▲ Yesterday during the presentation of the commemorative belt for the fight between Saúl Álvarez and Jaime Munguía, where several former Mexican champions were present. Photo @WBCBoxing and Yazmín Ortega Cortés
Erendira Palma Hernández
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, April 19, 2024, p. a10
Saul Canelo Álvarez and the search for credibility. The super middleweight world champion walks towards another fight that confirms his consolidation as one of the great boxers in history; This time his rival is his compatriot Jaime Munguía. The combat is savored by some as one of the most anticipated battles, while former monarchs still question the success of the Guadalajara.
This is one of those fights of generations, that happen every two or three decades; I hope it will be a very good fight, said Mauricio Sulaimán, president of the World Boxing Council, who sees in the Guadalajara an international boxing star.
While Sulaimán tries to compare this battle with epic duels between Mexicans like those fought by Marco Antonio Barrera and Erick Terrible Morales or Alfonso Zamora and Carlos White hair Zárate, former protagonists of these duels, reveal a contrary opinion.
The fight now is different from the one Zárate and I had, we had a better record; but above all, now there is more money, the industry has changed a lot. Some say that this duel is for dignity, the reality is that money does matter, says Zamora, former bantamweight champion.
In statistics, Canelo Álvarez could boast a privileged status with 60 wins, two losses and the same number of draws. However, from the perspective of those who have been leaders in tricolor boxing, the man from Guadalajara cannot yet be placed among the so-called idols.
“Al Canelo He needs to go out and be with people more, give autographs, have a beer with his friends, all that to be an idol,” Zamora considers.
For former world champions, statistics are not enough, since Zárate does not see in Álvarez a complete profile as a tricolor boxing idol.
“Being a reference is something we are born with, it is like bringing a little plate which marks our destiny in that way. Canelo He is still at 50 and 50. Let’s see what he can show in this fight to complete that status.
The contradictions regarding Álvarez’s career arise from the support he has had from television stations; However, there is one aspect that supports it: the exorbitant fortune that he has made. The boxer has been considered by the magazine Forbes as one of the highest paid athletes in recent years.
One of the proofs is the 50 million dollars he pocketed in his most recent fight when he faced Jermell Charlo in September. Now, the amount he will earn for the duel against Munguía is still uncertain, but a similar or even higher amount is also expected.
The former champions who have spoken so far experienced success from which they were able to preserve a certain heritage. However, there is a fighter who could reflect the opposite path to the one he has taken. Canelo Álvarez.
Idolatry is diabolical
Outside the ring, with an idol crown, but without an economic legacy, Rubén Spikes Olivares, one of the greatest references in Mexican boxing, prefers not to talk about idolatries, because he understands that beyond the applause there is a transcendental aspect: monetary gains.
I don’t like that idolatry, it’s diabolical, the former bantamweight world champion emphatically emphasizes. Olivares refers to the success and decline of his own career. After winning large purses, today he has lost that fortune.
Away from the spotlight and waiting for investors to film a series about his life, Spikes Olivares looks at one Canelo Álvarez who rises to the ranks as a boxing figure. It is the reflection of a new style of fighter, who does not waste and even sees himself as a businessman.
“Before we couldn’t be promoters, they wouldn’t let us. Now, Canelo He does it and how good it is. He doesn’t have people who steal from him, on the contrary, they take care of him, they love him, and the money is never enough. If I had been someone else… whatever, now I’m just a simple champion,” she expresses with an air that is somewhere between jocular and self-deprecating.
Tamaulipas Belt
For now, Álvarez remains in glory with the IFB, WBA, WBO and WBC super middleweight titles, which he will present on May 4 against Munguía. As an extra, the World Boxing Council yesterday presented the Tamaulipas commemorative belt that will also be part of the prizes for this fight, a scepter that is made with fine suede, arabesque details and bone buttons.
“Canelo He has, as they say, the cinnamon, he is a great fighter who has proven for 15 years to be at his best and Munguía goes for everything. “You never know when a baton is passed, the same one that Julio César Chávez gave to Óscar de La Hoya, which has been transferred from generation to generation,” he said.
2024-04-19 08:32:21
#Jornada #Canelo #people #idol #Poncho #Zamora
