Alvarez has dominated the super-middleweight division with Gennady Golovkin, Caleb Plant, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, Jaime Munguia, and Edgar Berlanga all beaten at 168lbs.
But undefeated Benavidez insists his mega-money offer was snubbed by the 34-year-old.
“This fight isn’t happening because he doesn’t want to fight me. There is no other way around it,” he told Cigar Talk.
“He doesn’t want to fight me because he’s scared of me. Look at him, Canelo is in the spot where he’s at because he’s fought the best and now he’s making the biggest bags.
“He’s all about making money now he doesn’t care about challenge, but the reason I’m saying he’s scared is that they offered him $70million to fight me, that’s before pay-per-view. Imagine how much he would make off pay-per-view.”
Even Mike Tyson admitted he would be afraid to share a ring with Benavidez
“He’s so underrated but so over-polarised here,” Tyson told ES NEWS of The Mexican Monster.
“Listen, I’d be afraid to fight him too if I was in that division.
“No one even has a chance against him, and I’m talking facts.”
Canelo, who has also been called out by Jake Paul, previously suggested he would require an extortionate purse of $200million for him to duke it out with Benavidez.
The frustrated 27-year-old has since moved up to light-heavyweight to take on WBA regular champion David Morrell in January.
Boxing analyst Teddy Atlas is predicting an interesting bout.
“That’s an interesting fight. It’s a very dangerous fight for both guys,” he told Fighthype.
“It’s two guys in there with their futures in front of them and they’re both taking a big risk. That’s what makes this fight so special.
“They’re taking a risk when a lot of fighters wouldn’t. They’d say ‘no I’m waiting for a bigger fight.’ Not a bigger fight as far as danger, but as far as a pay day.
“A guy like Morrell, not a lot of fighters at this stage of their career would go and take on a dangerous fight like Benavidez. And Benavidez, give him credit too.
“He didn’t get the Canelo fight, and was right in line for winner of Bivol-Beterbiev. What does he do? Does he sit around? No, he takes this one. I’m really curious for that fight I really am.”
Artur Beterbiev currently rules at light-heavyweight but will face Dmitry Bivol again on a night being described as the “greatest boxing card ever.”
Canelo Alvarez says that he would only contemplate a fight with internet sensation Jake Paul once he’s “done with boxing”. This comes after Paul, known as the ‘Problem Child’ has repeatedly expressed his wish to face the Mexican.
Paul’s recent bout with Mike Tyson, which drew a global audience of 108 million and ranks as the 10th most-watched sporting event in history, was his most notable to date.
The Netflix-sponsored event sparked controversy, particularly due to the 30-year age difference between the fighters, and Paul emerged victorious with a unanimous decision.
Despite this, Canelo seems uninterested for the time being, indicating on The Full Send Podcast he might contemplate such a bout as a curtain-closer to his illustrious career in the ring.
Canelo currently holds multiple super middleweight titles and said: “When I’m done with boxing [at the highest level], why not? Yeah, maybe.
“I think it’s good because it brings fans who don’t normally watch boxing. They know Jake Paul, but they don’t know anything about boxing. Maybe [I’ll take the Paul fight].”
As he looks ahead to his next fight, Paul hasn’t been shy about his ambition to take on Canelo.
He recently said on the Timbo Sugar Show: “Me vs. Canelo at 200 pounds for the cruiserweight championship of the world is the biggest fight, arguably even bigger than me vs. Tyson.
“It makes so much sense. Canelo is on his way out. He’s going to want a payday and I want to show the world all the s*** I’ve been talking about beating Canelo is actually true and I’ll have the biggest upset in the history of boxing.
“Everyone’s biggest critique is fight a pro, fight someone your age. So when I say ‘Canelo’ is the person, then everyone hates on that.”
After months and months of build-up – which started with criticism and promises of knockouts and neared its end with more criticism and ‘Iron’ Mike slapping ‘The Problem Child’ – Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson finally happened.
Did it live up to the hype? Not really. But something that has remained constant through the months is numbers – be it their age difference or their respective records. And now, an Instagram post has been drawing considerable interest for its thoughtful and comparative note.
