Mayweather Urges Crawford And Benavidez To Face Off For A Chance To Fight Canelo
Floyd Mayweather Jr. wants to see Terence Crawford fight David Benavidez, with the winner facing Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford and Benavidez have been chasing Canelo, but that looks far away from being made. Alvarez ruled out a fight with Crawford after claiming he would get no recognition for beating a 147 fighter. That ended Bud’s hopes of becoming an undisputed champion in three weight classes after his achievements at 140 and 147.
Benavidez has been chasing Canelo ever since he became the WBC Interim Super Middleweight Champion. He has been in that position for around two years, but both sides have been unable to agree. Benavidez is now considering moving up to 175 pounds to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC Interim Lightweight Belt.
A victory allows Benavidez to become the mandatory for undisputed at 175, as Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight for all the belts on June 1. That is why Mayweather has called on Crawford to face Benavidez, with the winner getting the undisputed shot for Canelo’s title at 168.
Crawford vs Benavidez
“He wants to go to 168 and he wants to fight Canelo and Benavidez wants to fight Canelo bad. If they can’t get Canelo, they can fight each other, Benavidez and Crawford. Both of you guys are chasing one fighter [Canelo], and both of y’all can’t get that fighter, then both of you should say, ‘We’ll fight each other.
“I don’t know. I just threw that out there because you told me about Benavidez trying to fight Canelo, and I know that Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford has been trying to fight Canelo. Both of them have been trying to get that fight done. It seems like they’ve both been trying to get it done extremely bad. If they can’t get it done, then you guys fight. Say, ‘F*** it,” Mayweather said
The chances of Crawford taking on Benavidez are slim, given that the Mexican Monster is already bigger than the 168-pound division. Facing Canelo requires him to move up three weight classes against a shorter man, but Benavidez is already talking about moving up to 175.
Crawford vs Ennis
Mayweather did suggest a possible fight between Crawford and Jaron Ennis as an alternative. Boots is the current IBF Welterweight Champion, a title he acquired after Bud was stripped for not defending against him. A win for Crawford over Ennis makes him undisputed for a second time at 147. Mayweather felt that was a solid alternative to the Canelo fight.
“Somebody’s got to give ‘Boots’ the opportunity. It’s been difficult for Terence Crawford to get the Spence rematch done, it’s been difficult to get the Canelo fight done, so his other option is to fight ‘Boots’ Ennis,” Mayweather added
Crawford and Benavidez are at a crossroads with their careers. While the Canelo fight presents a life-changing opportunity, they cannot be preoccupied with chasing one single fight at the expense of their careers.
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