do you know what I’m saying?
“He’s saying, ‘Y’all are going to put expectations on me. Well, I’m going to put expectations on you. If you want to fight me because I’m the shot-caller, this is what you need to do. Fight each other first, and then just maybe, you can get a shot at the cash-cow me.’
“Canelo is being the businessman that he should be. Right now, he’s keeping boxing together, he truly is. I’m sitting back and there’s a lot of young talent coming up, and I’m looking for that next guy that can transcend in the sport to become a top dog when Canelo leaves out. We’re going to be dying.
“Do you remember when Floyd and Pacquiao retired? It was kind of weight, and then everybody started leaning towards Chocolatito, the small dude. It felt weird, didn’t it? It was like, ‘Wait, hold up. This small dude, really?’
“Now, I’m always looking ahead trying to predict who is going to be the next face of it. I don’t know right now. There’s so much talent at Top Rank, I can tell you.
“Right now, Canelo is holding the sport together. We need Canelo in our sport. He can do pretty much as he pleases, he’s the man,” said Bradley.
