BOXING
Canelo says Gervonta Davis is not the face of boxing
The Mexican star said ‘Tank’ hasn’t done enough yet to get that status while he’s making the final preparations ahead of his fight against John Ryder on Saturday.
Saúl Álvarez is in the boxing spotlight again, as he will be stepping into the ring this weekend to face John Ryder in a fight where he is the favorite to get his hand raised.
Canelo seems fully recovered from his hand surgery and ready to prove he’s still the same fighter by recording a convincing win against a dangerous boxer who has very little to lose.
Eddy Reynoso’s fighter is aiming to book a rematch with the undefeated Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Álvarez one year ago at 175 lbs.
David Benavidez is another of the most attractive options for Canelo, especially after The Mexican Monster’s impressive performance against Caleb Plant in March.
However, none of these fights will happen, or at least not immediately, if he loses to Ryder, who would take Álvarez’s four super middleweight belts if he pulls off the upset.
Canelo’s message to Gervonta Davis
Asked about Gervonta Davis’ win over Ryan Garcia and the ‘face of boxing’ status he has received since then, Canelo didn’t bite his tongue when sharing his thoughts and said that as long as he’s active, he will be the biggest boxing icon.
“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”, Álvarez said.
While Canelo believes Tank needs to do more in boxing to be considered a superstar, Davis has his sights on the winner of the Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko super fight on May 20.
The Dream has all the belts in the lightweight division and if he defeats the Ukrainian former champion, boxing fans could be in for a potentially great battle between two of the most talented fighters in the sport.
In case he defeated Haney and also faced and beat Shakur Stevenson, without any rehydration clause to weaken his opponents, Canelo would probably find more reasons to consider Davis the face of boxing.