Canelo Alvarez accused of avoiding two-weight champ: "Doing everything to stay away from me"
Canelo Alvarez will defend his status as undisputed super middleweight champion when he faces undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo, who will come up two weight classes, later this month. Demetrius Andrade, who famously confronted Alvarez following his 2021 title bout against Billy Joe Saunders, recently accused the undisputed super middleweight champion of avoiding him.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, the former WBO light middleweight and middleweight champion, who is in talks to face David Benavidez later this year, was asked about Canelo's comments that the bout would be a toss-up:
"Canelo knows I can fight, man, Canelo knows what's up. He's been doing everything to stay away from me, from the 154 pounds [division] to the 160 pounds and now we are here at the 168 pound. At the end of the day, I am going to fight the biggest challenge. [Caleb] Plant took the challenge, Canelo didn't want to take it, so I'm here. This is my obstacle, this is the way that it is supposed to be so cool."
Check out Demetrius Andrade's comments on Canelo Alvarez below (starting at the 4:24 mark):
While Andrade and Benavidez are in talks to face one another, both fighters have accused Alvarez of avoiding them. The pair will clash for the WBC interim super middleweight title, which Benavidez currently holds. It is unclear, however, if Canelo will face the winner of the bout, provided that he defeats Charlo.
Canelo Alvarez open to a title bout with Terence Crawford
Terence Crawford recently became the first fighter in the four-belt era to claim undisputed status in two weight classes. 'Bud' has expressed his desire to face either undisputed light middleweight champion Jermell Charlo or undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in his next bout.
Alvarez recently shared that he is open to the bout, according to Michael Benson of talkSPORT, who tweeted:
"‼️ Canelo Alvarez has now confirmed that he is open to a potential fight vs Terence Crawford after Crawford said he'd be willing to move up to super-middleweight (168lbs): “You never know in boxing. It's possible, why not? If it makes sense, I'm down to do it.” [@ManoukAkopyan]"
Check out Michael Benson's tweet on Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford below:
While it is unclear if the bout will come to fruition, as Crawford would have to move up three weight classes, both fighters appear open to the possibility. Alvarez will face Charlo, who is moving up two weight classes, later this month. Provided that he wins, it appears he will have several options for his next bout.