David Benavidez informed the media that he’ll be attending the Canelo Alvarez vs. Jaime Munguia fight on May 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Showing classic stalker behavior, Benavidez is expected to crash Canelo’s party immediately afterward to press him for a fight while the cameras and spotlight is on the golden-haired superstar to pressure him to finagle a fight/payday.
Why is Benavidez Even Going?
I don’t see why Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is continuing with his tiresome pursuit of a superstar Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) because he’s already said in plain language that he’s NOT going to fight him and he just doesn’t seem to be getting it.
Canelo has made it crystal clear that he’s not interested in a fight with him. For Benavidez to continue with his pressing, it will have the opposite effect, with Canelo being even less willing to give the obsessed-looking fighter a crack at fighting him.
Benavidez claimed recently that he was giving up on his long pursuit of a match against Canelo and that he instead was going up to 175 to focus on becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion by fighting the winner of the June 1st fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Now, his behavior reeks of an obsessed person with stalking, and hopefully, he doesn’t make a bad scene on May 4th and needs to be hauled off.
Security Will Be Tight
You best believe the security will be tight on May 4th, with the ring well-guarded by security personnel on the lookout for anyone trying to enter before, during, and after the Canelo vs. Munguia fight, especially a wild-eyed Benavidez intent on seizing his big opportunity to disrupt Alvarez’s moment of glory.
I think it would be a nightmare if a drunken Benavidez has been hitting the bottle again and decided he wanted to climb through the ropes and confront Canelo while the camera is on him and millions of fans are watching at home.
Possible Motivations
Why Benavidez would want to crash Canelo’s party:
- Just Can’t Let Go: Yeah, Benavidez has said that he’s given up on trying to get a fight with Canelo, but he’s still mentally hoping in his head that a miracle will happen. He publicly says he’s moved on, but deep down, he’s still hoping for a miracle. Seeing Canelo in person on May 4th can allow Benavidez to keep hoping for his dream to come true.
- Media Attention: Benavidez recognizes that bringing ringside will ensure that the media give him plenty of attention throughout the Canelo fight. It’s another way for Benavidez to rachet up pressure on Canelo with the press to keep him under the gun to force him to finally give in to his wishes.
- Just a Boxing Fan? There’s always the possible that Benavidez only wants to be at the Canelo-Munguia fight just as a fan to see a good fight. I don’t see it that way and neither do the fans. Given Benavidez’s history of pressuring Canelo for a fight, it seems obvious this is a calculated move to weasel a fight.