It talks about the boxing journey of some of the well-known former and current world champions. Many build their resume after going through a series of what is commonly called ‘journeyman fights.’ The poster argued that a close personal look would reveal that’s pretty much the route Jake Paul took since he began his boxing career. So, if one considers the point, then the only differentiator between Paul and the boxing champs remains the ability to pull crowds.
It’s no secret that ‘The Problem Child’ pulled off a blockbuster in Texas last week, maybe not in terms of fighting, but definitely in terms of hype. Nearly 70,000 spectators and millions more on Netflix watched his 8-round bout against Mike Tyson when they took each other on at AT&T Stadium on November 15. The show featured the undisputed rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as well.
So, according to @notjustboxing, whether one likes or loathes Jake Paul, the fact remains as follows: “There is not much difference between Jake Paul’s lack of competition in his first 12 fights compared to any other professional boxer’s first 12 fights. The only difference is the man is a marketing genius. He manages to get millions of people interested.”
Don’t believe it? Swipe through this post and see for yourself!
Beginning his boxing career with fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, Paul fought former UFC fighters and champions such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, and Anderson Silva. Switching gears, last year, Jake Paul fought Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy Fury, a professional boxer. The ‘TNT’ defeated Paul by a split decision. Paul resumed fighting boxers after the Nate Diaz fight. But both André August and Ryan Bourland were semi-retired and 35 years old.
Let’s look at some of Paul’s fights and how old his opponents were when they fought: –
November 2020: Defeated retired NBA player Nate Robinson (36)
April 2021: Defeated retired MMA fighter Ben Askren (37)
August & December 2021: Defeated retired MMA fighter Tyron Woodley twice (39)
October 2022: Defeated retired MMA fighter Anderson Silva (47)
February 2023: Lost to boxer Tommy Fury (23)
August 2023: Defeated semi-retired MMA fighter Nate Diaz (38)
November 2024: Defeated retired boxer Mike Tyson (58)
As is evident from the aforementioned list, Jake Paul (27) lost to the only boxer who was under 30 when they fought. ‘The Problem Child’ was 26 at the time.
The overall vibe of the comments suggested displeasure with the analysis. Let’s check what some of them had to suggest.
This fan promptly picked the sole oddity in Jake Paul’s boxing record. “Gotta realize Jake fought 1 boxer who boxes to this day; the rest are old and retired athletes. Jake’s proven nothing,” they said. Perhaps they were hinting at Tommy Fury, who inflicted Paul’s first loss. From retired UFC champions, ‘The Problem Child did move to boxers. However, including Tyson, they were retired or semi-retired and old.
The next one also caught the loophole. They said, “Except the others fought people who were active fighters within their chosen sports and weren’t famous YouTubers before hand.” Champions like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Canelo Alvarez, and Gervonta Davis may have fought a few journeymen initially; however, they were dyed-in-the-wool boxers, not someone who had crossed over.
The following fan shared similar thoughts. One could blame the former and current boxing champions for helping themselves generously with the easiest of challenges. “There is a HUGE difference,” they said. However, they fought real boxers who met the weight requirement, and the bouts followed standard boxing regulations. “People who “cherry pick” are still fighting other boxers who weigh the same as they do… They also don’t fight two-minute rounds—10 fights in…” the fan said.
For the next follower, Jake Paul’s shows are nothing short of a ‘circus’. They said, “I don’t consider him a boxer. He only fights older guys or nonboxers. It’s just a circus.” That is pretty much the most common and frequent point taken to pan the Ohioan.
Amidst visible resentment, a message of clarity surfaced. “At the end of the day, professional sports are just entertainment. Love him or loathe him, the chump generates lots of widespread entertainment,” this follower said. As the Netflix show at the AT&T Stadium showed, Jake Paul’s event pulled crowds, even if the visits were more out of curiosity or for mere entertainment.
Some strong observations, indeed. Most feel that Jake Paul needs to do more than just marketing gimmicks if he wants to cement a formidable boxing legacy.
