Canelo Alvarez says he wants $200 million for a fight against David Benavidez because of the risk he would take and the weight advantage he would have over him.
(Photo credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions)
The Size Disparity
Alvarez hasn’t changed his stance about wanting $200M for a fight against Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), and the fight does not look like it will ever happen.
“Obviously, he is a risk. He is a great fighter and plus, he brings to the ring on fight night 25 pounds more than me, but I don’t care about that. If the money is right, 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 guy who is going to rehydrate to cruiserweight after weighing in at 168.
Benavidez’s Size: A Proven Advantage
Benavidez is huge, and we saw that in his last fight when he moved up to light heavyweight for his match against former WBC 175-lb champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th.
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 up to 175 to challenge Dmitry Bivol for his WBA title in 2022. He shouldn’t have to fight another light heavyweight unless his asking price of $200M is met, which it doesn’t look like it ever will.
The only one who can come up with that kind of dough is His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, but he’s not interested in making that match. He’s only interested in Terence Crawford fighting Canelo, and that’s a fight that might not happen either.
Canelo wants 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 close to what he wants for the Benavidez match. That’s understandable because it’s a contest that would bring in huge PPV numbers.
Fans must stop pressuring Canelo to fight Benavidez and let the two fighters compete in 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.
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