Ellerbe: Canelo can’t beat Plant, matchup is all wrong for him
The promoter says he’d like to see Canelo in against some of PBC’s top guys around Canelo’s weight.
In an interview with Fight Hub TV, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe gives his breakdown on what he thinks of Canelo Alvarez, saying that he believes him to be a great fighter but would rather see him in some more competitive fights, which he thinks are potentially available to Alvarez on the PBC side of things.
On Canelo Alvarez
“Canelo’s a very good fighter. He’s a very good fighter, but things are different now. I mean he was a guy at ‘47, ‘54 and he wasn’t a puncher. Now all of the sudden he’s walking through guys that’s ‘68 and ‘75. So things are different now, he’s a tremendous fighter, though.
“He can’t beat Caleb. He can’t beat Caleb because Caleb has all the wrong things for him. Trust and believe that. Because what you guys have only seen is glimpses of Plant, because again, everybody don’t rise to the occasion of the level of opponent that they face. But given the opportunity against a big name on the big stage — and styles make fights — he has everything that he needs to beat Canelo. Everything.
“Y’all say he can’t punch, but he can punch. He’s a tremendous boxer, he has great defensive skill, but more importantly he’s a thinking fighter. And people will always tend to miscalculate those kind of things and I think that’s one his biggest advantages going into the Canelo fight. That’s just my opinion, though.
On if he rates Canelo #1 P4P at the moment
“No. I think he’s a tremendous fighter, I still personally say Terence Crawford and I know he’s been inactive and it takes nothing away from Alvarez but the level of guys he’s fought recently — I mean it is what it is, you gotta call it what it is. Let’s face it, we know who he’s fought, recently. And it has nothing to do with him being a great fight because I truly think he’s a great fighter but there are guys out there that will give him a better run for his money than the few guys he just fought recently.
“And it’s not saying that he’s avoided any of those guys, I’m not even insinuating that, but I’d like to see how he matches up with Plant, Charlo, Benavidez. I would like to see those kind of fights. I don’t want to see Yildirim, and no knock against Saunders — I don’t want to see those kind of fights.”