By Dan Ambrose: Deontay Wilder told David Benavidez that Canelo Alvarez wouldn’t fight him and needs to move up to 175 because he feels he’ll dominate that division.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) told the former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder that he has three more fights at 168, and then he plans on moving up to light heavyweight.
As far as Canelo goes, he’s not shown interest in fighting Benavidez, and you got to assume that if he loses his rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September, he can forget about ever fighting him.
The 26-year-old Benavidez didn’t say who the three fighters are that he’ll be fighting at super middleweight before he quits the division, but these are the rumored ones:
- David Morrell
- Demetrius Andrade
- Jermall Charlo
Charlo is the only one of those three with a large fan base, and he hasn’t fought in two years. You can’t predict what Charlo will do. He’s not a fighter that Benavidez can count on fighting him because he’s had injury & personal problems that have kept him out of action for the last two years.
If Benavidez moved up to 175 this year, he’d have no problems getting title shots against IBF, WBC & WBO champion Artur Beterbiev and WBA champ Dmitry Bivol because those guys don’t avoid tough fights.
Deontay Wilder: “Keep doing what you doing. You’re a monster,” said former WBC heavyweight champion ‘Bronze Bomber’ Wilder to K.O. Artist Sports to David Benavidez. “So are you thinking of going up [to175]?”
David Benavidez: “I want to fight Canelo.”
Wilder: “I don’t think so, but we’ll see.”
Benavidez: “I’m going to stay at 168 for three more fights and then go up [to 175.”
Wilder: “I love watching David. He’s got that big power, and he ain’t afraid to use it. In boxing, we want to see the knockouts, and this man right here, he brings it, and you’re going to expect that excitement of a knockout delivery.
“I think he should go up, and he has a great chance of dominating the next division [light heavyweight] as well.”
Benavidez sounds naive, talking about wanting to fight Canelo because he should know by now that fight won’t happen. Canelo has a rematch with Bivol in September at 175, and some feel he’ll retire if he loses.
