By Sean Jones: David Benavidez says he’s not happy that undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez is rumored to be fighting Jaime Munguia instead of him next May, but he says there’s nothing he can do about it.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) states that if he can’t get the title shot against Canelo, he’ll face David Morrell Jr. for his WBA ‘regular’ 168-lb title, and then eventually move up to 175, which he feels will be an easier fight class to make.
Benavidez should face Morrell next because that fight will attract much attention and make Canelo look bad if he doesn’t fight the winner.
Right now, it’s too early for WBC interim super middleweight champion Benavidez to be worrying about who Canelo will fight next May because he still has a formidable task ahead of him against Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) on November 25th.
Benavidez vs. Andrade is headlining a loaded Showtime PPV card at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. David’s brother Jose Jr. is facing Jermall Charlo in the co-feature spot on the card.
A normal fighter would have already gotten the hint that Canelo isn’t going to entertain the fight. It’s difficult to understand why Benavidez has failed to grasp the reality of the situation.
The way he’s not giving up on the idea of facing Canelo seems kind of pathetic like someone applying for the same job repeatedly. He’s certainly qualified, but it doesn’t look promising.
If Benavidez doesn’t get the opportunity to face Canelo by next year, he should move on and quit killing himself, draining down to 168.
It won’t be the end of the world for the 26-year-old Benavidez to move up to 175 because he’s not like he’s been fighting popular guys at 168 during his ten-year professional career.
Aside from the fight against Caleb Plant, who had already been knocked out by Canelo, Benavidez hasn’t fought any popular fighters during his ten-year career.
Benavidez unhappy being locked out
“As for me and Canelo, people already know what they’re expecting and what type of fight that it’s going to be,” said David Benavidez to Fighthype. “It doesn’t make me happy knowing that he’s going to take that fight next.
“As I always say, there’s nothing I can do about it. Canelo does whatever he wants to do,” said Benavidez about Alvarez possibly facing Jaime Munguia next.
It wouldn’t be a big deal for Benavidez if he got the drift of the situation with Canelo a long time ago, considering it’s been obvious from day one that the Mexican star had zero interest in fighting him and would NEVER give him the shot.
Benavidez needs to forget about Canelo, and try to be a star on his own without depending on other fighters to give him a boost.
Canelo had help, but even if he didn’t get assistance from fighters like Miguel Cotto & Floyd Mayweather Jr, he would have been just as popular as he is now due to his fighting style. Benavidez doesn’t need Canelo.
He should fight once more at 168 against Morrell Jr, and then quit the division to move up to 175 to go after titles in that weight class against Dmitry Bivol & Artur Beterbiev while they’re still there.
Waiting around at 168 isn’t going to help Benavidez because it’s 100% clear that Canelo will not fight him, and he’ll just waste more time hanging around like a vampire bat, thinking he’ll give him a shot. He probably won’t.
“If he’s going to fight him on May 5th, that’ll be a good fight. That’ll be a good fight for the people, for the Mexican people,” said Benavidez. “It’ll be two Mexicans going at it. But I think the fight that everybody wants is me vs. Canelo. I don’t think people will be satisfied until we get that fight.
“I just got to keep doing what I’m doing and keep working hard to get through these fights, and then we’ll keep taking it one step at a time. I don’t know. I just saw that on Instagram that he might go in that direction,” said Benavidez about him potentially fighting Munguia next in May.
Staying focused
“It looks like he’s going to do that. I haven’t heard anything from anybody at PBC or anything like that, but that’s probably what he’s going to do,” said Benavidez about Canelo fighting Munguia next. “I have my fight [against Demetrius Andrade], and I have to stay focused on that. When I take care of Demetrius Andrade, we can talk about that.
“It’s kind of the same thing. When you talk to me, ‘Is the fight going to happen next?’ I tell you, ‘It might happen next,’ and then he [Canelo] ends up taking another fight. I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
If Benavidez would just stop commenting about Canelo, it wouldn’t be as bad, but he’s keeping it alive by continually answering questions it. Before giving interviews, Benavidez should make it clear that Canelo questions are off-limits.
David sounds so needy and desperate. If you’re Canelo, it’s got to be off-putting listening to Benavidez and his dad sounding so desperate. It likely makes him want nothing to do with fighting the desperado.
“I think he gets p***d off when you ask him. I’ve seen interviews where he does get mad,” said Benavidez about Canelo getting upset about being continually asked about the fight with him. “The fight is going to happen when it happens. I’m having a good time right now.
“I’m working extremely hard and having a good time in training camp. I’m having these other fights and looking spectacular in these fights, and I want to continue doing that until it’s time to make this fight [Canelo] happen.
“I think it is a competitive fight because Munguia, you can say what you want about him, but he has heart. He’s going to keep fighting until he gets knocked out or the fight ends. So, it’s going to be a good fight. I think it’s going to be a little tougher than people think it’s going to be for Canelo because Munguia is a tough guy.
“He just keeps coming back, but ultimately, Canelo stops him with a body shot. If that fight [Canelo] doesn’t happen, then I’m going to fight David Morrell and then just try to pick up another belt because my end goal is to try and get all four belts.
“That’s what I want. That’s what I want to accomplish in this weight class [168] before I leave, and if I can’t do that, then I’ll go get an interim title against Morrell. That’ll be a great fight, too. That would do some good numbers.
“If I don’t get the Canelo fight, it’s inevitable that I have to go up to 175. Before that, we’re trying to stay at the weight class [168] as long as we can and get the good fights. If we can’t get the Canelo fight, we’ll go up to 175.
“It’s the same as every camp,” said Benavidez about making 168. “You just have to measure your food, everything, and measure your water intake.
“It gets to the point where it’s a science and how to get down in weight. It’s not impossible. You can do it. I would feel much more comfortable making at 175,” said Benavidez.