For his next outing, ‘The Problem Child’ seems to be aiming at a cruiserweight clash against none other than Canelo Alvarez. But he appears to have received a callout from the undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev as well. When the news came, many fans suggested that he should take up the fight. But will he go against boxing’s scariest man?
Diego Pacheco has been tipped to take the super middleweight division by storm as we look at his rise.
The 23-year-old Mexican hopes to follow in the footsteps of the greats, namely Canelo Alvarez, who dominates his weight class. Alvarez is a former Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion, as Pacheco hopes to reach that level. Pacheco has a good amateur career, with over 75 fights. He also has eight National Championships. Pacheco signed with Matchroom Boxing, slowly working his way up the ranks.
He has already fought in the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K. His pro debut came against Luis Carlos Gonzalez. Pacheco announced himself with a first-round stoppage. He also managed to fight on the undercard of Andy Ruiz Jr. vs Anthony Joshua II. He knocked out a very experienced fighter in Selemani Saidi. That rise took him to 22-0, with 18 knockouts by name. He has six knockouts in his last seven fights, stopping Maciej Sulecki in his latest bout.
He has recently been mentioned as a possible opponent for Jaime Munguia. Oscar De La Hoya suggested a 5v5 against Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, with Pacheco on the list. Munguia is a former WBO Junior Middleweight Champion, showing he is at an elite level. He has also been in the ring with Canelo. While he lost a unanimous decision, Muguia got off the canvas to make it to the final bell. Pacheco knows a win over Munguia takes him closer to a title shot. Pacheco is ranked in the top five within the WBA, IBF, and WBO rankings. He is also ranked number one for the WBO belt, making him a strong contender to face Canelo.
Canelo has shown a tendency to take fights that generate a lot of money without taking the most amount of risk. Since Pacheco is Mexican, the fight could sell on Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence Day. Canelo showed that when the Munguia fight sold over 500,000 PPVs on Cinco De Mayo, despite Canelo receiving backlash for it. Canelo’s recent fight against Edgar Berlanga, a Puerto Rican, sold around 650,000 PPVs, generating a live gate of $17 million on Mexican Independence Weekend. Based on Hearn’s prior comments, Pacheco will be ready to face Canelo.
“We don’t want to rush him and get it wrong, but then when you see performances like that. the call is coming in 2025 when the WBO sent me that beautiful email to say Diego Pacheco has been mandated to fight for a world title. We got to be ready. He’s ready, and he’ll give everything. But with Diego, we actually have time with that fight to close the levels.
“That’s why I call out Munguia and Mbilli, and I call out those guys because, in my opinion, those are the guys that bridge the gap from where we are now to Canelo Alvarez. When you jump to Canelo Alvarez, it’s always a jump, but you don’t want a jump to be too big. One thing that we’ve got is time, but we’ll be led by Jose [Benavidez Sr], Diego, and the team. We’ll put our ideas together about the next opponent. I think we’re all on the same page,” Hearn said
Though he lost the battle for the undisputed championship, gallantly, Dmitry Bivol stood his ground and took a KO artist the whole distance.
During one interview, when asked what it felt like to be at the receiving end of Artur Beterbiev‘s bone-breaking punches, Bivol drew attention to a rather curious facet. When it came to a single shot, he felt that former rival Canelo Álvarez hit harder than the new undisputed champion!
Now the angle seems to have struck a chord at several corners. Former three-division Shane Mosley shares a common history with Dmitry Bivol. Like the Kazakhstan-born boxer, he fought Canelo Alvarez in the past, albeit a decade earlier. However, one of Mosley’s momentous fights was against Floyd Mayweather Jr. So the comparison invariably arose between the unbeaten champion and the Mexican superstar. As for Bivol’s case, Mosley’s response seems to have drawn notable attention.
So this reporter asked, “Let me ask you this: What do you think about Floyd power?” And pat came the reply, “When I fought Floyd, his power was really good,” said ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley. So much so that in terms of sheer speed and power, he felt that Mayweather Jr. was as good as Canelo Alvarez.
