Canelo Álvarez Disrespects Mike Tyson In Response To Advice

Canelo Álvarez seems more than content with the legacy that’s followed his 18-year professional boxing career and doesn’t feel the need to address the criticism of anybody, including icon Mike Tyson.

Álvarez, 33, is slated to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4. That’ll be the latest of an ever-growing snooze fest of fights that Álvarez hopes will do right by his legacy. Yet, taking notice of Álvarez’s reputation for failing to provide the fans with the matchup that’ll be listed with his 2013 fight with Floyd Mayweather or 2015 showdown with Miguel Cotto, Tyson himself made a suggestion: fight 27-year-old up-and-comer middleweight David Benavidez.

In response, Álvarez elected to lash out.

“I don’t need to fight anybody,” Álvarez told reporters during Tuesday’s press conference. “I don’t need to prove anybody anything because I remember when this happened with (Gennady) Golovkin, and then it happened.”

Álvarez added: “I’d respect his opinion if he was sober.”

It’s been six years since Álvarez stepped into the ring with Golovkin and (somehow) swayed the judges twice in their trilogy. That’s over half a decade ago since Álvarez has contributed anything noteworthy to boxing, and even then, the hyped-up super middleweight didn’t outshine Golovkin.

Those two squared off years after they should’ve, and Álvarez certainly wasn’t worthy of being awarded two unanimous decisions. Álvarez defeated Cotto with a significant size advantage, looked elite against Amir Khan who doesn’t have the chin to last six rounds and needed a judge’s gift to come out victorious against Golovkin. That’s not the makeup of a fighter with the leeway or credibility to diss someone of Tyson’s status.

However, Álvarez’s rant didn’t stop at the legend who even had a Nintendo video game (Punch-Out!!) released in the 1980s.

Álvarez is so against fighting the higher-profiled Benavidez, who would give him a greater run for his money, that the four-time champ continued to fire shots at every given chance. Although, it didn’t prove anything.

“Nothing,” Álvarez said. “And who is he to offer me money? If he offered the amount he said, I can make that amount with anybody. That’s nothing. He brings nothing to the table for me, just 25 pounds more on fight night.”

It appears all hope is lost for those hoping for an Álvarez-Benavidez bout. The over-protection of a misrepresented 60-2-2 record blanketed by an overrated label is still priority No. 1 for Álvarez and that won’t change anytime soon.