Benavidez Eyes Bivol Bout If Canelo Fight Falls Through
David Benavidez, the WBC interim super middleweight champion, is ready to face Dmitry Bivol if the fight with Canelo Alvarez cannot be made.
The Mexican Monster is the current mandatory for Alvarez following the impressive stoppage of Demetrius Andrade to retain his belt. The win highlighted Benavidez’s credentials in that he stopped a two-weight world champion, who was undefeated, in a destructive manner. After dropping Andrade in round four, Benavidez wasted no time in walking down his opponent before stopping him after the sixth round. In his post-fight comments, the Mexican called out Canelo for his next fight. However, Benavidez recognised that he would have to have other plans in place in case the fight did not materialise.
Benavidez On Bivol
“I feel that once I move up to 175, I’ll have to see how I feel, but I’ll definitely come back down. The Dmitry Bivol fight is a great fight because I sparred him before. I’m not trying to discredit Dmitry Bivol, but I know what can be done in that fight. He’s a great, great fighter. These are the types of chances I want to take in my career. I just want to be the best, and I know I’m going to accomplish that,” Benavidez said
Nevertheless, that may be more difficult than first thought. Benavidez is a naturally bigger fighter than super middleweight, which is why a move up to 175 may not necessarily result in him coming back down. That is vital if fans want to see the Alvarez fight being made since the time for it cannot be any better. Alvarez has no other big fights at 168. Meanwhile, Benavidez has been his WBC mandatory for over a year.
Not only that, but a win over Bivol would put Benavidez in line to face Artur Beterbiev for undisputed at light heavyweight. And with both fighters being undefeated, Benavidez could have the chance to do something that Canelo did: that is to give Bivol the first loss of his career. And yet, with Cinco de Mayo Weekend and Mexican Independence Day on the horizon, the timing could not be any better for a fight with Alvarez.
Crawford On Benavidez
That was the view of Terence Crawford after he reacted to the win. The former has also been vocal about his desire to face Alvarez at 168. But given that the Mexican has ruled out that, fight for now, Benavidez is the next preferable name. And based on what he had seen, Crawford backed Benavidez to be ready.
“He looked spectacular. He did wonderful. A++,. He’s [Benavidez] one of them [the best]. I mean, he’s relentless, it’s pressure, but it’s smart pressure. He’s coming behind his jab, throwing straight punches, he’s going to the body up and down. He’s just got to tighten up a little on his defense, but other than that, he’s good. He’s ready for Canelo,” Crawford stated
So, moving forward, Benavidez has plenty of options to consider. ‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’