‼️🚨😳SHANE MOSLEY REVEALS MAYWEATHER & CANELO PUNCH THE SAME IN TERMS OF SPEED & POWER😧🤯 SHANE MOSLEY LOST TO BOTH😭😳 pic.twitter.com/cN0ZkQf5w1
Needless to say, from approval to sarcasm and then to plain dismissal, the commentary box has been witnessing a range of views. However, Shane Mosley’s point may hold some weight. Mayweather Jr.’s overall knockout-to-win rate just manages to stay above water. But the fact remains that when he was ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’, he did pack a punch and win fights through early stoppage.
In 2013, squaring off against Alvarez, Mayweather Jr. delivered a boxing clinic that impresses boxing purists to this day. But again, the champion’s technical superiority stole the limelight with very few insights into his power. Many believe that during the second stage of his career, probably from the Zab Judah fight onward, Floyd Mayweather Jr. transitioned to ‘The Money’ Mayweather.
His fighting style witnessed a gross change; he preferred going the whole distance. One may argue that the transformation might have occurred because of his progressing age. Then one can barely downplay the quality of his opponents either.
When it comes to Canelo Alvarez, Dmitry Bivol could present a pronounced contrast. According to him, the unified super middleweight champion invests all his power into a single punch. So if there’s a combination, say three to five punches, the first incoming would hurt the most. But the subsequent ones gradually taper off in intensity. Hence, when it came to a single debilitating power shot, he definitely had an upper hand in comparison to Artur Beterbiev.
But there seems to be a caveat. “But if you ask them, let’s do like five punches, Beterbiev; every punch will be hard. With Canelo, maybe first hard and then not [so much]. If we ask him [Beterbiev] to do it, maybe his punch is harder, but he’s not using it,” said Dmitry Bivol.
For sure, millions of Mayweather fans would be elated. The technical prowess of the 50-0 former world champion remains unquestionable. A few may definitely find solace in that their icon never lacked in power either.
Former WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol has officially fought two of the biggest names in boxing—Canelo Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev.
Now, the Russian technician has answered the question many have been asking since last Saturday night’s mega event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Who hits harder—Canelo or Beterbiev?
The 33-year-old took on ‘Cinnamon’ back in April 2022, emerging victorious via unanimous decision after 12 rounds of battle. However, surprisingly, he could not produce the same results last weekend, as he lost the fight to Beterbiev via a majority decision, which is now shrouded in controversy.
Despite looking like the slightly better fighter in the 12-round skirmish, Bivol was handed his first career loss, as he continues to ask for a rematch to avenge his loss. Regardless, while appearing in an interview with Box Nation, Bivol expressed his thoughts about Beterbiev’s power.
The Kyrgyzstan-born boxer said, “He has very strong punches. [I felt] his right hand even through my left. My thumb is swollen because I was holding it on my head and he was beating on my hand.” Bivol added that because of the repeated blows from Beterbiev, who had entered the fight with a perfect knockout record, it felt as if Bivol’s guard was pushed inside his head.
After this statement became public, former super middleweight and light heavyweight champion Andre Ward reacted by suggesting Bivol should not indulge these details if he wants a rematch. “You should never concede this openly when there is potential for a rematch. Keep that to yourself! Too much talking,” he wrote on X.
You should never concede this openly when there is potential for a rematch. Keep that to yourself ! Too much talking 🤫 #ArtOfWarhttps://t.co/4WXqeKjK9c
However, things didn’t end there, as Bivol went on to compare Beterbiev’s power with Canelo Alvarez. While appearing in another interview with Fight Hub TV, Bivol told Marcos Villegas, “I could compare [it] with Canelo. He put all his energy, all his power [into] a single punch. [So,] sometimes he’s harder than Beterbiev.”
He explained that, unlike Canelo, Beterbiev doesn’t wind up his punches, rather he likes to fight in the pocket. However, when there are combinations or just the volume of punches is increased in the comparison, Beterbiev is the more powerful puncher. “Beterbiev, every punch will be [harder than] Canelo. Both of them are strong, but Beterbiev is bigger, and he’s born strong,” Bivol said.
