David Benavidez has moved up to light heavyweight after chasing a fight with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez for years. The 28-year-old boxer recently opened up about his frustrations with the unified super-middleweight champion.
Benavidez spent a long time trying to get a shot at Canelo. He fought his way to become the WBC mandatory challenger and faced growing pressure from fans to make the fight happen. But Alvarez didn't seem too interested in the bout.
In a recent interview with Miami WQAM, Benavidez summed up his issue with Canelo:
"It's not even about him, I don't care what he does, but he was kind of blocking my chance at greatness, going up against the four titles. I know a lot of people do that in boxing, that's not really my business, but that's the one I did have a problem with. Canelo Alvarez."
Benavidez didn't hold back when talking about Canelo's recent opponents. He mentioned John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia, and Edgar Berlanga. He had some strong words about the potential Berlanga fight:
"I wouldn't have had a problem with that fight if Edgar Berlanga had went out there and put everything on the line. He didn't do s**t. He didn't do anything, just defence the whole fight not trying to get knocked out."
The former super-middleweight champ believes he knows why Canelo hasn't fought him. "That's why Canelo is avoiding me. Because he knows I'm putting everything in that ring," Benavidez said. He added, "I'm not leaving nothing to chance. I'm working my ass off and I have 100% confidence in myself. I know whoever I get in the ring with, I'm gonna end up winning."
Benavidez feels the public is on his side. "There's only one guy that everybody wants to see Canelo fight and that's me," he claimed.
But Benavidez isn't waiting around anymore. He's moved up to 175 pounds and now holds the WBC Interim title. He's set to defend that title against David Morrell on February 1 in what many expect to be an early fight of the year contender.
If Benavidez wins, he'll be next in line for the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol undisputed rematch happening later that month. It looks like Benavidez is ready to make his mark in a new weight class, with or without Canelo.
