It’s been some time since Canelo Alvarez has been under the scanner, especially over issues pertaining to fights against David Benavidez and Terence Crawford. Now ‘Bud’ Crawford has to climb up a few divisions for a showdown. So it may lend some weight to voices opposing the fight. But what about David Benavidez? He was after all Alvarez’s mandatory challenger at 168 pounds before he jumped over to light heavyweight.

Now the latest revelation could add further complexity for the Mexican superstar. Reports have emerged suggesting Edgar Berlanga bulks up considerably following the final weigh-ins of a fight. For the Canelo match, he tipped the scales at 167.5 pounds. So if the updates are true, then Canelo Alvarez will meet an adversary who measures far more heavy than the one he faced off. This has led some fans to question why Alvarez should be hesitant to fight Benavidez if he’s willing to face opponents like Berlanga, who may be substantially heavier in the ring!

Canelo Alvarez vs. Weight

“Edgar Berlanga has revealed that he normally enters the ring at around 205 lbs.,” the tweet from the boxing news channel @EverythingBoxing read. That being the case, the post reasoned that during the time between the final weigh-in and the fight, which is around 36 hours, Berlanga could add up another 37 pounds to his roughly 168-pound frame.

Fans could go back to the kickoff presser of the May 4 Jaime Munguia fight. Canelo Alvarez reportedly cited a price of $150 to $200 million for a matchup against David Benavidez. Why? So it is widely believed one of the major issues that concern the Mexican superstar remains the suggested weight difference between him and ‘The Mexican Monster.’.

“All I see is that Benavidez weighs 25 or 30 pounds more than I do on the day of the fight. I have no problem with that, but if you want me to fight with him, it’s $200 million,” Alvarez reportedly said. Despite Benavidez being the WBC mandatory for Alvarez, the fight, sadly for fans, never came to fruition. After a long wait, David Benavidez then decided to move up a division and now awaits the outcome of the upcoming Beterbiev-Bivol clash to carve out a fresh legacy.

Is there a double standard?

So that basically summarized why a few fans got so riled up when they came across Berlanga’s purported in-ring weight. Let’s check what some of them had to say.

First, this fan sounded a bit skeptical about the claim. According to them, it’s quite challenging to gain over 37 pounds so quickly. If Berlanga had been rehydrating to that weight after the weigh-in, then he would have weighed precisely 168 pounds, they suggested. The fan said, “Yeah, I don’t believe that. He would have been 168 on the dot if he was rehydrating that much weight.”

But the next fan shot back a taunt at Canelo Alvarez. They quoted the champion’s previous assertion that fighters such as Benavidez bring ‘nothing to the table’ for him. So apart from the 37 additional pounds he had piled, the fan asked sarcastically whether Berlanga presented any other advantage for Alvarez. Or did he receive a hefty price for the match? “So Berlanga brings nothing to the table other than 37 more pounds? Must be getting 300 mil for this fight,” the fan said.

However, the next user questioned whether Berlanga actually appeared that heavy during the fight. The suggested reference could be related to his weight outside of fight training. Otherwise, the whole claim might as well be a good joke. This is what the user said: “U lost it? Does he seem like 205 to you fight night? He’s either talking about walking around weight or joking.”

“So a similar size to Benavides, who was supposedly too big,” said the following fan as they hinted at the apparent contradiction. At 205 pounds, Edgar Berlanga would be similar in size to David Benavidez. However, Canelo Alvarez and many others consider ‘The Mexican Monster’ way ‘too big’!

Echoing similar thoughts, this follower suggested inconsistency in Canelo Alvarez’s stand. “Man, this just makes Canelo look like a big hypocrite,” they said. They pointed out how Alvarez had reportedly complained about Benavidez being heavy. Yet he doesn’t seem to have any issue fighting Berlanga, who has seemingly gained significant weight after the weigh-in. “So he can complain all about Benavidez coming in heavy but not Berlanga like what?”

Clearly, it could be quite disconcerting to some fans if reports such as these come out true—no uniformity in selecting opponents?

But fans should not lose hope either. There are reports that Alvarez might pursue a rematch with Dmitry Bivol once he becomes the undisputed light heavyweight champion. Given Benavidez is also a 175-pound interim champion, the two could square off during a title defense.

What is your take? Do you feel Alvarez’s argument against Benavidez has considerably weakened in light of Berlanga’s post-weigh-in weight?