Arum thinks Beterbiev is too big for Canelo
Newly unified champion Artur Beterbiev has upcoming mandatory defense against Falong Meng which would take place sometime next year in Meng’s native China.
One contest that doesn’t seem likely however to Top Rank chairman Bob Arum for Beterbiev is a match up with Canelo Alvarez.
Arum speaking with the media Friday night after the Beterbiev victory Friday night even hinted as much. Arum suggested that we all wait and see what happens with Canelo in his matchup with WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev on November 2nd. If Alvarez is victorious against Kovalev, the burning qestion would be would he stay at 175 to fight the others.
“We have to see with Kovalev and Canelo,” Arum said after Beterbiev stopped Gvozdyk. “If Kovalev wins, yeah, there’s a possibility to make that fight. But if Canelo wins, I don’t think it’s fair for Canelo to fight a guy that big.”
Arum: Not Fair For Canelo To Fight Guy As Big As Beterbiev https://t.co/hCPcf90OC8 pic.twitter.com/0hiLGj7QEa
— BoxingScene.com (@boxingscene) October 21, 2019
“Kovalev is making a shi*tload of money to fight Canelo,” Arum said. “He doesn’t feel bad about [not fighting Beterbiev]. I’m delighted that Kovalev is making a lot of money. You know, it would be selfish of me to say, ‘Oh, damn it! He shouldn’t have taken the Canelo fight. He should’ve made himself available to get the sh*t kicked out of him by Beterbiev.’ ”
While Arum may feel Beterbiev is too bog, it’s important to note that Alvarez has stated that he was looking for a new challenge in terms of his fights. As well as since Alvarez signed the exclusive 11-fight, $365 million dollar deal to fight on the streaming service DAZN, safe to assume that any fighter in most weight classes would all want a chance at him for a payday.
In the report from Boxingscene, it was noted that Arum and Top Rank who manages Kovalev are expected to make a seven figure payday off the fight purse of Kovalev. If this is Arum’s way of thinly calling Canelo scared of Beterbiev, we’ll find out after November 2nd.
Marquis Johns is a unknown humorist and avid boxing fan. His love for the sweet science goes back to when matches were 15 rounds and has been covering fights since closed-circuit pay-per-views. Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth is not only a quote by Mike Tyson, it's also a pretty good reminder to keep your guard up.
