Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez won't fight David Benavidez anytime soon. The unified super-middleweight champion says Benavidez's disrespectful approach is the main reason.
Benavidez, the youngest super-middleweight champion in history, has tried hard to get a fight with Canelo. He won the WBC Interim belt and became the mandatory challenger. But his efforts fell short, and Canelo didn't budge.
Canelo told Benavidez he "brings nothing to the table" and even set a $200 million price tag on the bout. Now, Canelo explains why he's not interested in the fight.
In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Canelo said:
"Yeah. You know, at this point I fight with everybody, with champions, with all the best. When somebody approach you like that, and call you out like that, you don't need to give them money. Like I say, I can do whatever I want. I just don't like the way he approaches taking the fight."
Canelo has dominated the super-middleweight division since moving up in 2018. He's also fought twice at light-heavyweight. Meanwhile, Benavidez has moved up to light-heavyweight and looks unlikely to drop back down.
The Mexican star contrasted Benavidez's approach with that of Terence Crawford. Canelo praised Crawford for being respectful in calling him out, saying: "He's wanted the fight and being respectful. 'I want Canelo.' He's saying nothing bad about me."
Reports suggest Canelo and Crawford are close to agreeing on a fight. Crawford would move up two divisions from his last outing for this bout.
Despite the current situation, Canelo hasn't completely ruled out a future fight with Benavidez. He added: "You never know. Maybe someday I wake up and I say I want to beat this guy."
For now, it seems Benavidez's recent comment calling Canelo "a f***ing pussy" has only pushed the fight further away.
