Canelo Rejects Benavidez Fight Over Disrespect – ‘Don’t Need To Give Them Money’
Canelo Alvarez explained why he would not fight David Benavidez, saying that The Mexican Monster had been disrespectful to him.
The pair were linked with a fight when Canelo was the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion. Benavidez was the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion, making him mandatory for the fight. He had been in that position for over two years. However, the WBC did not enforce the mandatory position. They also did not strip Canelo. Alvarez used his position by demanding $150-200 million for that fight. The perception was that Canelo priced himself out of the fight to remove any narrative that he was ducking.
Benavidez eventually moved up to light heavyweight. That has made the fight less likely since Benavidez may struggle to move back down to 168. Benavidez can also get into a mandatory position at 175 if he beats David Morrell Jr. in his next fight, putting him in line for an undisputed shot at 175. Reports indicated that Canelo will likely fight in May next, followed by a bout in September. But Canelo has said that the fight could still happen if Benavidez shows more respect. Meanwhile, he has also talked up about a possible fight with Crawford.
Canelo On Benavidez
“When somebody approaches you like that, and calls you out like that, you don’t need to give them any money. At this point, I’ve fought with all the champions and all the best out there. I can do whatever I want now, and I don’t like the way he approached [to get] the fight. I think he’s wanted the fight, and he’s been respectful. ‘I want Canelo. Yeah, people want to see the fight, and maybe they’ll see the fight. We don’t know. Maybe they’ll see that fight. I’m always open to good fights. He’s a really good fighter with good abilities and everything, and maybe we’ll see that fight. We don’t know yet,” Canelo said
Other Options
Canelo has been linked with a fight against William Scull next. Scull is the IBF Super Middleweight Champion. Canelo was on course to face Scull, when he was his IBF mandatory. But Canelo chose to face Edgar Berlanga instead. Canelo was stripped of his IBF belt as Scull won the vacant title. That fight gives Canelo the chance to become undisputed again at 168. Scull is desperate to get that fight, meaning Canelo cannot afford to overlook him. Scull is undefeated and desperate to prove his worth against the best.
“Maybe this was not the moment and Canelo said ‘let’s leave the Cuban now that he is not very well known, let’s see if he becomes world champion, if he becomes world champion let’s unify’. That’s one of the things I think and maybe for me, as a business, it’s great. To become world champion and then unify with Canelo, that way I make different history. The truth is I would like to make a fight now, it didn’t happen now, maybe it can happen in a few years down the road,” Scull stated
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