Canelo Feels the Pressure to Fight Benavidez – ‘He Doesn’t Want To Hear It’
Canelo Alvarez is frustrated that there are attempts to make him fight David Benavidez.
That is according to Jim Lampley. The Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion is preparing to fight Jaime Munguia on May 4. The fight takes place on Amazon Prime PPV with PBC after Alvarez salvaged a deal after initially leaving the promotional outfit. While it is a bout against an undefeated Mexican, it was not the primary fight that fans were hoping for.
The Mexican Monster is the number one threat to Canelo’s title. He is the WBC Super Middleweight Interim Champion and has had the position for around two years. It is arguably the biggest fight in boxing, but neither side has announced a deal so far.
Benavidez stated he agreed to take a minimum of $5 million to make the fight. Canelo’s trainer, Eddie Reynoso, denied that there was an official offer in the first place. Lampley feels Canelo will be impacted by the growing expectations of making the fight.
Lampley On Canelo
“Now, he hears from his own fans, ‘Just wait until you get in the ring with David Benavidez. He’s got more power than you ever dreamed of having, and he’s going to wipe you out.’ He doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t want to be treated with that kind of disrespect, whose respect he feels he’s earned over a long period of time.
“It’s not out of the question that debate goes on in the back of his mind. ‘Haven’t I don’t enough? Shouldn’t I have the right to fight who I want? Why are they telling me I have to fight this guy?’ Whatever he thinks about Benavidez, it isn’t enough to make him want to go straight to Benavidez and fight the fight that everybody wants to see,” Lampley said
Canelo has won titles in four weight divisions. He has never been stopped, only losing to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol. The latter two are some of the best names in the sport, making it no shame to come out second best. But just like Mayweather, he did not get the credit until he fought his biggest rival Manny Pacquiao.
Ward On Canelo
Canelo may have to do the same, which is why the delay could simply be done to build up the fight. But the longer the fight remains unmade, the more difficult it is for Benavidez to make the weight. He has spoken about moving up to 175 pounds to take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC Light Heavyweight Interim Title. If that happens, it becomes increasingly difficult for the Mexican Monster to come back down. But by not fighting him, Andre Ward made it clear that Canelo risks damaging his legacy.
“In terms of his resume, you can look at the opponents that he fought, and people say, ‘He fought this name and that name.’ Where did he fight that name when he fought them? He’s 32 and coming off two losses. He’s 35. When he fought Kovalev, Kovalev was cooked. He wasn’t ‘The Krusher,’ he wasn’t the undefeated guy. He had lost that. I’m not knocking the hustle, but you lose me when you start saying, ‘I’m the best fighter in the world.
“You lose me when you don’t fight the best, but you say everybody else has got to fight the best. Canelo is a really good fighter, but you don’t know how good you are until you fight the other best. You shouldn’t fight top guys every fight out. That’s not wise, and that’s not safe,” Ward said
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