Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez is one of the biggest fights in boxing right now, but of course it has yet to take place.
The clamour for a meeting between the Mexican PPV superstar (60-2-2) and the unbeaten American sensation (28-0) has reached fever pitch in recent weeks. But instead, Canelo will face Jaime Munguia in his traditional Cinco de Mayo outing in Las Vegas next month (live on Amazon Prime Video and DAZN PPV).
Alvarez himself has spoken openly about the price it would take to get him to the table to seal a deal to fight Benavidez – an incredible $150million to $200million. In short, not happening anytime soon.
Benavidez roasts Canelo
Benavidez, the mandatory contender for Canelo’s WBC super-middleweight title, of course has his own views about why the fight is not happening. And he does not believe for one second it is about money.
He told Fresh&Fit Podcast: “With Canelo it’s that bulls***, ‘Oh, he needs to be respectful.’ I’m not going to bow my knee to nobody because I’ve earned my shot.
“This fight isn’t happening because he wants $150million. That’s telling me he’s scared… He gave the opportunity to Jaime Munguia, who hasn’t done nothing. The excuse Canelo gave was, ‘Oh, because he’s been really respectful.’ Like bro, get the f*** out of here.”
Canelo of course holds all of the belts at 168lbs, and will defend them all against Munguia. The next opportunity for any meeting with Benavidez would likely be September, for that Mexican Independence weekend fight when Canelo again traditionally appears.
