Legendary promoter Bob Arum believes Canelo Alvarez is going to do all that he can to avoid facing a highly-rated contender.
The Mexican superstar is fast approaching his 70th professional contest, two decades on from his debut way back in 2005 when he was just 15-years-old.
He has already captured world titles in four weight classes during his glittering career, and he currently reigns as the undisputed super-middleweight world champion.
Alvarez is set to make the first defence of his crown against fellow pound-for-pound great Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday September 13.
Despite everything that he has achieved, and the calibre of opponents that he has faced up until this point, Top Rank’s Arum has spoken out and claimed that he believes the Mexican icon will avoid a potential showdown with unbeaten super-middleweight contender Christian Mbilli.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Arum didn’t hesitate to back Mbilli to get the better of Canelo should they fight, as he claims the 34-year-old from Guadalajara will be looking for ‘easy touches’ after facing Crawford in September.
“I think Mbilli is special. He’s really good, really strong, a good puncher, he’s got a great chin and he has a great future. We will get good fights for him. I don’t think Canelo is gonna be a fixture in the division. Canelo, if he beats Crawford, which I don’t think he will, he’s gonna look for some easy touches, finish the contract [with Riyadh Season], make his money and retire. He’s not looking to take any chances. I think Mbilli would beat Canelo. I think [David] Benavidez would beat Canelo. I don’t think Canelo is Canelo anymore.”
Mbilli is unbeaten in 29 professional fights, with 24 of those victories coming inside of the scheduled distance. The 30-year-old from Cameroon picked up the WBC interim super-middleweight title with a victory over Maciej Sulecki earlier this year, stopping the former world title challenger in the opening round of their bout in Quebec, Canada.
