David Benavidez says Canelo is scared for walking out of the arena before his fight with Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. Hold up.
Some have agreed with Benavidez straight away and say that Canelo Alvarez has been avoiding the fight with him for years.
Running scared.
But Canelo Alvarez is the same guy who has fought the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Dmitry Bivol (he moved all the way up to light-heavyweight for that), Golovkin, Charlo, Danny Jacobs, Caleb Plant and most recently Terence Crawford.
All high level world champions and pound for pound rated champions in some cases above. The above are facts.
Let’s look at more of the facts.
Canelo Álvarez Resume Facts — Proves He’s Not Scared of Anyone
Facts only. Shows Canelo has fought champions, legends, and moved up in weight repeatedly.
World Champions & Elite Opponents Canelo Has Faced
| No. | Opponent | Date | Venue | Result | Opponent’s Status at Fight | Titles on Line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68 | Terence Crawford | Sep 13, 2025 | Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, NV | Loss UD12 | Undisputed welterweight champion, 41-0, #1 P4P | Lost WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, The Ring super middleweight titles |
| 61 | Dmitry Bivol | May 7, 2022 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV | Loss UD12 | WBA Super Light Heavyweight Champion, 19-0 | For WBA Super light heavyweight title |
| 60 | Caleb Plant | Nov 6, 2021 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, NV | Win TKO11 | IBF Super Middleweight Champion, 21-0 | Won IBF to become Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion |
| 59 | Billy Joe Saunders | May 8, 2021 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX | Win RTD8 | WBO Super Middleweight Champion, 30-0 | Won WBO, retained WBA, WBC, The Ring |
| 57 | Callum Smith | Dec 19, 2020 | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX | Win UD12 | WBA Super & The Ring Super Middleweight Champion, 27-0 | Won WBA Super, The Ring, vacant WBC titles |
| 56 | Sergey Kovalev | Nov 2, 2019 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, NV | Win KO11 | WBO Light Heavyweight Champion, 34-3-1 | Won WBO light heavyweight title |
| 55 | Daniel Jacobs | May 4, 2019 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV | Win UD12 | IBF Middleweight Champion, 35-2 | Won IBF, retained WBA, WBC, The Ring middleweight |
| 53 | Gennady Golovkin | Sep 15, 2018 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV | Win MD12 | WBA Super, WBC Middleweight Champion, 38-0-1 | Won WBA Super, WBC, vacant The Ring middleweight |
| 52 | Gennady Golovkin | Sep 16, 2017 | T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, NV | Draw SD12 | Unified WBA, WBC, IBF Middleweight Champion, 37-0 | For WBA, WBC, IBF middleweight titles |
| 50 | Liam Smith | Sep 17, 2016 | AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX | Win KO9 | WBO Light Middleweight Champion, 23-0-1 | Won WBO light middleweight title |
| 48 | Miguel Cotto | Nov 21, 2015 | Mandalay Bay, Paradise, NV | Win UD12 | The Ring & Lineal Middleweight Champion, 40-4 | Won The Ring & vacant WBC middleweight |
| 44 | Floyd Mayweather Jr. | Sep 14, 2013 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, NV | Loss MD12 | WBA Super Light Middleweight Champion, 44-0, #1 P4P | Lost WBC, The Ring light middleweight |
| 43 | Austin Trout | Apr 20, 2013 | Alamodome, San Antonio, TX | Win UD12 | WBA Light Middleweight Champion, 26-0 | Won WBA, retained WBC, won vacant The Ring |
| 41 | Shane Mosley | May 5, 2012 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, NV | Win UD12 | Former 3-division champion, 46-7-1 | Retained WBC light middleweight |
| 40 | Kermit Cintrón | Nov 26, 2011 | Plaza de Toros, Mexico City | Win TKO5 | Former IBF Welterweight Champion, 32-4-1 | Retained WBC light middleweight |
| 37 | Matthew Hatton | Mar 5, 2011 | Honda Center, Anaheim, CA | Win UD12 | Former IBO Welterweight Champion, 41-4-2 | Won vacant WBC light middleweight |
Facts That Disprove “Scared” Narrative
| Fact Category | Details |
|---|---|
| World Champions Faced | 21+ fighters who held world titles. Includes Mayweather, Golovkin 3x, Cotto, Mosley, Trout, Lara, Kovalev, Bivol, Plant, Saunders, Smith, Jacobs, Charlo, Crawford |
| Undisputed Champions Faced | 5: Crawford, Charlo, Plant, Saunders, Smith. Canelo beat 3 to become undisputed at 168 lbs |
| Weight Classes Won Titles | 4: 154 lbs, 160 lbs, 168 lbs, 175 lbs. Won WBO light heavyweight title vs Kovalev |
| Moving Up in Weight | Fought at light heavyweight vs Bivol (175) and Kovalev (175) despite being natural 154-160 lb fighter. Lost to Bivol but took the risk |
| P4P #1 Opponents | Fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 and Terence Crawford in 2025 — both consensus #1 pound-for-pound at the time |
| Trilogy Fights | Fought Gennady Golovkin 3x: 2017 draw, 2018 win, 2022 win. Golovkin was 37-0, 38-0-1 when they fought |
| Title Defenses vs Undefeated | Beat undefeated champions: Trout 26-0, Smith 23-0-1, Plant 21-0, Saunders 30-0, Munguía 43-0, Berlanga 22-0 |
| Career Record | 63-3-2, 39 KOs. Only losses: Mayweather MD12, Bivol UD12, Crawford UD12. Never stopped |
| Titles Held | WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, The Ring at 154, 160, 168, 175. First undisputed super middleweight champion in 4-belt era |
Alas, Canelo has fought 21+ world champions — moved up 2 weight classes to fight champions — faced 2 different no.1 P4P fighters in Mayweather and Crawford and fought Golovkin 3 times.
When GGG was 37-0-1 as well at the time at one point.
He became undisputed by beating three undefeated champions in 11 months.
His resume shows he consistently takes the toughest fights available.
Let that sink in.
Here’s why Canelo said he left the Benavidez vs Ramirez fight early.
