“Don’t Go to Canelo Promotions”: Canelo Alvarez’s Supportive Message to Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz Sets Boxing World Ablaze

There’s a huge all-Mexican bout on the hand, with Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz defending his WBA super lightweight title against Jose Valenzuela on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, in a clip Cruz shared on Instagram today, Mexican super star Canelo Alvarez showed his support for his fellow countryman. 

The 26-year-old won over the boxing world with his last fight against Rolly Romero in Las Vegas, which had many comparing him to Canelo. Not just that, Cruz seemed like the latest addition to the champion line up of Mexican boxers. However, the best compliment he received was, he could replace Canelo as the face of Mexico. Yet, Canelo’s show of support for Cruz before the fight left some fans less than thrilled.

Isaac Cruz is out to represent Mexico with dignity

Earlier today, the WBA champion shared the clip in question, with the caption reading, “The pressure transformed it into motivation because tomorrow I will represent my Mexican race with dignity”. Meanwhile, in the video, Canelo shared a few motivational lines with Cruz in his native language, Spanish. 

Canelo’s message roughly translates to “[Pitbull, you know that you are our rooster. We are going to be supporting you on Saturday, put a lot of effort into it, all the success in the world]”. Interestingly, after Cruz defeated Romero, Julio Chavez Jr. said, “I think he’s the best fighter in Mexico”. Similarly, Oscar De La Hoya also chimed in!

Canelo’s former estranged promoter claimed that while Canelo is still the face of boxing, Isaac Cruz is trailing close behind. It looks like Canelo and Cruz are now battling to be the top Mexican fighter. From the comments on Cruz’s posts, it seems like fans are leaning towards him as their favorite.

Even here, fans roped in David Benavidez

Canelo’s popularity has taken a hit in recent times after he outright refused to face David Benavidez, who is his WBC mandatory for quite a while, unless someone pays him $200 million for the fight. Instead, the former undisputed champion is fighting Edgar Berlanga on Mexican independence day (14th September). So, one user claimed Canelo is supporting Cruz because of a particular reason. “He ain’t supporting ‘Rayo’ [Jose Valenzuela] cuz he with Benavidez squad”, the user wrote. Notably, Valenzuela and Benavidez fought on the same card during Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant. 

Another user took an indirect jab at Canelo Alvarez while sharing their hope from Isaac Cruz. The user wrote, “Hopefully the ‘Pitbull’ shows that he doesn’t run away from anyone and faces the best”. The user is alluding to Canelo, refusing to face Benavidez and Crawford, who are the best boxers of the current era. 

Someone else started praying their fear wouldn’t come true, seeing Canelo voice his support for Cruz. “Pitbull don’t go to #CaneloPromotions please”, commented the user. It doesn’t seem like that would happen because Canelo doesn’t own a promotion, plus Cruz and his promoter, Sean Gibbons, seem to share a good relationship. 

Meanwhile, the next user took the insults to the extreme, if not unfair. The user wrote, “And this clown[,] who is he? Which [hole] did it come out of?” Canelo is a multi division champion, who has done more than his fair share for boxing and Mexico, so the comment was, to say the least, uncalled for. 

While the comment section became Canelo hunting grounds, this user had a simple request from Cruz. The user remarked, “greetings from chicago give us a knockout pls”. Well, Cruz boasts a 69.23% knockout ratio, so while it’s not impossible, it’s not a sure shot either. 

It looks like Canelo Alvarez has lost some public favor lately, with fans going as far as criticizing him for simply showing support for Isaac Cruz. This shift in sentiment suggests that Canelo’s position as the top fighter might be under threat. Do you think this level of backlash is justified, especially when he’s just trying to support a fellow boxer?