However, these weren’t the only times Bivol commented on Beterbiev’s power.
Despite the controversy surrounding his loss to Beterbiev, Bivol decided to keep things real. Speaking to iFL TV right after the fight came to a close, Bivol acknowledged that Beterbiev’s power was significant, highlighting the bruises he had suffered after the action-packed 12 rounds.
“It’s hard, but not as [hard] as people are describing. Yeah, it’s hard, you see my eye. He landed a lot of punches on my left hand, through my hand. You see the bruises,” Bivol said. However, the Russian boxer remained adamant about his own abilities, stating, “He [hits] hard but we can handle these hard punches.”
That said, the next best thing for Dmitry Bivol would be to pursue a rematch with Artur Beterbiev to avenge his loss. However, the final word on the matter will only be revealed in the coming days, as Beterbiev contemplates other options.
Terence Crawford is the reigning WBO Interim Jr. Middleweight Champion.
Fundora, on the other hand, is the WBO Jr. Middleweight Champion.
The fight was to terminate the interim status and determine who would emerge as the king of the middleweight scene.
But now it seems that the wait will go on a little while longer.
The WBO have shared a press release today that explains what is going on.
On August 28, the WBO ordered the fight and gave both sides 30 days to strike a deal.
It’s notoriously difficult at times to get boxers to negotiate what the split will be on the revenue for each fighter.
That date would have run out on September 28.
However, according to the communications from the WBO, an email communication by Attorney Mr. Harrison Whitman, on behalf of Terrence Crawford, requested a 10 day extension of the negotiation period to continue discussion on the matter.
On the same day, Fundora’s promoter Mr. Sampson Lewkowicz agreed to the extension.
Therefore, there is now an additional 10 days for the two sides to come to an agreement.
The release is signed by the chairman of the WBO, Luis Batista Salas.
So it seems that both fighters need a little more time to work out the details for the fight.
With the 10 day extension now in place, the date for the fight will likely be available in just over a week’s time.
Sebastian Fundora is putting all his effort into securing a fight with fellow title holder Terence Crawford, despite reports he was in talks to face Errol Spence Jr, the unified super-welterweight champion’s promoter said.
When Crawford (41-0-0 31 KO) became a four-weight world champion by beating WBA title holder Israil Madrimov in August, he also claimed the WBO’s interim belt, placing him in a mandatory position to challenge full champion Fundora (21-1-1 13 KO).
Later that month, the WBO ordered the fight between Fundora and Crawford, giving their respective teams 30 days’ notice to agree a deal before it was sent to purse bids. With Fundora also holding the WBC title, there is plenty of logic as to why Crawford would be interested in the bout; a win would put him one win and one belt away from becoming the first male fighter in history to become undisputed in three divisions.
However, the Nebraskan’s priority is reportedly on securing a bout with unified super-middleweight king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez – a fight that makes little sense beyond the enormous payday the pound-for-pound star would earn.
Despite the situation, Sampson Lewkowicz, who promotes Fundora, insists their priority is still on securing a bout with Crawford, even if it takes place after any potential bout with Canelo.
“It looks like Crawford only wants to fight Canelo,” Lewkowicz told BoxingScene. “If Canelo gets $100 million for the Crawford fight, he will take it and knock the shit out of Crawford. He’s not stupid. It’s an easy fight, and that’s it. It’s the end of Crawford’s career.
“If Canelo doesn’t take the Crawford fight, we’re ready to fight Crawford. All of our efforts are on Crawford. We have nothing else in mind. We want to fight Crawford. Sebastian believes that he will beat Crawford, and when he does, he will become a superstar. Sebastian has the balls and is a dangerous fight for anybody.”
Fundora became the 154-pound division’s unified champion in March when he defeated WBO title holder Tim Tszyu by split decision in a bout that also had the vacant WBC strap on the line. The 26-year-old Californian benefitted from an accidental elbow early in the fight that opened up a nasty cut on Tszyu’s forehead, and while the Australian fought on valiantly, he was severely debilitated.
