By Dan Ambrose: David Benavidez made it known today that he wants Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant, and Callum Smith to take a knee and bow down before him at 168. Posting on social media, the WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez (22-0, 19 KOs) putting a target on the backs of Canelo, Callum, and Plant.
Benavidez wants all those fighters once he gets done with his next two fights against Roamer Angulo (26-1, 22 KOs) on August 15, and then WBC mandatory Avni ‘Mr. Robot’ Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs) potentially later this year.
The Benavidez vs. Angulo fight will be shown on SHOWTIME at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT.
Benavidez wants Canelo
Canelo (53-1-2, 36 KOs) is the guy that the 23-year-old Benavidez has a high degree of interest in the fight, as he holds the WBA ‘regular’ super-middleweight title, and some boxing fans believe he’s the #1 fighter at 168. For Benavidez to prove himself as the top dog in the division, he’s got to get Canelo out of the way first.
People in boxing want to see Benavidez take on Alvarez, Plant, and Callum, and the sooner those fights happen, the better it is for the sport. Benavidez can’t drag those 168-lb champions kicking and screaming into the ring because it’s not going to work. Alvarez, Plant, and Callum have got to want to face Benavidez, and right now, the signs are there that they want to meet him.
The fact that Canelo, 29, never even mentions Benavidez’s name presents a real problem, making it clear that he may not get a shot at him anytime soon. When Canelo wants no part of a fighter, he doesn’t mention their name, and neither does his promoters.
We see that with Canelo and Golden Boy not saying Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s names at 175. Now we also see it with Benavidez’s name never coming out of Alvarez’s mouth.
The best way that Benavidez can force a fight against Canelo is to keep winning and looking good. If Benavidez vacated his WBC title and went the route of getting ranked #1 with the World Boxing Association, he still wouldn’t get the fight. Canelo is beyond making title defenses of his WBA belt against mandatory challengers.
David can’t force Alvarez to fight him
If the WBA tried to force Canelo to defend his secondary belt against a mandatory challenger, he’d give up the strap the next second. That’s why you can argue that after two years as the WBA ‘regular’ 168lb champ, Canelo hasn’t been asked to defend the belt against anyone. The title is adornment for Canelo.
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IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant (20-0, 12 KOs) and Benavidez have both been trading trash talk for a while now, and it seems that both guys want it.
The management for Benavidez and Plant don’t appear to be in a big hurry to make the fight happen. Perhaps they want to let it marinate more before they eventually make it.
Benavidez is the younger guy than the 28-year-old Plant. It works in his favor for the fight to be delayed into the future. It’s too bad the Plant-Benavidez match can’t take place now, as the winner of the contest would see their popularity soar.
As for WBA Super World champion Callum Smith (27-0, 19 KOs), he doesn’t seem to be all that motivated to take on the lions in the division. Yeah, Callum wants to fight Canelo, but who doesn’t? Callum hasn’t shown interest in facing Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, Plant, or Artur Beterbiev.