Benavidez Is Confident He Will Fight Canelo – ‘It’s Going To Happen, Canelo Might Get His $200 Million’
David Benavidez is confident that he will fight Canelo Alvarez.
The Mexican Monster has been the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion for over two years. However, he has struggled to get the fight for various reasons. The WBC has not called the mandatory, nor have they stripped Canelo, allowing him to avoid Benavidez. This is particularly true since the IBF have called their mandatory William Scull, while the WBA mandatory in Edgar Berlanga could also occur after the Scull fight.
Canelo has also been demanding a large purse for the Benavidez fight. Alvarez wants $200 million to fight Benavidez. The Saudis are the only ones realistically capable of putting up that number. So far, they have shown a reluctance, wanting to make him fight Terence Crawford instead. While that may be the case, Benavidez’s following comments suggest something is changing.
Benavidez On Canelo
“I feel like it’s going to happen soon. [And] I don’t know how soon, but it’s looking more realistic. I think Canelo might end up getting his $200 million and we might be getting the fight we all want. It’s very exciting news for us. We just have to stay working hard and stay ready for the opportunity. When that opportunity comes, I will take full advantage of that.
“When we had first negotiated, they said they wanted to give me a flat fee of $5 million. I was perfectly fine with it. Right now, the way I take these fights, I don’t really look at the money. The money is not important for me. What’s important for me is that I do my job 100 percent, and the money is going to follow,” Benavidez said
Nevertheless, there are still a few hurdles that could impact the fight. Benavidez will box Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 for the WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Belt. The winner becomes mandatory for either Dmitry Bivol or Artur Bertbiev, who fight on October 12 for the undisputed title at 175. Gvozdyk is also a knockout artist with a 20-1 record. He has 16 knockouts to his name. Given he is 37 years old, Gvozdyk knows it does not get any bigger than this.
The Terms
Benavidez must also agree on terms with Canelo. He has ruled out a catchweight, meaning he must get back down to 168. The Mexican does not prefer a rehydration clause since Canelo did not make Bivol take one. But if that is what gets the fight over the line, Benavidez was open to having one. Canelo also has to deal with his mandatory obligations.
A large part of the reason Benavidez wants Canelo is for the undisputed belt. Therefore, Alvarez must take on Scull to keep his belt, or he will be stripped. But facing Scull will not sell with the fanbase since he is not a big name. But if Canelo accepts a lower purse and agrees to face Benavidez after that, the fans may accept that fight. Benavidez was looking forward to the challenge.
“Whatever [the terms are], as long as it’s not ridiculous. I just want to make this fight happen. If he’s really not scared of me, if he’s really going to knock me out or does whatever he says he’s going to do, there shouldn’t be a catchweight. He didn’t do a rehydration clause with [Dmitry] Bivol. But if wants me to do a rehydration clause, I’ll do it. But I won’t do a catchweight clause – 168 pounds is already hard to get to. If he’s confident in his skills, then let’s put it to the test, and may the best man win,” Benavidez stated
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