Former undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez can’t seem to get rid of the chip on his shoulder, as the David Benavidez question keeps coming back to haunt him. The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer is scheduled to square off against IBF title holder William Scull on May 2nd, which will put him on a collision course with Terence Crawford.
Despite the exciting fights Canelo has agreed to make, the Mexican superstar continues to be criticized for avoiding a fight against ‘Interim’ WBC and WBA light heavyweight champion David Benavidez. Prior to making the move to 174 pounds, ‘The Mexican Monster’ waited for over a year to fight Canelo Alvarez.
However, the fight never materialized despite Benavidez’s status as the WBC mandatory challenger for Canelo. In the past, Canelo claimed he would charge $200 million for a potential fight against Benavidez, attracting backlash. Regardless, when pressed recently about why the fight hasn’t happened, Canelo claimed Benavidez is disrespectful and hasn’t achieved anything in his career to warrant an opportunity to fight.
“With the way he talks, he thinks he’s Superman,” Canelo told Fight Hype. “He’s very disrespectful, not just with me but with everybody, and he’s accomplished nothing. [And] he’s not even a champion. He’s not even in my weight class [168 anymore].” Since these claims, David Benavidez’s father/trainer, Benavidez senior, has fired back at the legendary boxer.
“I saw. He’s right,” Benavidez’s father said sarcastically. “David has not accomplished anything; Berlanga has accomplished a lot; Munguia accomplished a lot,” he highlighted the hypocrisy in Canelo’s claims. “They accomplished more than David has, right? That’s why he fought them, but he doesn’t want to give David an opportunity because he’s not a champion, he hasn’t accomplished anything, he wants $200 million.”
Benavidez Sr. claimed Canelo Alvarez knows very well that his son would “f**k you up, beat you up bad,” so ‘Cinnamon’ is making every excuse in the book to avoid the fight. He also added that if Canelo thinks his son hasn’t accomplished anything, “why [not fight him] easy money, right? Payday.”
Benavidez Sr., frustrated by the situation, added, “I mean whatever Canelo says, he’s just a clown in my mind.” Meanwhile, David Benavidez has also responded to Canelo’s claims against him.
David Benavidez criticizes Canelo Alvarez for taking easier fight
David Benavidez has once again criticized Canelo Alvarez for avoiding a showdown with him, claiming the undisputed super middleweight champion prefers easier fights. With an unblemished record of 30-0 and 24 knockouts, Benavidez believes he’s the rightful opponent. “I feel like my name isn’t mentioned because I am the most dangerous fighter out there, but for the least amount of money,” Benavidez told Mystic Zach.
He took issue with Canelo choosing to face Terence Crawford, a much smaller opponent moving up from 147 lbs. “He wanted to fight someone who was coming up… not to say that it’s going to be an easy fight because Terence Crawford is a great fighter, but… it would be better for the people if he would fight somebody in his own weight class.” While being ignored stings, Benavidez says it only fuels his fire. “It gives me further motivation proving that I am dangerous.”
That said, it appears there’s nothing Canelo Alvarez can say to justify avoiding David Benavidez, as team Benavidez continues to retaliate with tit for tat. What are your thoughts on the matter?
The post Calls Mount on Canelo Alvarez Over $200M Snub as Team Benavidez Retaliates After Disrespect appeared first on EssentiallySports.