Fundora had been expected to make his first title defense against former unified welterweight champion Spence, with their bout initially aimed for October. However, the fight was pushed, with Fundora saying in July that it was still on but “they just changing the date”. Since then, though, there have been no updates or announcements, suggesting that it’s no longer going ahead while Fundora waits on Crawford.
Spence has not fought since getting dominated by Crawford in their 147-pound undisputed title fight in July last year when he was stopped after seven rounds of one-way punishment.
Meanwhile, the other super-welterweight world title will be fought over on October 19 when IBF champion Bakhram Murtazaliev makes his first defense against Tszyu in Orlando.
In so many ways, in so many interviews, in so many fights, Claressa Shields has been trying to get her point across.
Whether the listener wanted to hear it, whether the principled message was being delivered correctly, or whether Shields was saying things that made the status quo uncomfortable, there has remained a divide keeping the masses from comprehending the greatest women’s boxer in history.
Now, as her life story, captured in the film “The Fire Inside,” heads to movie theaters in late December, Shields is hopeful her journey from Flint, Michigan, to two gold medals and world titles from junior middleweight to heavyweight will provide the needed perspective to illustrate where she’s coming from.
“I want people to understand when they watch my film that they understand what they haven’t before: that my boxing is a passion for me,” Shields said. “I’m not being forced to box, and I don’t have to box to heal. It has helped me grow into the person I was supposed to be.”
Shields, 29, sat down with BoxingScene during the recent Saul “Canelo” Alvarez fight week in Las Vegas, playing the trailer from her film written by Barry Jenkins and fighting tears knowing that her full story will be out there around Christmas, along with her return to the ring following her July second-round TKO of Vanessa Lepage-Joannise to capture the WBC heavyweight and WBO light heavyweight belts.
“By December-January, I’d like to have another fight. I’m all about history. I want the biggest and best challenges,” she said. “Right now, the heavyweight girls are calling me out. They want to fight me. I know them all, and undisputed at heavyweight will put me at the tops with Muhammad Ali and [Oleksandr] Usyk, Evander Holyfield. I’ll be able to talk to those guys.”
Before heading to training camp, Shields is savoring this experience of knowing her life story is heading to the silver screen, where so many amazing real-life and fictional works – “Raging Bull,” “Rocky,” “Ali,” “When We Were Kings” and “Million Dollar Baby” – have moved the world.
After learning a movie studio was picking up the rights to the documentary, “T-Rex,” that depicted three years of her life before and after the 2016 Olympics, Shields was contacted by Jenkins.
They met in person for four hours, with Shields maintaining her typically unfiltered, candid demeanor.
“I wanted to meet him to know I could actually trust him to do the storytelling,” she said.
She asked Jenkins, “What do you think my life story is? How do you see me? What is your perception?”
She listened to his response and replied, “OK, we’re somewhere near the same thing. This is my perception of it, and this is what I want to be included that I know you wouldn’t include in regular movies.”
About two months later, Jenkins sent Shields the script before any actors had been retained.
“Anything you want taken out, anything you want moved, anything you don’t want mentioned, let me know,” Jenkins told Shields.
She made one cut, declining to divulge what it was.
“He did a great job writing the story. Some of the stuff he included was great … because a lot of times, my story has been misconstrued,” Shields said.
It’s been known that Shields was sexually assaulted as a 5-year-old, that her mother battled alcohol abuse in Shields’ youth, and that she didn’t connect with her formerly incarcerated father until the age of 9 before taking up boxing at 11.
“People have written things that are not true or made it worse than what it was, or what I was focused on,” Shields said. “I had a very hard upbringing. But I also had boxing, and boxing saved my life.
“The story before was that I was some kind of angry black woman who got raped when I was a kid and I hate all men, so I learned how to box to fight men … that’s not my story. But that’s how it was depicted for a long time.
“So I wanted to make sure we didn’t go down that road, that we actually got it right and make it clear how I’m passionate about boxing. I love boxing. It’s what I chose to do. God chose me to box. And I’m the person who’s supposed to change the whole sport – not just with women’s boxing. But boxing, period. I’ve been able to do that.”
