Canelo Alvarez’s ‘Unfair’ Move With $200M Terence Crawford Fight Sparks Heated Debate With WBC President

The clash between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, which has a combined purse of $200 million, is less than two weeks away, but the real fight has already spilled outside the ropes – and it’s not between the boxers. For years, the World Boxing Council (WBC) has been accused of showing favoritism toward Canelo. As Mexico’s biggest star and a proven box office draw, every Canelo fight has translated into big money for the sanctioning body.

The criticism grew louder when David Benavidez, despite being the WBC’s mandatory challenger at super middleweight, failed to secure a fight with Alvarez. Whereas when paid enough money, Canelo is ready to fight Terence Crawford, someone he chose. But this time, retired four-division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez isn’t letting it slide. In a recent interview, he clashed directly with WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman in a fiery exchange.

“When a fighter decides who he fights, sports justice is violated,” Marquez highlighted Canelo Alvarez’s unfair move during an interview with ProBoxTV, directly questioning Sulaiman about Canelo’s standing within the sanctioning body’s structure. “This affects those who have worked to earn their opportunity in the ring. There are many boxers who wait for a legitimate opportunity and don’t receive it because Canelo chooses his opponents.”

Sulaiman quickly fired back, bringing up an old dispute. “Juan Manuel, you and Beristain attacked my father in that famous Televisa trial. Since then, there’s been tremendous prejudice in your comments about Canelo. You can’t deny that story.” He went further, suggesting Marquez’s criticism was rooted in envy of Canelo’s success. 

“Don’t be so envious, Juan Manuel,” Sulaiman said. “You talk as if you don’t see Canelo’s career. The facts speak for themselves: he’s been a world champion for 14 years, he’s defeated 21 champions, and he’s always respected the rules. When he didn’t, like with Golovkin, he was stripped of the title. There’s no favoritism, there’s just facts.”

Marquez firmly rejected that notion, insisting his stance came from defendi