By: Sean Crose
Canelo Alvarez didn’t seem too thrilled with Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi’s dressing room behavior after Argentina beat Mexico at the World Cup on Saturday. Canelo argued that, in a video clip of Messi celebrating in the dressing room with his teammates after the game, Messi could be seen not respecting the Mexican flag. “Did you see Messi mopping the floor with our jerseys and flags?” Canelo posted on Twitter on Sunday. “He should pray to God that I didn’t find him,” he said of Messi in another post. “Just like I respect Argentina, he has to respect Mexico! I’m not talking about the country, I’m just talking about what Messi did.”
After a win over arch-rival Gennady Golovkin in September, Canelo rested after wrist surgery. Apparently Messi’s antics spoiled the boxing giant’s holiday. To be fair, the video shows Messi absentmindedly pushing the shirt aside with his feet while his teammates sing around him. However, Canelo clearly takes this action as a sign of serious disrespect. Without a doubt, Mexico’s loss to Argentina on Saturday stirred some emotions. Sports have a way of doing that with fans across the globe, as just a glance at the fan rage on YouTube will make it clear.
However, it is strange that one of the top athletes on earth would pursue another top athlete in such a way. While Messi may not be well known in the United States, due to the American tradition of indifference to football, there is no denying that Messi is certainly well known. With that said, Messi has a lot to worry about in terms of personal safety. Canelo is known to behave professionally, although he did take out Caleb Plant before their super middleweight fight last year.
Truth be told, however, this move doesn’t seem to suit Canelo. While he may be boxing’s biggest star, the Mexican legend certainly isn’t the one with the biggest mouth in boxing. That honor probably goes to heavyweight tycoon Tyson Fury, though there are other talkers out there as well. With all that in mind, it looks like Canelo could be back in action in the spring, as long as he continues to recover well from surgery. Just don’t expect him to be in the ring with Messi. Novel battles are not Canelo’s thing. Plus, he’ll have plenty of time to cool down between now and then.