Shields is portrayed by actress Ryan Destiny, the boxer comparing the integrity of Destiny’s work to that of Will Smith’s in “Ali.” Rachel Morrison directed “The Fire Inside.”
“Everybody will understand that it’s always been about my passion for boxing. They think when you have trauma and then you box that it’s all about trauma, anger and boxing. That you’re angry,” Shields explained.
“I’m not angry to box. It’s something I’ve taken the most joy in my life from doing. I’m passionate about boxing.”
It’s why she’s had no problem calling out fighters like Gervonta Davis for his domestic violence, Ryan Garcia over his erratic behavior and Jake Paul over comments that he’s helped grow women’s boxing by putting multi-division champion Amanda Serrano on his cards.
“When you see a guy come talking trash to me and hear me say, ‘I’ll kick his ass,’ I really mean that – in the most humble way,” Shields said. “I’ve done that. I do that. I train very hard.”
She even took Alvarez to task, responding to his comment that he accepted the Sept. 14 date against big underdog Edgar Berlanga because Canelo had “fought everyone else.”
“Canelo hasn’t fought everyone. We still haven’t seen (David) Benavidez. Benavidez and (Dmitrii) Bivol. There’s people for him to fight, and there’s people for me to fight, too,” Shields said.
“When you can go as low as 154 and go all the way to heavyweight, there’s always going to be someone very good who can challenge you. There’s girls at 154 who I think can challenge me. They’re just scared. I think they’re good!”
By sparring against men for most of her boxing career, Shields said she has developed a toughness and grit that has contributed greatly to her 15-0 pro record.
“Me boxing – having to rise to these occasions, having to be on TV, having desires outside the ring – has helped me grow into the woman I am today,” she said. “It was all from my passion of fighting. It’s why I did MMA. I didn’t do MMA because I’m angry. I did it because I’m a great ass kicker. I can kick ass in MMA and boxing.”
Shields made it clear in her conversation with BoxingScene that she relishes being a woman.
“I can go to 147 (pounds), but I told (promoters and networks), ‘I need a couple million for that. Because my butt’s going to get little. And I don’t want that,’” Shields said, adding in her present-day weight of 178 pounds. “I like how I look. That means a lot. I’m a woman. These other girls out there looking all strong … I look strong, but I look feminine. That’s very important to me. I’m a woman boxer – woman first. I need to keep my curves and my looks. You want me to go to 147, I will. Just pay me my money.”
And while Alvarez, at 34, has expressed some fatigue with the business of boxing, Shields says she’s continually enthused by the sport.
“I’m always excited to fight. That’s the difference between me and other people. I’m in the back room dancing before a fight, they’re telling me, ‘Claressa, sit down, save your energy,’” she said.
“I’ve already put myself through the hard work, the brutal stress and the roadwork. Now, I get to eat, drink my water and juice and now I get to fight with no restraints.
“In sparring, you don’t want to knock your partners out. When you’ve got a fight, hey, it’s all or nothing. I love when I get to be as mean as I want to be, punch as hard as I want to punch, with nobody saying, ‘Hey, taper it down some.’ No, it’s, ‘Keep turning it up.’ I’m excited about that every time. And the buildup, too. These girls saying I don’t have power, that I haven’t fought nobody. It’s just, ‘Back it up when we get in there.’ When they can’t do that, I beat ‘em up real bad.”
Watching those scenes of her life play out on the big screen at the film’s screening in Toronto recently was powerful, leaving the strong-minded champion fighter reduced to a puddle of tears at times.
“God has done some miraculous things with my life that I can’t put into words. I’m grateful and thankful to see what God has done with this little Black girl from Flint,” Shields said.
She said she’s always been touched by a Biblical passage urging the faithful to maintain hope for the future, where prosperity awaits. Shields did so and was rewarded.
Asked what scenes made her weep, she said, “You have to come and see it, and you will know why I cry. Reliving it on film … you usually don’t get to do that with your life. You may get to watch a couple family videos. For me, to have a movie of my life is tear-worthy by itself.
