Mayweather Tells Benavidez To Forget About Canelo – ‘Wait Your Turn’
Floyd Mayweather has told David Benavidez to keep on winning as he struggles to make a fight with Canelo Alvarez.
The Mexican left PBC with two fights under his deal, damaging hopes of Benavidez facing Canelo. Reports indicated that PBC refused to pay Canelo a $35 million guarantee to fight Jermall Charlo unless he fought David Benavidez afterwards.
However, since Benavidez was not included in the original negotiations, Canelo decided to move on. That leaves Benavidez as the WBC Super Middleweight Interim Champion, a position he has been in for around two years. Given that the mandatory will be called in March, a vital few months are coming up for Benavidez. But Mayweather has urged Benavidez to continue to win, as he will become the main man.
Mayweather On Benavidez
“If David Benavidez keeps beating fighter after fighter, and champion after champion, eventually he’ll be the man. And then everybody will want to fight him. Just like me, you have to wait your turn. David Benavidez is a helluva fighter. All David has to do is keep going out there and beating guys, staying focused, and then he’ll be the guy,” Mayweather said
Nevertheless, Benavidez may have to do that at another weight class. Reports also stressed that Benavidez could move up to 175 pounds to take on Oleksandr Gvozyk for the WBC Interim Light Heavyweight Title.
A victory makes Benavidez mandatory for the winner of Dmitry Bivol vs Artur Beterbiev. The latter two boxers face off for all the belts at 175 on June 1. But if Benavidez were to do that, it would be more difficult for him to come down to 168 since he is a huge super middleweight. And yet, Jose Benavidez Sr. has backed his son to do well in that fight.
“Once we beat Gvozyk, we’re going to get everybody’s respect, and we’re going to be on another level. We’re not afraid to lose our undefeated record and face nothing but the best,” Jose Benavidez Sr. stated
If that does happen, Canelo will face backlash from the boxing fanbase. The Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion has several top super middleweights he could face. Outside of Benavidez, there is David Morrell Jr. and Christian Mbilli.
Both are knockout artists like Benavidez, but so far, nothing indicates Canelo will fight them. The current favorites to fight Canelo are Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. That means Canelo would have to work with DAZN and Matchroom, something he did before he left to sign with PBC. But this move could backfire on him.
“Little by little, he’s losing a lot of fans, and everybody is getting to know the real Canelo. He doesn’t want to fight the ‘Mexican Monster,’ David Benavidez. The ‘Face of Boxing,’ the King of 168 running away from David, that says a lot about our work. He’s afraid. No matter what. He’s not going to fight David. He said he’s not going to face a Mexican fighter,” Jose Benavidez Sr. added
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