BOXING
Malignaggi slams Canelo Álvarez for choosing Jermell Charlo as his next opponent
Former world champion Paulie Malignaggi criticized Álvarez for facing the inactive, smaller boxer Jermell Charlo in September.
Canelo Álvarez finally has an opponent. After several weeks of speculations, the Mexican star knows who he will fight next.
Dmitry Bivol was Canelo’s favorite choice at light heavyweight, but the undefeated Russian was only interested in a fight at super middleweight, where Saúl is the undisputed king.
Canelo, though, wasn’t interested in putting all the belts on the line in a potential clash with Bivol, who defeated Álvarez in May 2022 at 175 lbs.
After beating John Ryder in a fight where he didn’t look particularly good, many believed he would prefer to duck Bivol and David Benavidez and try to get an easier fight.
However, Eddy Reynoso’s most popular fighter signed with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) a three-fight deal worth upwards of $100 million.
Canelo slammed for choosing Jermell
Jermall Charlo, who is dealing with some personal issues, was announced as Canelo’s first opponent, but it will finally be his twin Jermell who will face Saúl.
Jermell, the undisputed 154-pound champion, was expected to face Tim Tszyu later this year, but he will finally take on a bigger challenge, as he will be going up two weight divisions to share the ring with Canelo.
It will be the first time in the four-belt era that two undisputed champions in different divisions will face each other.
The former two-weight class world champion Paulie Malignaggi admitted that despite not expecting Canelo to fight Bivol or Benavidez, he would have liked to see him face opposition from his weight class at 168 lbs.
The Magic Man criticized Álvarez for choosing Jermell, who will have to transform his body, hasn’t fought in 14 months, and has been recovering from his broken left hand longer than expected.
“Whether Jermell wins or loses against Canelo, he’s going to make so much money he’s not even going to care about taking another risk against Tim Tszyu. I don’t know what else to say. I’m just going by my basic reactions right now”, he said.
“What do I think about Canelo vs. Jermell Charlo? It’s two excellent fighters that are two weight classes apart. What is there to say? What is there to break down about this fight?”, he continued.
“If they were the same size, I’d probably pick Jermell to be the favorite, but they’re two full-weight classes apart. Two, bro. Do you know what that means? It’s a lot of difference. Two full weight classes of a difference. This is the lot for Jermell to overcome. Not to mention, of course, the politics of any kind of Canelo fight that you have to overcome, to begin with. I don’t know, man”, Malignaggi added.
Canelo is the favorite to come out on top in a fight that many believe Charlo accepted mainly because he’s expected to get a huge payday. However, Canelo will need to be more dynamic than against Ryder with a fighter that will likely use his speed and footwork to try to outbox Álvarez.