“Happy tears, sad tears, all over the place. But you will leave feeling like you can conquer the world.”
Highlights of the Canelo vs Berlanga fight for the WBO, WBA, WBC super middleweight titles. Live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Saul won after 12 rounds.
Saul Canelo Alvarez has always starred in one of the most important fights for Mexicans in the national month. This time it will not be the exception for the man from Guadalajara. From the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the cheers will be heard from the top when Saul faces Puerto Rican Edgar Berlanga. He will not be an easy opponent as many believe, some think that Canelo’s reign may come to an end on the most important day for him. But I think it will be one of the best performances of the Mexican, since he has not been pushed, according to boxing fans. The titles at stake will be the super middleweights of the WBA, WBC and WBO.
Saul arrives with a record of 60-2-2, with 39 KO’s. His last fight date was on 5-04-2024 against Jaime Munguía, winning and retaining his championships. Against Jermell Charlo he also retained. Against Jhon Ryder he also retained again. With Golovkin, he won again. His most recent defeat was to Dmitri Bivol for the WBA light heavyweight title, losing the fight on 5-07-2022.
The challenger Edgar Berlanga comes to this fight with a record of 22-0-0. With 17 KO’s. The Puerto Rican current WBO NABO super middleweight champion since 2021, remains undefeated. His most successful defense was against Steve Rolls, winning on the judges’ cards.
Saúl Canelo Álvarez’s last defeat was on 5-07-2022 against Dimitri Bivol. It was a very tough fight for the Mexican. He lost the WBA light heavyweight belt.
Saúl el Canelo Álvarez will earn more than 35 million dollars in the case of winning or losing, it does not matter. The Mexican is established on the list of athletes who earn the most money.
First Round
Canelo starts to throw the first right-handers. Berlanga protects his guard. The Mexican doesn’t take any risks in this first round.
Second Round
The second fight started, Berlanga started attacking hard. Canelo resisted and looked for the first contacts on the right. The Puerto Rican waited a long time for the Mexican. But both seemed to be wearing themselves out.
Third round
The Mexican knocked the Puerto Rican to the ground. Canelo threw several left blows and tried to finish him off, but Berlanga remained strong and resisted in the campaign that saved him.
Round 4
Berlanga has become more motivated and he went after Canelo. He was calm for the Mexican. Saul did not risk much to go for the fight. Few blows up and down.
Fifth round
The round got heated. Berlanga finished and hit Canelo. Saul held on at short distance. The Mexican showed long and short right hands. The Puerto Rican is saved again.
Sixth round
Canelo finds a better way to victory. He doesn’t take risks and keeps moving forward. He looks for short right hands to the center. He also goes to the corner.
Seventh round
Berlanga fell. He couldn’t hold on for long and the referee lifted him up and the fight went on. He said the fight was on for round 8. Canelo continues to dominate.
Eighth round
The Mexican continues to improve and looks for Berlanga at close range. With a right hook above the face. The man from Guadalajara has everything to win and the Puerto Rican continues to resist Saúl’s blows.
Ninth round
Canelo held his own against Berlanga. He did not despair in looking for the blows that would send the Puerto Rican to the ground. Canelo looked for the right hands in the lower part. We entered the last rounds.
Tenth round
Canelo hugged Berlanga. Waiting for the rounds to end. Saul Alvarez looked for the lower part and the fight was in the center of the ring. Both are already looking tired. Edgar closed better with a final blow.
11 round
Penultimate round. Canelo held out against Berlanaga for a long time. The Puerto Rican refuses to fall into Saul’s game. He takes breaks from the big blows he had in the first encounters. The last round comes and Canelo lands the final blow in the corner.
12 round
Canelo appears to be tiring just like Berlanga. But the last goals were quite key. They could not finalize the fight and Saul Alvarez will be the one in charge of winning the title.
Canelo won the fight
Saul Canelo Alvarez won against Edgar Berlanga. The Mexican was better in the ring, giving straight right-handed blows and knocking down the Puerto Rican, who had many problems. The man from Guadalajara came out strong in the last rounds. He retains his legacy and championships.
