Canelo Alvarez reportedly said no to a huge $70 million offer to fight David Benavidez. This news came out as Alvarez gets ready for his September fight with Terence Crawford.
Alvarez, the 34-year-old Mexican boxer, will put his WBC, WBA, and WBO super middleweight titles on the line against Crawford. The exact date in September hasn't been announced yet.
Before this matchup was set, it looks like Alvarez had another big opportunity on the table. Benavidez, known as "The Mexican Monster," claims Alvarez turned down a massive payday to face him.
In an interview with ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT, Benavidez said:
"They offered him $70 million to fight me that's before pay-per-view, you guys can call Al Haymon and ask him that, imagine after pay-per-view."
Benavidez isn't sitting around waiting, though. He's moved up to light heavyweight after becoming the WBC mandatory challenger at super middleweight last year. He now holds the WBC 'interim' light heavyweight title and boasts an impressive record of 29 wins, no losses, with 24 knockouts.
His next fight is set for February 1 against David Morrell, who has a perfect 11-0 record.
Despite the missed opportunity, Benavidez seems open to facing Alvarez in the future. He said:
"I knew one day people were gonna ask for that fight and I feel like it's amazing how much attention this fight is getting, and I think even winning more right now the more he's putting it off."
A showdown between Canelo and Benavidez could be a massive event for the Mexican-American community. For now, fans will have to wait and see if this fight ever comes together.
