Canelo Alvarez says David Benavidez isn’t the same fighter he once was now that he’s fighting in his true weight class at 175.
“He’ll do nothing at 175”
Alvarez predicts Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) will “do nothing at 175,” which many boxing fans believe. Without the huge size advantage he was accustomed to enjoying at 168, Benavidez is just an average fighter at 175 and heading toward mediocrity.
If Canelo turns out to be right about the dim future for Benavidez at 175, he could be finished as a major player after he faces the winner of the October 12th undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
The ‘Mexican Monster’ Benavidez will lose to the winner, and he’ll fall back into the pack and be one of the many contenders at 175, doing nothing. However, on the plus side, Benavidez will get paid well fighting the Beterbiev-Bivol winner and earn enough from that match to live comfortably in an upscale neighborhood in Seattle, Washington.
Benavidez’s Future at 175 Looks Bleak
“It’s his weight class. 175 is his weight class, and you know he’ll do nothing at 175, really,” said Canelo Alvarez to the media, predicting that David Benavidez won’t be effective at light heavyweight. “He’s not the same, but it’s his weight class, 175.
“I don’t want to say what he has to do to have the fight. Like I say. If the money is right, I’m in. I always fought against everyone you ask. Everyone you mention to me, but now, it’s the time for me to ask. If they want me to fight them, they need to pay me good,” said Canelo.
Canelo says he’s open to fighting Benavidez but wants to be paid well for the fight. He’d previously asked for $200 million, but it’s unknown if that’s still the number he expects.
No one is going to pay Canelo that kind of money to fight Benavidez, especially after he’s beaten by Beterbiev or Bivol. Not even the Saudis would be interested in paying Canelo big cash to face Benavidez after he suffers his first career defeat.
Former two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez’s career will likely experience a core collapse after he loses to the Beterbiev-Bivol winner, and a fight between him and Canelo will not be as appealing to fans in the aftermath.
Benavidez’s Struggles at 175
Benavidez, 27, looked poor in his debut at 175 on June 15th, laboring to win a twelve-round unanimous decision against former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Benavidez won the WBC interim title, but the fight appeared to be much closer than the scores indicated. He looked weak and tired at the weight, fighting an opponent his size for the first time in his career.
If Benavidez hangs around the 175 long enough, he can eventually take over the division after Bivol and Beterbiev retire. However, given that he struggled to beat Gvozdyk, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be able to be the top guy at 175 because he’s not the same fighter without a huge size advantage over his opponents.
Benavidez might need to find a way to return to the 168-lb division, but I don’t think that’s going to be physically possible soon because he’s getting older and putting on weight.
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