“The ultimate straw. We took his date,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to Mill City Boxing. “We called him out. He was there, and he went out running.”
Benavidez Sr. also suggested the family is ready to focus on the September Mexican Independence Day weekend, one other slot long related to Canelo throughout his profession.
“Yeah, we’re waiting,” said Jose Sr. when asked about September.
“Everybody is talking about it now. We’re ready. We’re here. No person goes there. It’s a distinct time,” said Benavidez Sr.
The comments reflect how the Benavidez camp increasingly views David as the brand new focal point amongst Mexican and Mexican-American boxing fans, especially after Canelo moved as much as face Terence Crawford as a substitute of finally fighting Benavidez.
But the truth of the calendar is more complicated than the rhetoric.
Cinco de Mayo became available largely because Canelo was not occupying the weekend as a consequence of a healing elbow injury. September is different. If Canelo is healthy, it’s difficult to assume him willingly giving up Mexican Independence Day, which stays one among the largest industrial weekends in boxing.
Running directly against Canelo on that date would likely split the audience badly. Canelo still carries the larger mainstream fan base, gate history, and pay-per-view drawing power despite criticism surrounding the Benavidez situation.
That’s the reason Jose Sr.’s comments sound more symbolic than literal.
The Benavidez camp appears focused on claiming cultural momentum relatively than truly attempting to compete head-to-head with Canelo financially. Of their eyes, the undeniable fact that fans proceed talking concerning the fight years later represents its own sort of victory.
The “he went out running” line also makes clear the bitterness surrounding the matchup has not faded. The Benavidez side still believes Canelo avoided David for stylistic reasons, particularly after years of public pressure for the fight to occur at 168.
Now, as a substitute of chasing the fight directly, the conversation has shifted toward legacy, attention, and who represents the longer term of Mexican boxing. Whether that truly translates into ownership of Canelo’s traditional fight weekends is one other query entirely.
