Boxing has been time and again deprived of exciting matches, particularly due to the unwillingness of long-standing champions to fight surging contenders in the division. It was not a concern for boxing in the twentieth century, but the trend became prevalent by the beginning of the twenty-first century, particularly, in the recent decade.
Canelo Alvarez, one of the pound-for-pound best, has been long touted to fight the undefeated David Benavidez, the former WBC super-middleweight champion. Boxing fans highly anticipate the potential clash between the Mexican and the Mexican American and recently Alvarez shared some candid words on rumors surrounding the potential fight.
Canelo Alvarez talks on David Benavidez ducking speculations
Canelo Alvarez recently re-signed with Al Haymon’s PBC in a one-fight deal for his upcoming fight and many saw it as a move to duck David Benavidez. However, Alvarez has refuted the claims of ducking and even made his point in a recent interview.
“If I beat Benavidez, they’re gonna say, ‘Oh, why don’t you face this other guy?’ Look at my history, I’ve done everything in boxing. I’ve done it all,” said Alvarez who cited his resume which has the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Erislandy Lara, and Austin Trout among others.
Canelo Alvarez on suggestions he’s ‘ducking’ David Benavidez: “Yeah it always happens – Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Gennady Golovkin, Daniel Jacobs, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders. At the end of the day, I beat practically all of them. If I…
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) March 12, 2024
It needs to be noted that Alvarez did indeed fight big names in his career but that was on his way to superstardom. Since he has become the face of professional boxing, Alvarez has fought relatively inferior boxers like Avni Yıldırım and John Ryder among others.
Benavidez has been the mandatory challenger for Alvarez for quite some time now and without the fight happening, Benavidez has set his sights on the light heavyweight division. The former WBC champion is now looking to face the winner of the potential bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Details on Canelo Alvarez’s next bout
Canelo Alvarez’s next bout is against the undefeated Jaime Munguia on May 4th in Las Vegas, as per DAZN. Alvarez re-signed with the PBC for the fight in a one-fight deal for the fight. The Mexican had earlier left the PBC after his fight with Jermell Charlo where they could not come to terms.
Alvarez had a 3-fight deal in place but only honored one fight as Alvarez could not agree with Haymon’s choice of opponent for him. Even though not a big name like David Benavidez, Munguia versus Alvarez has the potential to do good numbers in the PPV market.
Munguia, the WBC Silver super middleweight champion, is coming off a victory over John Ryder, a former foe of Alvarez. Ryder was defeated by Alvarez via unanimous decision in a 12-round fight whereas Munguia TKOed him in the 7th round of their scheduled bout.
Alvarez’s last victory was against the Jermell Charlo. With Munguia’s 79% knockout-to-win ratio and Alvarez’s explosive punching power, Canelo Alvarez’s next fight promises to be an exciting one for the fans.
Should Canelo Alvarez be fighting David Benavidez? Leave your thoughts below!
