David Benavidez has made it as vivid as humanly possible: He is the most qualified contender to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez’s supremacy as undisputed super middleweight champion.
If Alvarez bypasses Benavidez, the unbeaten challenger is telling fight fans to draw their own conclusions over the doggedness and priorities of Mexico’s popular four-division champion.
“When you have the undisputed title, there’s a standard you’re supposed to hold up, especially as the star in boxing,” former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi said on ProBox TV’s “Deep Waters” on Tuesday. “You’re supposed to take on all comers.”
Malignaggi was responding to the suggestion that Alvarez, who’ll turn 34 next month, is following a path created by the sport’s former most popular fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr., who took an agonizing five years to agree to a bout against Manny Pacquiao that was ready to be made in 2010.
By the time it happened in 2015, Mayweather was vindicated because the bout set the all-time record for pay-per-view buys – 4.6 million – and generated more than $600 million in total revenue to become the most successful one-day sporting event of the decade.
“Mayweather did this later [in his career]; he did so much before,” like meeting a slew of bona-fide contenders including Arturo Gatti, Diego Corrales and, twice, Jose Luis Castillo,” Malignaggi said.
While Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is certainly entitled to similarly let the anticipation, and finances, grow over a showdown with Benavidez – Canelo has said he’ll take the fight for $150 million to $200 million – he does so at the peril of criticism.
Malignaggi was there to deliver it on the day Alvarez struck what appears to be a step-aside agreement with the IBF’s mandatory challenger William Scull so that he can apparently pursue a Sept. 14 bout against the WBA mandatory Edgar Berlanga.
An official connected to the events told BoxingScene, “I wouldn’t say that [scenario] is wrong,” with Alvarez empowered to confirm the details when he’s ready.
“This is an outright duck,” Malignaggi said. “Floyd Mayweather never had an outright duck like this.
“Canelo has set the standard at 168 pounds. He’s beaten all the champions. He deserves some respect, but get up for the defenses, bro. That’s your responsibility.”
Following his unanimous decision victory to claim the WBC interim light heavyweight title on Saturday night over the former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is expected to risk giving back that strap by remaining the WBC’s mandatory challenger to Alvarez.
Benavidez has been in that position for more than two years and, according to his promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, he is expected to sign and deliver an appeal letter to the WBC within the week.
The WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told BoxingScene last week he needs to receive that letter to consider his next step. While Lewkowicz and Benavidez would like Sulaiman to press Alvarez to accept the WBC mandatory or risk being stripped of his belt, Sulaiman said he admires a champion’s pursuit and ownership of undisputed status.
“We have been very open in every case to try and have a fighter get undisputed and stay undisputed,” Sulaiman said, explaining he only altered the title of the undisputed welterweight champion Terence Crawford because Crawford wanted to move up to junior middleweight for his Aug. 3 bout against the WBA champion Israil Madrimov. “We have done everything possible in all weight categories.”
Lewkowicz said he is not sure if Sulaiman will strip Alvarez of the 168-pound belt if the choice is Berlanga. “We will see what decision the WBC will make,” Lewkowicz said.
On “Deep Waters,” the Hall of Fame analyst Teddy Atlas said Benavidez’s move also has a financial consideration with an eye on what fight best suits him.
“He’s keeping the door open for a Canelo fight [because] that’s such a boatload of money,” said Atlas. “It’s going to take [Saudi Arabia’s] Turki Alalshikh coming in with that huge money. No one else is going to come in with the money Canelo wants.”
Benavidez also knows there’s an Oct. 12 undisputed light heavyweight title fight on the schedule between unbeaten Russian champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol – an elite bout that could easily generate a rematch that would make that title unavailable for the better part of one year from now.
“Two very special light heavyweights with speed, power, technique, with everything,” Atlas said. “You’ve got two monsters waiting over there.”
Malignaggi said he believes Benavidez will ultimately end up at 175 pounds, but said he’s smart to take this time to “make it plain and clear to see to the morons that Canelo can still fight him now.”
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