Andre Ward Vs Canelo

Canelo Alvarez is on a dominating but flawed run.

The inclination here is to focus more on a horrible matchup than Canelo Alvarez’s performance against Avni Yildirim on Saturday in Miami. After all, that fight was like the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. A Single-A minor league team, which isn’t a fair matchup. Canelo Alvarez fixated on unifying after perplexing mandatory vs. That isn’t bad at all, because while Yildirim is no Andre Ward, he’s also no Rocky Fielding, either. The teams just split a two-game set, with Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury pitching a shutout on Sunday and Avs forward Nazem Kadri scoring a game-winner with 41 seconds remaining on Tuesday.

The Mexican superstar easily outpointed Callum Smith and then stopped Avni Yildirim in consecutive meetings that weren’t great on paper and even worse in the ring. And next up is Billy Joe Saunders, a good boxer with no power who almost certainly will be trampled by Alvarez.

Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs) has the ability to stick and move in the early rounds, which could frustrate Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) to some degree. However, the master predator will catch up to him soon enough and it won’t be pretty.

Kovalev had already been twice beaten by Andre Ward and knocked out by Eleider Alvarez by the time Canelo fought him. Additionally, Kovalev was coming off a life and death battle against the raw. January 7, 2006: Jean Marc-Mormeck and O’Neill Bell fought for the Undisputed 199 Pound Championship on the same card as Judah Vs Baldomir. I don’t think many people actually know Bell was the last Undisputed Champion, they mostly think Jermain Taylor was the last one.

The solution? Alvarez, once known for taking on all-comers, needs to focus less on winning title belts and more on the man across the ring from him.

With that in mind, here are 10 potential foes who have a better chance than Smith, Yildirim and Saunders to defeat the man many consider the best fighter in the world.

They are presented in order of the best chance to emerge victorious (by percentage).

ARTUR BETERBIEV

Record: 15-0 (15 KOs)
Division: Light heavyweight
Country: Russia
Background: Beterbiev could be Alvarez’s ultimate challenge. The two-time Olympian reportedly finished with an amateur record of 295-5, giving him an outstanding fundamental foundation. He can box. And he’s a physically imposing 175-pounder with particularly heavy hands, which accounts for the fact no one has gone the distance with him. That includes highly regarded Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who Beterbiev beat up and stopped in 10 rounds in October 2019. Alvarez is a better boxer and vastly more experienced at the professional level that Beterbiev but the Russian’s physical advantages, combined with his world-class ability, is at least an equalizer. And I don’t want to hear that it’s unfair to expect Alvarez to fight a light heavyweight. He has already done it, stopping Sergey Kovalev to win a title in November 2019.
Beterbiev’s chances: 65%

DMITRY BIVOL

Record: 17-0 (11 KOs)
Division: Light heavyweight
Country: Kyrgyzstan
Background: Some believe Bivol would be a more difficult opponent for Alvarez than Beterbiev because he’s a more fluid, more athletic boxer. He, too, had an outstanding amateur record (a reported 268-15) and has been a dominating professional. He has beaten in succession Sullivan Barrera (TKO 12), Isaac Chilemba (UD), Jean Pascal (UD), Joe Smith Jr. (UD) and Lenin Castillo (UD). And none of those fights were remotely close. His resume is better than Beterbiev’s. Again, Alvarez is probably the better boxer – as he would be against almost anyone — but Bivol is damn good. And while he doesn’t have the punching power of Beterbiev, he’s a physically strong, natural 175 pounder who certainly wouldn’t be pushed around. Fascinating matchup.
Bivol’s chances: 60%

ANDRE WARD

Record: 32-0 (16 KOs)
Division: Light heavyweight (retired)
Country: United States
Background: Yes, I’m thinking outside the box with this choice. Ward wouldn’t address rumors that he might be a potential opponent for Alvarez – other than to say he doesn’t believe anyone can beat him even now — but you can bet the idea intrigues him. It certainly intrigues me. Ward, a brilliant boxer, was one of the best 168-pounders before he moved up to light heavyweight and had success there, leading to his election to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He hasn’t fought since June 2017, when he stopped Sergey Kovalev. That means we’re talking about a four-year layoff. To return from such a hiatus and step directly into the ring with someone like Alvarez would be a major challenge, even for someone with Ward’s unquestioned ability. On the positive side, he’s only 37 and took little punishment in his career. I vote, yes.
Ward’s chances: 50%

JERMALL CHARLO

Record: 31-0 (22 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
Country: United States
Background: This might be the best-possible matchup for Alvarez from a fan’s standpoint. Charlo would give up size to Alvarez but otherwise has it all. Skill set? Check. Quickness and athleticism? Check. Power? Check. Experience? Check. The elder of the Charlo twins can box, can hurt his opponent and he won’t be overwhelmed by the moment. He made a big statement in his most-recent fight, a unanimous decision over Sergiy Derevyanchenko that was more decisive than Daniel Jacobs and Gennadiy Golovkin’s victories over the rugged Ukrainian. Of course, this would be a tough matchup for Charlo because of Alvarez’s unusual ability and the fact he would be moving up in weight. At the same time, Charlo has the all-around ability and mental makeup to push Alvarez to his limit. And note: Alvarez has said he wants this fight.
Charlo’s chances: 40%

