Oscar De La Hoya thinks David Benavidez will beat Canelo Alvarez without much trouble. The former promoter and multi-weight world champion shared his thoughts in a recent chat with FightHype.
De La Hoya, who once secured a $365 million contract for Canelo, believes Benavidez has several advantages. He pointed out Benavidez's better arsenal, footwork, and impressive jab. The age difference also plays a big role in De La Hoya's prediction.
"I think Benavidez will win easy. He has the better arsenal, he has the better footwork. The jab is incredible. And just the fact that he's young, you have to take a look at that. For instance, it'll literally be like De La Hoya-Chavez, Benavidez-Canelo. I think it's the same age [gap]. And he's the bigger guy."
Canelo Alvarez has been a dominant force in boxing. He went unbeaten from 2013 to 2021, and in his nine fights at super-middleweight, no one has managed to beat him. However, many fans think he hasn't faced the division's toughest test yet in David Benavidez.
Benavidez, frustrated with waiting for a shot at Canelo, has moved up to light-heavyweight. Meanwhile, Canelo is set to defend his unified titles against Edgar Berlanga on September 14.
De La Hoya was quick to clarify that he's not trying to put Canelo down. He explained that his comments come from his experience as a fighter.
"I'm not knocking Canelo. I'm the one who got him a $365 million contract for five years. Why would I be knocking him? It's just ridiculous. When I talk about Canelo it's only criticising the ability inside the ring, because I can. I'm a fighter myself and I can critique and I have my opinion. I think Canelo has done amazing, he's still doing amazing. Is he slowing down? Naturally. He's getting older. That's what happens."
Canelo's career has been impressive, with 65 fights and only two losses. His first defeat came against Floyd Mayweather in 2013 when he was just 23. The second loss was to Dmitry Bivol in 2021, during Canelo's second attempt at light-heavyweight.
You can watch the full interview with Oscar De La Hoya on FightHype's YouTube channel.