Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez is the world super-middleweight title the whole of boxing wants to see, but still we wait.
Mexican megastar Alvarez (61-2-2) puts his WBC, WBA and WBO world titles on the line once again tonight (Saturday September 14) when he defends against unbeaten Brooklyn-born Puerto Rican Edgar Berlanga (22-0).
But there is another unbeaten challenger who has been calling for his shot at the man from Guadalajara – the 27-year-old David Benavidez (29-0 with 24 wins inside distance).
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Many experts see Benavidez as the only true threat to Canelo at 168lbs but as yet, the fight has yet to materialise. And Benavidez moving up to light-heavyweight in August to claim an interim world title there hints at his frustration.
There are many reports about why Canelo vs Benavidez is not reality yet, notably money. Also there is much speculation that Canelo may yet say yes to a dream match against welterweight king Terence Crawford (41-0) at somewhere between 154 and 168lbs. That is fight Saudi money man Turki Alalshikh is pushing to make as part of his lavish Riyadh Season shows.
Mike Tyson on Canelo
One man who has echoed the feelings of many fight fans is former two-time heavyweight king Mike Tyson, who pulled no punches when talking about the current situation at super-middleweight.
Speaking in an interview with major Spanish outlet Marca, Tyson said: “I can’t believe what I just heard, Canelo rejected $60million to fight Benavidez, who is a tremendous fighter, young, strong, with hunger and Mexican pride.
“Don’t you want to give the fans the fight they want to see? Do you not respect the legacy of the great Mexican champions who faced the best regardless of the money?”
Canelo of course is a heavy favourite for tonight’s world title fight at T-Mobile Arena, with Berlanga a huge 11/1 underdog. Both men successfully weighed in under the 168lbs limit on Friday – Alvarez at 166.8lbs and Berlanga a shade heavier at 167.6lbs.
Tyson has a fight of his own
Tyson meanwhile is preparing for his own superfight of course – a massive ‘crossover’ event when he fights YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas in November.
‘Iron Mike’ returns to the run almost 20 years since his last pro fight for a bout which has incredibly been sanctioned as an official bout – not an exhibition.
Tyson vs Paul also represents the first time streaming giant Netflix has dipped its mighty toes into the waters of live sports programming, and it will air the bout in five languages (no PPV, just a normal subscription required).
