“The way he talk, he thinks he’s a Superman…He’s accomplished nothing.” In just a few words, the two-time undisputed super middleweight champ, Canelo Alvarez, had made David Benavidez taste what embarrassment looks like. According to the 63-2 boxer, Benavidez had no recognizable achievements whatsoever, and Canelo wouldn’t have agreed to fight someone like that, at least not for something less than a $200 million purse.
So what did the Phoenix native do? Frustrated by Canelo’s avoidance, he moved up a weight class to the light heavyweight division. Now, the 28-year-old proudly holds the WBC title at 175 lbs. However, he has run into the same problem he faced in the super middleweight division. The undisputed title fight eludes him. Regardless, he is hopeful. He is confident he will get a chance to hold the undisputed status in either of the weight classes. But what about someone who has a shot at that right now? Well. David Benavidez has some sound advice for the man, too.
Two days ago, the Phoenix native made an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. Talking to the hosts, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, nearly thirty-eight minutes into the video, Cejudo asked Benavidez if Terence Crawford, who is all set to face Canelo Alvarez for the undisputed super middleweight title on September 13, could win against Canelo. Confident in the Omaha native’s skills, the Mexican Monster declared, “I think if anybody has a chance to beat Canelo, I think it’s Terence Crawford. His IQ is on another level. He’s a great fighter and he’s strong.”
Image Courtesy: Imago
However, speaking about the weight concern, Benavidez added, “It’s just that it’s a lot of weight, you know what I mean? He didn’t have a hard time at 154 [pounds], but…the other guy [Israil Madrimov] was getting him [hit] with some good punches…So he could feel the [opponent’s] power at 154 [pounds]…Imagine going up to 160 [pounds].“
But he said Canelo could win too, since he is the bigger guy with more experience. Benavidez then summed it up in a single line: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Terence Crawford wins, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he loses either.” He also added that in case the 37-year-old does the unthinkable and manages a win against Canelo, a fight with Terence Crawford could entice him to move back down to 168 lbs. That being said, it’s likely that David Benavidez would fight another fighter before fighting either Canelo or Crawford.
David Benavidez has two targets at hand
In the same podcast, the WBC light heavyweight champion also revealed that he has his eyes set on Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde next. Clearly stating that it is going to be Smith next, Benavidez said, “So right now, uh, we’re thinking about either Callum Smith or Anthony Yarde. Obviously, those are the two top guys in that division. More likely Callum Smith.” And why not? The British boxer is currently the WBO interim champion.
Securing a win against 35-year-old Callum Smith would make it impossible for Dmitry Bivol to deny him a fight. And that is exactly what Benavidez told the hosts. Revealing the possible location for a Benavidez-Smith fight, he said, “We’re kind of thinking about making that fight happen here in the U.S. And then, that’s also going to put me one step closer to fight these guys [Bivol/Beterbiev], because I have the WBA—I’m the world champion at WBC—and then after I beat Callum Smith, I’ll have the WBO.“
So, no matter how much Benavidez had to beg the top boxers for a fight until now, the future surely looks hopeful for the young champion. What are your thoughts on that?
The post David Benavidez Issues Strong Message to Terence Crawford Amid Canelo Alvarez Showdown Talks appeared first on EssentiallySports.