Does Canelo need more credit?

‘Canelo’ is running from Gennady Golovkin, his critics will say. On the evidence of last weekend, who could blame him?

Saul Alvarez is forging his own path that threatens to become as red-hot as his cinnamon hair, but he must eventually embrace the Golovkin risk.

The focus on Alvarez has shifted onto what he has not done, which seems unfair for a two-weight world champion with a career trajectory as exciting as his.

He has not yet accepted the challenge from Golovkin, the unified middleweight champion, and the current perception of Alvarez might depict him watching GGG’s victory over Kell Brook from behind his sofa.

This is a fighter whose triumphs demand that he is not defined by those he is yet to face, but that will not remain the case forever.

This weekend, boxing’s all-time attendance record could be broken when Alvarez’s and his Mexican supporters are expected to pack out the 60,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Texas. Britain’s Liam Smith threatens to send them home unhappy, but this is not the first time Alvarez has carried the expectation of one of boxing’s great nations.

Having followed his elder brothers’ career path, Alvarez …

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