LAS VEGAS – In a scorching rebuke of Canelo Alvarez’s lackluster Saturday victory to reclaim the undisputed super-middleweight title against William Scull, the cast of ProBox TV’s “Boxing Scene Today” undressed the poor quality of the first two Cinco de Mayo weekend cards hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh.
Calling Alvarez’s record-low punch-count showing “a fight that’s gonna be hard to scrub out of our cold, dead eyeballs,” host Jimmy Smith asked former 140lbs champion Chris Algieri to assess it along with the Friday Times Square card that featured a one-sided Teofimo Lopez Jnr title defense along with more low punch stats in bouts won by Devin Haney and Rolly Romero.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Canelo be old and slow,” Algieri said. “All these guys are going through sparring session. I hate to say a fighter is getting paid too much … but if you’re not putting out entertainment, what are we doing? Two nights in a row. I am completely flabbergasted by what I’ve seen. I love the sport, but this leaves a lot to be desired.”
Former welterweight champion and ex-Showtime analyst Paulie Malignaggi railed at the lack of candor emanating from those being paid and credentialed to disseminate the events, including Saturday night’s DAZN broadcast team.
(Disclosure: BoxingScene was not credentialed for either the Times Square or Alvarez-headed Saudi Arabia cards).
“I find it amusing how the team tonight was blaming the IBF [for declaring Scull a champion], blaming Scull … all these excuses. But you don't blame the guy who made the fight – Canelo – while bringing us all of these just-happy-to-be-here opponents. Jermell Charlo was just happy to be here. Edgar Berlanga was just happy to be here. William Scull was just happy to be here.
“Canelo is just going through the motions himself. This is a debacle and so disrespectful to the sport. [Alvarez] knows what he’s picking, and that you’re going to buy it anyway.”
Malignaggi has long criticized Alvarez, mostly for not honoring his mandatory assignment to fight formerly top-ranked and still-unbeaten ex-WBC 168lbs champion David Benavidez, who now reigns at light-heavyweight.
“You all deserve this. You keep supporting this crap,” Malignaggi said.
Algieri noted there was talk on DAZN of putting Alvarez-Scull “in the rear-view” even before it was over.
“It was God-awful,” he said. “Canelo didn’t try to bridge the gap at all [as Scull scurried backward]. This was horrible. These fights sucked.”
Algieri said other than the unexpected drama of Rolly Romero’s upset of Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez’s sharpness in defusing top WBO contender Arnold Barboza Jnr, the weekend’s action leading to Top Rank’s Sunday card headed by undisputed junior-featherweight champion Naoya Inoue has been beyond disappointing.
He’s not alone. Garcia railed at the lifeless atmosphere around the fenced-off and blanketed Times Square ring, and ESPN analyst Timothy Bradley Jnr said the Friday absence of fighting “passion, hunger, desire” has created “spoiled” competitors due “all to the man that you all love,” referring to Alalshikh.
“All these guys are saying ‘money, money, money.’ To get that? Come on, bro,” Bradley said. “Straight trash, horrible to watch, I’m still angry. Who the fuck shows up in a car?”
As Alvarez heads to a September showdown against fellow four-division and former twice-undisputed champion Terence Crawford, Malignaggi said Alvarez looked so lethargic Saturday, “Crawford may actually beat him now,” to which Algieri responded, “Or they may just show up and spar.”
“This is all on Canelo. After the Crawford fight – unless [Crawford] wins and puts us out of our misery – this clown show will continue,” Malignaggi said.
Algieri this weekend attended a pre-fight production meeting with Mexico’s WBO featherweight champion Rafael Espinoza, who fights on Sunday’s ESPN-televised co-main event. Saying Espinoza “understands the mission” of fighting passionately for his fervent fan base, Algieri contrasted that with where Alvarez is.
“Canelo has abandoned his fans for the $80 million to $100 million [Saturday purse]. He put on a piss-poor performance,” Algieri said on “BoxingScene Today.”
“Who wants to watch this guy anymore?” Malignaggi asked. “It’s over, move along, let the next generation play. There is no way to make this [Alvarez-Crawford] fight appealing unless you lie through your teeth, which is what they’ll do.”
Algieri expressed hope that the Saudi-connected fights will improve in quality over the summer. “You can’t go into a summer promotion based on what you saw tonight.”
Alvarez’s triumph was so distasteful, Smith asked if he remains the face of the sport, a moniker Alvarez has long cherished.
“He is – by default,” Algieri said.