Another main event, and another boxing masterclass by Canelo Alvarez. On Mexican Independence Day weekend, the unified super middleweight champion didn’t disappoint as he dominated his Puerto Rican opponent Edgar Berlanga throughout the fight. Berlanga showed heart as he took Canelo to the distance. However, as the fight ended, there was only going to be one winner. The Mexican superstar won via unanimous decision, padding up his boxing record to 62-2-2.

Canelo executed the game plan to perfection. He was disarming his opponent with his vicious body shots, before piecing Berlanga up with his combinations. Safe to say, he was landing those power punches with ease. At no point in the fight, Berlanga looked like he was going to shift the momentum of the match his way. But he still continued to willfully fight on.

Meanwhile, Canelo’s new sparring partner, WBO super-lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez, was also ringside to support the 34-year-old champion. At one point during the fight, Lopez was even seen shouting suggestions at Canelo. In a short clip posted by DAZN Boxing, Lopez, sitting on the sidelines, was advising Canelo to use his jabs more.

In the lead-up to the Berlanga fight, video clips emerged showing Canelo and Lopez training together, trying to refine their boxing techniques. Additionally, Lopez was also seen training with Canelo’s long-time legendary trainer, Eddy Reynoso. Quite naturally, it sparked speculations about Teofimo Lopez joining Canelo’s team. However, the Mexican boxing icon clarified that that wasn’t the case. Reportedly, in 2022, Lopez had discussions with Canelo’s team to add Reynoso to his coaching staff alongside his father, Teofimo Lopez Sr. However, the talks ended with Teofimo maintaining the status quo.

Coming back to the fight, Canelo won via a unanimous with the judges’ scorecards reading – 117-110, 118-109, and 118-108. It was a fair assertion, as Canelo was on his game from the get-go. Safe to say, Canelo Alvarez would have won even without Lopez’s instructions. An overwhelming number of fans felt that Lopez was not on Canelo’s level to be dishing out instructions on how to fight.

Should Canelo take his sparring partner seriously?

One fan pointed out that Lopez isn’t worthy enough to give instructions to Canelo as he lost to George Kambosos Jr in 2021. They remarked, “Lmao bruh got his a** whooped by kambosas, tl he doing giving out canelo advice.” Notably, Lopez’s loss to Kambosos is the sole red mark in his professional career. Furthermore, it was a close fight with Kambosos Jr winning via a split decision.

Meanwhile, one fan felt that Canelo Alvarez might have been in disbelief when he heard Teofimo shouting instructions. They wrote, “He’s like “Is this f**king guy serious?” During the Berlanga fight, the camera caught Canelo exchanging glances with Lopez, while the latter was barking instructions at him. However, whether ‘Cinnamon’ implemented it could be anybody’s guess.

This particular fan felt that Teofimo Lopez was a Canelo Alvarez fanboy. They quipped, “Teo is such a fan!” The bonhomie between the two fighters has been quite strong in the past couple of months with Canelo even willing to let go of a lucrative fight with Terence Crawford on his behalf.

One fan was sure of the fact that the unified super-middleweight champion wasn’t paying heed to Lopez’s advice. They stated, “Dude Canelo aint taking advice from teo.” Well, Canelo Alvarez is the more experienced and decorated boxer as compared to Lopez. Given Canelo’s greater experience and accomplishments, it’s understandable if he doesn’t fully rely on Lopez’s input.

No doubt, boxing fans will be looking at how the friendship between Canelo and Teofimo Lopez develops in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, do you think Teofimo Lopez should join Canelo’s team? Moreover, do you think Teofimo Lopez needed to give instructions to an elite boxer like Canelo? Let us know in the comment section below.