Canelo Alvarez Triples Down On Privilege: “I Will Do What I Want To Do”

Canelo Alvarez is virtually unstoppable in the sport of boxing, in the sense that he enjoys privileges as a champion not afforded to other champions in the sport. Despite holding all four world titles―and The Ring lineal title, Alvarez was adamant that he was above the rules of any of the four sanctioning bodies whose belts he currently holds.

During an interview with Los Angeles Times En Español, 168 lbs undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s) spoke on his resume which he claims gives him the right to avoid WBC mandatory challenger David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KO’s).

“The truth is that I’ve always fought with those who people say I don’t want to fight,” Alvarez told the Los Angeles Times En Español. “I am in a position that I have earned based on courage, based on effort, based on fights.

“If you look at my career, I’ve already fought with many Hall of Famers, with many undefeated [fighters], with champions. For thirteen years I have fought only world championships. So, I’m in a position where I can do whatever I want to do.

“At the end of the day, I won’t please them with anything. When they wanted me to fight [Gennady] Golovkin, I fought Golovkin. When it was Callum Smith, it was Callum Smith. When it was [Miguel] Cotto, it was Cotto, Mayweather, Austin Trout, everyone.

“They are never pleased with anything, so I am in a position that I will do what I want to do.“

Canelo Alvarez’ assertion that he can do what he wants to do is a blatant way to ignore the fact he has responsibilities as a champion that he agreed to upon fighting for the titles he currently holds. Every sanctioning body has its rules, and given he holds belts with all the main four sanctioning bodies, Alvarez is subject to those rules.

Those rules dictate that he must face a mandatory challenger within a certain timeframe; a rule he has managed to avoid with Benavidez due to the WBC’s refusal to order the two super middleweights to face each other. Had that mandate actually been enforced by the WBC, Alvarez would be forced to either face Benavidez or relinquish his WBC title.

However, as Alvarez’ statements clearly indicate, he will do what he wants and actually seems to have somehow managed to get the WBC to endorse his pursuit to fight anybody but his mandatory challenger, David Benavidez. Moreover, there appears to be actual corruption taking place with the WBC’s decision-making allegedly being influenced by another fighter.

While there’s no clear evidence pointing to Alvarez manipulating the WBC, the WBC’s own refusal to order the bout between Alvarez and Benavidez has not hampered them from mandating other WBC champions to fight their mandatory challengers―suggesting their is interest on the WBC’s part to discretely help Alvarez.

Furthermore, this is not the first time Alvarez and WBC have been implicated in a form of potentially illegal behavior. with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman openly admitting in 2020 that Canelo Alvarez had requested to actually fight a mandatory challenger in Avni Yildirim after Benavidez had been stripped of his WBC super middleweight title after exceeding the weight limits for his slated fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo.

Approximately four years later, Canelo Alvarez now finds himself doing the exact opposite of what he had requested in the past, with him now likely having requested the WBC to stall a mandate for him to face David Benavidez. There is also the possibility of the WBC choosing to neglect ordering a fight between the two 168-lbsers for their own reasons; none of which help boxing, and all of which seem to favor mainly Canelo Alvarez.

The exact circumstances that has led the WBC unable to perform their duty as a sanctioning body by issuing a mandate―which, again, they have issued in every other division but the super middleweight division, Canelo Alvarez continues to avoid a mandatory contender in David Benavidez. This only serves to speak to the failure of the WBC to properly conduct itself as an organization whose own mission statement identifies them as being in the sport to help further the sport in any way possible.

In fact, the WBC’s own statement to commit to integrity heavily appears to contradict what is currently occurring the 168-pound division.

“Reject any action that contravenes justice and honesty inside and outside the ring or in the gyms. Denounce any detected act of corruption at anytime and anywhere.” The WBC’s value statement on integrity reads.