By Sean Jones: David Benavidez says he has doubts whether Canelo Alvarez would have agreed to fight him if he hadn’t lost his WBC super middleweight title on the scales in 2020 before a title defense against Alexis Roamer Angulo.
(Photo credit: Stephanie Trapp/SHOWTIME)
Benavidez states that if Canelo thought it was an easy mark, he would have fought him a long time ago instead of the no-name British guys he’s been padding his record with for the last three years since 2018.
In other words, if Benavidez still held the WBC title, Canelo probably wouldn’t have attempted to become the undisputed champion at 168.
The undefeated former two-time WBC 168-lb champion Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) is hoping that Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) will face him on Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend next May.
Benavidez is the mandatory challenger for Canelo’s belt, so that’s reason enough for the fight to happen. Unfortunately for Benavidez, he’s not the only mandatory for Canelo.
John Ryder is Canelo’s WBA mandatory, and a similarly early fight for him to the ones he’s had recently against Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, Callum Smith, and Rocky Fielding.
This Saturday night on November 13th, Benavidez will be facing Kyrone Davis on Showtime at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
It’s a stay busy/showcase fight for the 24-year-old Benavidez, as his previously scheduled opponent Jose Uzcategui failed a pre-fight drug test and is no longer on the card.
Benavidez says why Canelo hasn’t fought him
“I don’t know, I can’t say because if I was an easy target, they [Alvarez] would have took me already,” said Benavidez to Fighthype when asked if he’d have already fought Canelo if he hadn’t lost his WBC 168-lb title by coming in 2 3/4 pounds over the limit for his title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo in August 2020.
“If I’m such an easy fight, I’m a two-time world champion and if I was that easy to take out, they [Team Canelo] would have did already because it’s a good name on their resume but they haven’t done it for a reason,” said Benavidez on Canelo avoiding him.
“Definitely, two great Mexican fighters going against each other, nobody backs down from each other, so it will definitely be a banger,” said Benavidez on him facing Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo on May 7th, 2022.
“For a while now. I feel like my diet is being taken care of pretty good, and right now, we’re not really struggling,” said Benavidez when asked how much longer he’ll be able to make 168.
“I mean, making weight is always going to be hard, and it’s not easy for anybody. As long as we have a good routine with our diet, I think we can make it [168] for a couple more years,” said Benavidez.
It’s obvious to most boxing fans that have their eyes open that Canelo would have never attempted to become the undisputed champion at 168 if Benavidez hadn’t lost his WBC super middleweight title on the scales in 2020.
Like Benavidez says, if he was such an easy mark, Canelo would have fought him a long time ago because his name would have looked good on his resume.
Moreover, Canelo would have received much more interest from the U.S boxing public by fighting Benavidez than the paper champions at 168, Billy Joe Saunders, Rocky Fielding, Callum Smith, and Caleb Plant.
Those were a weak bunch of belt-holders that Canelo cherry-picked to take their titles from them.
Benavidez wants Jermall, winner faces Canelo
“I would love to get a fight against [Jermall] Charlo. We could both get the fight, and the winner takes the fight with Canelo, and it’s only fair. And it’s more interesting for the world of boxing.
“I think he’s [Jermall Charlo] trying to skip the line, but everybody is trying to catch that paycheck,” said Benavidez about Charlo trying to get ahead of him to face Canelo next despite never having fought at 168.
Canelo probably wouldn’t agree to fight Benavidez, even if he did destroy the badly flawed Jermall. It’s doubtful that Canelo will fight Benavidez under any circumstances, and he’ll likely continue to focus on easy fights like we’ve been seeing from him since 2018.
This writer is predicting Canelo will defend next against his WBA mandatory John Ryder in England.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has already given Canelo the idea of coming to the UK to fight Ryder, and it’s probable that he’ll go in that direction instead of facing Benavidez, Artur Beterbiev, or Dmitry Bivol for his next fight.
There’s little chance that Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) will agree to take a fight with Benavidez to try and earn a mega-payday against Canelo.
We’ve already heard Jermall talk about his reasons for why he doesn’t feel a fight with Benavidez is needed.
Charlo pointed out recently that Benavidez being too young, needing to be vaccinated, and not possessing a world title as his rationale for not fighting him.
If Charlo needs an excuse for why he shouldn’t have to fight Benavidez, he’s going to find one because he’s currently belt-less, and that is reason enough not to fight him.
What it comes down to, though, is that Charlo can make a lot more money fighting Canelo than Benavidez, and that’s what’s all about.
I mean, we just saw Caleb Plant, who was arguably a paper champion, get a career-high $10 million payday against Canelo last Saturday night in their fight on Showtime PPV. For all intents and purposes, Plant was Billy Joe Saunders 2.0.
The only difference was Plant wasn’t dumb enough to lean forward in front of Canelo with his hands down by his sides the way Saunders did last May.
Benavidez ready for Kyrone Davis
“Kyrone Davis, I know he fought Anthony Dirrell,” said Benavidez. “He has 14 fights, six knockouts, and two losses. He doesn’t have much punching power, but he’s never been knocked out as well, so I want to be the first one to knock him out.
“He’s more of a boxer, but he doesn’t really move around too much,” Benavidez continued about the 27-year-old Kyrone. “He’s more of a counter puncher, I should say, but he’s still a live dog. So I’ve got to be cautious at the beginning and figure out a rhythm and figure out a game plan, and then execute.
“I don’t know,” said Benavidez when asked if Kyrone Davis is a tougher opponent than his previously scheduled fight against former IBF super middleweight champion Jose Uzcategui, who was pulled from the fight after testing positive for a banned substance.
“I’ve sparred Uzcategui, but I haven’t fought him, so I can’t say he’s a tougher opponent until I’ve fought both of them.
“With Uzcategui, he had a lot of punching power and a lot of knockouts, and he was an ex-champion.
“So, I would say Uzcategui is the tougher opponent [than Kyrone], but he knows it’s a big opportunity for him, so he’ll be extremely ready, and I’m extremely ready,” said Benavidez.
This is a huge mismatch on paper between Benavidez and Kyrone Davis, and the only reason the fight is happening is that Uzcategui was removed from the card after his positive test for a banned substance.
Boxing fans would have preferred that a better opponent than Kyrone for Benavidez to fight on Saturday. These would have been better options for Benavidez:
Carlos Gongora
Jesse Hart
Callum Smith
John Ryder
Daniel Jacobs
Edgar Berlanga
Caleb Truax
David Lemieux
Those fighters likely would have never agreed to fill in as a replacement, especially against a talented fighter like Benavidez.
