Canelo Alvarez’s trainer/manager, Eddy Reynoso, rejects the view that the superstar’s legacy will be tainted if he never faces David Benavidez during his career.
Speaking with ESPN Deportes, Reynoso points out that there have been many fights throughout the history of boxing that never took place involving popular stars, and their legacies were not tainted by the matches that failed to happen.
Reynoso Cites Historical Examples
Eddy mentions these specific fights that never occurred despite the demand for them:
- Lennox Lewis vs. Riddick Bowe
- Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Terry Norris
- Erik Morales vs. Juan Manuel Marquez
Even the ones that did happen, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, took place after both fighters were old and declining.
Conditions Must Be Met for Benavidez Fight
Reynoso insists that he and Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) are interested in fighting Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), but certain conditions must be met for that fight to happen. He doesn’t say what those conditions are, but it’s fair to say that the money offer would need to be large enough for it to be worth taking.
The $55 million guaranteed offer that Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz recently mentioned as supposedly being offered to Canelo for a fight likely wouldn’t be enough. Mayweather earned $300 million for his fight against the past his best Pacquiao in 2015.
When you look at that number, the money that Canelo would receive for a fight with Benavidez makes it pointless to take the match. If Canelo is getting $35 million to fight Jaime Munguia and $55 million for Benavidez, that’s not enough of an incentive to make it worthwhile for the Mexican star.
“The fight with Benavidez may take a while or maybe never happen, but it depends on many things,” Reynoso said to ESPN Deportes. “Among the fighters, there is no fear. We just hope that the conditions are met.”
Will the Saudis Step In?
The Saudis may need to step in for it to be worthwhile for Canelo to fight Benavidez, as they’ve got the money to let him wet his beak on $300 million or so to make this a reality.
If the money isn’t there for Canelo to take that fight with Benavidez, he’ll focus on other fighters and let him go his own way at light heavyweight or cruiserweight. Benavidez hasn’t beaten anyone talented enough to create the monstrous interest in the fight like we saw with Mayweather-Pacquiao.