Canelo Alvarez says he wants $200 million for a fight against David Benavidez due to risk he would take and the load advantage he would have over him.
(Photo credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
The Size Disparity
Alvarez hasn’t modified his stance about wanting $200M for a fight against Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), and the fight doesn’t appear like it can ever occur.
“Obviously, he’s a risk. He’s an amazing fighter and plus, he brings to the ring on fight night 25 kilos greater than me, but I don’t care about that. If the cash is true, I can beat that guy tomorrow,” said Canelo Alvarez to Swaye Universe when asked why he wants $200 million to fight David Benavidez.
Canelo is a small super middleweight, and it’s not fair to him to fight a man who’s going to rehydrate to cruiserweight after weighing in at 168.
Benavidez’s Size: A Proven Advantage
Benavidez is big, and we saw that in his last fight when he moved as much as light heavyweight for his match against former WBC 175-lb champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June fifteenth.
Benavidez appeared just as big as Gvozdyk and fought well, beating him by a 12-round unanimous decision to win the WBC interim light heavyweight title. Canelo lost the last time he moved as much as 175 to challenge Dmitry Bivol for his WBA title in 2022. He shouldn’t need to fight one other light heavyweight unless his asking price of $200M is met, which it doesn’t appear like it ever will.
The just one who can provide you with that sort of dough is His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, but he’s not enthusiastic about making that match. He’s only enthusiastic about Terence Crawford fighting Canelo, and that’s a fight which may not occur either.
Canelo desires to be paid well to defend his WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight title against Crawford. Although the Mexican superstar Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) hasn’t revealed his asking price for a fight against Crawford, it’s likely near what he wants for the Benavidez match. That’s comprehensible since it’s a contest that will herald huge PPV numbers.
Fans must stop pressuring Canelo to fight Benavidez and let the 2 fighters compete of their respective weight classes. Benavidez is finally competing in a weight division suited to his massive frame, and Canelo is fighting where he belongs at 168.
