Few could have imagined that exactly 18 months after Canelo Alvarez knocked out Caleb Plant to cement his position as the undisputed face of boxing, that the very title he has held so comfortably is possibly hanging in the balance.
Perhaps reflective of a fickle industry or a failure to meet a weight of expectation that he has set so high over the years, but the harsh reality is that Canelo faces a different kind of pressure ahead of Saturday’s homecoming fight against John Ryder, live on DAZN.
Boxing’s biggest star since Floyd Mayweather Jr both at the gate and on pay-per-view has an unbeaten Baltimore star breathing down his neck for that status and one who has already declared himself as the face of boxing, a bold assertion which wasn’t met with the kind of backlash some may have assumed if Alvarez was still the draw he was.
Gervonta Davis’ ruthless knockout of Ryan Garcia last month elevated him into unprecedented stardom. A sold out T-Mobile Arena with a star-studded guest list which included former undisputed heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, NBA star, Damian Lillard, Hollywood actor, Mark Wahlberg among several others in easily the most-anticipated showdown of the year.
Furthermore, if the reported pay-per-view numbers are to be believed then it will be a challenge for any event this year to rival the 1.2m buys, even for Alvarez for so long the unrivalled, biggest draw in the sport.
It’s worth noting that the reported figures were totalled from the a dual platform pay-per-view with SHOWTIME and DAZN broadcasting the bout in the USA, while Alvarez reportedly generated 800,000 buys on SHOWTIME for his aforementioned clash with Plant, even when up against a highly-anticipated UFC event on the same night.
A perceived decline in Alvarez’s stock came after a shock defeat to Dmitry Bivol last May, where he was convincingly outpointed in an audacious bid to rip away the WBA light heavyweight world title.
Victory over Gennady Golovkin in their third fight in September, despite decisively did little to wet the appetite in a fight which was a far cry from the first two affairs, which were filled with drama.
Despite this, the 32-year-old still seems a significant enough draw to the casual market which remains key to a successful pay-per-view event. Alvarez and Bivol reportedly drew in excess of 550,000 buys on DAZN’s first box office fight.
Once again the gamble to rival a UFC pay-per-view seemed to pay off with the lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveria and Justin Gaethje reportedly attracting 400,000 viewers on pay-per-view, a sure sign as anything of the Mexican’s drawing power in combat sports.
Yet, despite enticing a similar viewership for the Golovkin bout, what’s left of Alvarez’s ability to move the needle will be revealed when he battles England’s Ryder.
A sold-out, 50,000 capacity Akron Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico suggests his drawing power hasn’t wavered too significantly and Canelo himself didn’t appear to concerned over ‘Tank’ believing that he has overtaken him as the number one star in the sport.
“I’m not retired yet, my friend. It’s not that easy… I like Gervonta Davis a lot, but he needs to do more to be the face of boxing.
“One fight with Garcia, and I respect Ryan Garcia, isn’t going to do it.”
Alvarez makes an important point. Garcia was his toughest and biggest test to date on a resume only spanning 29 fights, over the half the bouts Alvarez has competed in.
Victories over two-weight world champion, Shakur Stevenson and undisputed lightweight champion, Devin Haney would certainly bolster those credentials and allay any suggestions that his claim is premature.
Despite heading in as an 11-1 underdog, ‘The Gorilla’ is by no means a walk over, but Alvarez needs the kind of emphatic statement to send a reminder to the doubters in his first fight back home since stopping Kermit Cintron in five rounds in November 2011.
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The four-weight world champion in no way at the finish line of a career which will undoubtedly culminate in a first ballot hall of fame entry, but as fight 63 approaches, the twilight stage of a glittering career is also upon him.
A rematch with Bivol in September is likely the next move providing he doesn’t endure a shock defeat to Ryder, while few will forgive or forget if he doesn’t satisfy growing public demand for a clash with rising, unbeaten super middleweight, David Benavidez who is mandatory challenger to his WBC title.
However, Benavidez epitomises a growing crop of talent gunning for Canelo’s spot at the top of the mythical boxing tree and with Davis growing in stature and popularity, Canelo is in need of a performance to add further proof to the claim that he remains the face of the sport.
