Eddy Reynoso, head trainer of unified super middleweight champion Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez (55 -1 -2), insists his team isn’t scared of Artur Beterbiev (16-0, 16 KO), boxing’s fearsome unified light heavyweight champion.
Alvarez, of course, faces Billy Joe Saunders on May 8 and Team Canelo isn’t looking past him. Reynoso said the fight with Saunders would be difficult and that it’s important for Canelo to pressure the Brit early.
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Canelo’s last 6 fights
Won TKO 3 Avni Yildirim Feb 27, 2021
Won UD 12 Callum Smith Dec 19, 2020
Won TKO 11 Sergey Kovalev Nov 2, 2019
Won UD 12 Daniel Jacobs May 4, 2019
Won MD 12 Gennady Golovkin Sep 15, 2018
Draw 12 Gennady Golovkin Sep 16, 2017 _____
“It’s going to be a tough fight (with Saunders) but I think after the fourth, fifth rounds we are going to move on,” Reynoso said via www.fdbplus.com.
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So, what about showdown with unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev? Will he be next if Canelo is victorious next month?
In reference a possible Canelo vs Beterbiev light heavyweight title showdown, Reynoso, via the aforementioned source, added:
“… (Beterbiev is not a monster) That is the fight that I would also like, after unifying the 168 (pounds) if we do well. I hope we do well. I would like to fight Beterbiev at 175 and why not to do it next year.”
But the 36 year old Beterbiev IS a monster. In fact, he’s a larger version of Gennadiy Golovkin.
Canelo has always faced the best so it’s more likely than not he’ll move up in weight and eventually fight Beterbiev so long as both fighters continue winning. But he doesn’t have to in order to be great.
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And he doesn’t have to step in the ring with Artur to continue earning tens of millions of dollars per fight either.
If Canelo faces the larger Beterbiev, he’ll do so based on sheer warrior instinct and a desire to push himself to the limit.
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Beterbiev’s last 6 fights
Won TKO 10 Adam Deines Mar 20, 2021
Won TKO 10 Oleksandr Gvozdyk Oct 18, 2019
Won TKO 5 Radivoje Kalajdzic May 4, 2019
Won KO 4 Callum Johnson Oct 06 2018
Won KO 12 Enrico Koelling Dec 23 2016
Won TKO 1 Isidro Ranoni Prieto Dec 23, 2016 _____
Win or lose, if Canelo Alvarez fights Artur Beterbiev in 2022, the Mexican deserves all the credit in the world. And should Alvarez win, he, at 31, will have already cemented his place as one of the top 15-20 fighters of all-time.
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Canelo vs Saunders Official FightSaga Page WBC/WBA/WBO Super Middleweight Championship (WBC/WBA – Canelo defending; WBO – Saunders defending) May 8, 2021 AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX, USA
Broadcast: DAZN _______
Artur Beterbiev is one of the best fighters on earth and probably the best knockout artist in the sport today. He is also one of the most avoided fighters in boxing, having scored all of his professional wins to date by knockout or stoppage, and boasts an extensive amateur pedigree.
Simply put, the WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion combines excellent overall technical skills with brute punching power and appears to have a solid chin thus far.
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And when he’s floored, he gets back up and fights harder. And he’s capable of knocking out opponents late in the fight. Hence, he’s not a 4 or 5 round fighter who’s no longer dangerous in the back half of a bout.
Of course, he’s never faced an opponent like Canelo Alvarez who would have an advantage in speed, quickness, professional experience and quality of opposition. Nevertheless, if Canelo vs Beterbiev were announced today, it would be 50/50 among oddsmakers or Beterbiev would be the slight favorite.
Should Canelo face the dangerous Beterbiev next year or stay in the super middleweight division?
