Respected combat sports analyst and former ESPN and HBO broadcaster Max Kellerman has ignited a fierce debate within the boxing community after dismissing Canelo Alvarez’s historic run to becoming the undisputed super middleweight champion as a series of carefully managed, "cherry-picked" fights.
Kellerman made the controversial assertions during a recent appearance on the popular boxing show Ring Champs with Ak & Barak. While acknowledging that the Mexican superstar systematically defeated three previously unbeaten titleholders along the way to unifying the 168-pound division, Kellerman argued that the matchmaking strategy shifted toward more selective, cautious choices as Alvarez advanced deeper into his legendary career and moved up through multiple weight classes.
According to Kellerman, once Alvarez firmly established himself at super middleweight, his team began engineering bouts that presented plausible sporting challenges without ever truly introducing elite-tier danger.
"As he got older, they started cherry-picking opponents more, putting him in with plausible opponents, but not killers," Kellerman stated bluntly during the broadcast.
The remarks immediately drew pushback from the show’s hosts, who pointed to the undeniable caliber of the men Alvarez faced to clean out the division. They highlighted that Alvarez defeated Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant—all of whom walked into the ring holding undefeated records and major world titles—in order to capture the undisputed crown.
However, Kellerman refused to yield ground, drawing a sharp distinction between legitimate elite champions and fighters who merely held belts during a specific historical window.
"No, no, not champions. Belt holders," Kellerman responded when pressed by the hosts.
When challenged directly over whether dismantling three undefeated titleholders in succession could ever logically be categorized as cherry-picking, Kellerman doubled down on his initial thesis, declaring without hesitation, "It is absolutely a cherry pick."
Canelo’s Historic Undisputed Run at Super Middleweight
The debate centers around a golden stretch of career-defining victories that cemented Alvarez’s legacy in the four-belt era. The Mexican icon captured the WBA and WBC super middleweight titles by decisively defeating Callum Smith in December 2020. He followed that performance up by stopping Billy Joe Saunders in May 2021 to add the WBO strap to his collection, before finally unifying the division in November 2021 with an 11th-round knockout victory over IBF titleholder Caleb Plant.
That sequence of victories made Alvarez the first undisputed super middleweight champion of the four-belt era, a monumental achievement that many analysts and historians point to as the pinnacle of modern boxing matchmaking. Those victories came against established, elite-level fighters who held the exact championship hardware necessary to achieve undisputed status.
Yet, Kellerman insisted that collecting the belts in rapid succession did not automatically mean Alvarez was facing the most dangerous available opposition in the weight class.
"Each fight was plausible," Kellerman explained, noting that while the opponents were respectable professionals, there were other fighters operating in and around the division whom he would have preferred to see Alvarez face during his prime years at 168 pounds. "They were good, but they weren’t killers."
The hosts on Ring Champs with Ak & Barak continued to challenge Kellerman over his strict assessment, pointing out the historical context of the division at the time. They argued that Callum Smith was universally recognized as a legitimate and dangerous championship target when Alvarez decided to move up in weight. Furthermore, they noted that fighters like David Benavidez had not yet established themselves as the unavoidable, mandatory presence at the very beginning of Alvarez’s run that they would become later on.
One host recalled that when Alvarez opted to face Rocky Fielding at 168 pounds back in 2018, fans and pundits were already demanding a clash against Callum Smith. When Alvarez eventually delivered that fight and defeated Smith decisively, it created a paradox for critics, making Kellerman’s current assessment difficult to reconcile with the actual demands being made by the boxing public at the time those fights were originally booked.
The David Benavidez Question and the Accusation of Avoidance
Kellerman’s overarching argument ultimately zeroed in on David Benavidez, whose imposing size, relentless offensive output, and dominant position in the division have long made him a fascinating and dangerous potential adversary for any 168-pound fighter.
The veteran broadcaster acknowledged the common defense of Alvarez—that taking on a surging, massive contender like Benavidez carries unique promotional and competitive risks—especially after Alvarez had already secured his undisputed status and earned the right to dictate his own terms.
However, Kellerman then delivered his strongest and most direct accusation of the entire discussion, suggesting that Benavidez represents the one major stylistic threat that Alvarez actively avoided during an otherwise extraordinarily brave and distinguished career.
"Canelo never ducked anyone except Benavidez," Kellerman said.
While Kellerman acknowledged that he could understand why a veteran fighter might be reluctant to share the ring with a considerably larger, heavy-handed puncher like Benavidez, he insisted that those understandable business or competitive realities did not change his fundamental assessment of how Alvarez’s matchmaking had been handled later in his career.
The intersection of Kellerman’s critique highlights a persistent divide in modern boxing analysis. Canelo Alvarez undoubtedly did everything required by the sanctioning bodies and the sport to become the undisputed champion at super middleweight, turning away formidable undefeated champions like Smith, Saunders, and Plant. At the same time, dismissing that entire championship run as a series of selective matchups overlooks the physical talent, skill, and resume of the men standing across the ring.
Smith, Saunders, and Plant were never unproven novices or unknown challengers handed convenient opportunities; they were established world champions who posed significant stylistic puzzles. Yet, the enduring debate over why Alvarez and Benavidez never met in the squared circle continues to cast a long shadow over the final chapter of Alvarez’s career at 168 pounds.
Whether Alvarez should have subsequently defended those hard-earned titles against a force like Benavidez remains a separate, fiercely contested argument within the sport. But by refusing to separate the undisputed championship run from the ongoing saga surrounding the Benavidez fight, Kellerman has ensured that the debate over Alvarez’s legacy at super middleweight will continue to generate passionate discussion across the boxing world.
