After his emphatic unanimous decision victory over Gabriel Rosado on September, 17th, it was widely understood in the boxing industry that middleweight contender Willie Monroe, Jr. would get an opportunity to face Canelo Alvarez in a bout this winter or next spring.
Now it seems, Canelo’s team, led by trainer Eddie Reynoso, have seemed to do a 180 degree turn, and they don’t want their prized fighter anywhere near the former world title challenger.
“I don’t think it’s Canelo himself, but it is his team. I know Canelo would fight me,” said Monroe. “I think it is trainers who fear that they can’t prepare Canelo for my style.”
Monroe points to pre-fight talk that came from Canelo’s side that the winner of the fight between Monroe & Rosado would be the front-runner to receive the fight with Alvarez.
“If he is a true man, they should stick to their word. The plan was for the winner of that fight to be able to fight Canelo. They thought Rosado would win, and he would just be a guy that would get pounded by Canelo.”
“If the shoe was on the other foot, and it was me who did not want to fight an aggressive fighter, I would look like a punk.”
“They keep putting me on the “B” side, and I just keep on winning. Remember Rosado was the guy who kept saying he was going to knock me out and talking a lot, calling me scared and a bum; I am not that type of guy. I don’t have nine gold chains around my neck or gold teeth in.”
Watch the fight with Rosado. I stood in the middle of the ring with my feet planted in. I was waiting for Rosado to come in, and after I hit him a few times, he looked scared and it was me pressing him.”
“All I want is the opportunity. Canelo got to where he is by fighting big names, so I feel I deserve this opportunity.”
Photos by Emily Harney / Banner Promotions