DAVID BENAVIDEZ

Record: 23-0 (20 KOs)
Division: Super middleweight
Country: United States
Background: Tall (6-foot-1½), unusually strong, talented, young (24), fierce. Benavidez has obvious attributes that make him a legitimate threat to Alvarez. And weight isn’t an issue because both of them fight at 168 pounds. Of course, one significant advantage Alvarez would have is experience. Benavidez has a solid resume for a fighter his age – which includes victories over Ronald Gavril (twice), J’Leon Love and Anthony Dirrell – but he’s still building his reputation and developing as a fighter. One thing seems certain right now: Alvarez wouldn’t be able to walk through Benavidez’s punches as he did against Callum Smith and Avni Yildirim, which is one reason you have to give Benavidez a chance. Alvarez might be able to outbox and eventually break down Benavidez but it wouldn’t be easy.
Benavidez’s chances: 35%

Andre Ward Vs Canelo Alvarez

GENNADIY GOLOVKIN

Record: 41-1-1 (36 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
Country: Kazakhstan
Background: OK, Triple-G is 38. He evidently is no longer the boxer who fought Alvarez on even terms in two fights, in 2017 (draw) and 2018 (MD L). Many believe Derevyanchenko was robbed when he lost a decision to Golovkin in October 2019, a fight in which Triple-G seemed to have aged. At the same time, he is 3-0 since the second fight with Alvarez, with victories over Steve Rolls, Derevyanchenko and Kamil Szeremeta this past December. He still has the hard, accurate jab that gave Alvarez trouble. He still has power. He still has a high Ring IQ. Who knows? Maybe he has retained enough of his speed and reflexes to give Alvarez a tougher time than many believe he would. One thing I presume most people will agree upon: Triple-G earned one more shot at Alvarez after two controversial results.
Golovkin’s chances: 35%

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE

Record: 29-0 (18 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
Country: United States
Background: Andrade is a conundrum. On one hand, he seems to have the awkward style and unusual skill set to give anyone trouble, including Alvarez. He’s super quick, super athletic and knows what he’s doing. And he’s a southpaw, which doesn’t hurt. On the other hand, because few have wanted to tangle with him, it’s difficult to gauge exactly how good he is. His victories over the likes of Vanes Martirosyan and Willie Nelson tell us only so much. The educated guess here is that he would be a handful for Alvarez for the reasons stated above. He can box, he can move, he can frustrate the hell out of you, as he has done consistently since turning pro in 2008. Alvarez probably would be able to catch up with Andrade in the end but he’d have to work his ass off to do it.
Andrade’s chances: 30%

CALEB PLANT

Record: 21-0 (12 KOs)
Division: Super middleweight
Country: United States
Background: Alvarez says he wants to make history by unifying all four major super midweight titles, which means that Plant is next on his hit list if Alvarez beats Billy Joe Saunders in May. The Las Vegas-based Tennessean holds the IBF belt. I think Benavidez is a bigger threat to Alvarez because of his combination of ability and power but Plant also would have a legitimate shot at an upset in spite of his relative lack of big-event experience. He’s a polished, clever boxer and excellent athlete, which would make him an elusive target for Alvarez even though the ability to cut off the ring is one of the Mexican’s strengths. I can see the 6-foot-1 Plant scoring from the outside while continually moving out of harm’s way most of the fight. The question is whether he could do that for 12 rounds. Probably not – especially with limited punching power – but who knows? Plant is good.
Plant’s chances: 25%

Andre Ward Vs Canelo Reddit

SERGIY DEREVYANCHENKO

Andre Ward Vs Canelo

Record: 13-3 (10 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
Country: Ukraine
Background: Why not? Derevyanchenko has been competitive in losing efforts against Jacobs, Golovkin and Charlo. Some believe he deserved to have his hand raised in two of those fights, which is saying something given the opposition. Derevyanchnko would make anyone work hard, including Alvarez. He’s skillful, savvy and tough. And “The Technician” is another potential opponent who wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the moment. The problem Derevyanchenko would have against Alvarez was evident in his loss to Charlo, who was just as good as he was in terms of ability but much more dynamic. Alvarez probably isn’t significantly better than Derevyanchenko is any individual department but he’d have an advantage in all of them, which would be difficult for the Ukrainian to overcome. Still, you have to give a fighter of Derevyanchenko’s all-around ability a chance.
Derevyanchenko’s chances: 20%

Andre Ward Vs Canelo Alvarez

GILBERTO RAMIREZ

Record: 41-0 (27 KOs)
Division: Light heavyweight
Country: Mexico
Background: I don’t know why Ramriez’s name doesn’t come up more often as a potential opponent for Alvarez. It’s a natural matchup, two well-established, unbeaten Mexican boxers around the same weight who would make for a compelling fight back home. No brainer. Ramirez now fights at light heavyweight but he was a super middleweight titleholder from 2016 to 2019, which means he’s not too far ahead of Alvarez on the scale. The native of Mazatlan is a good, resourceful all-around fighter with decent punching power but he probably doesn’t have the physical tools – speed, athleticism — to beat Alvarez. However, he does have size. He’s 6-foot-2½. That’s about the same height as Callum Smith but “Zurdo” has more power than the Englishman. For that reason, he has a shot.

Andre Ward Vs Canelo

Ramirez’s chances: 15%