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David Benavidez explains why he didn't push for Canelo fight at 175
Starting at the back end of 2021, one of the most anticipated fights boxing fans wanted to see was then-undisputed super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and then-interim WBC 168-pound titlist David Benavidez.
Unfortunately, for reasons that have never truly been explained and for as much as Benavidez continuously pushed for it, Alvarez didn't want what had the potential to be one of the most lucrative fights of this decade. It seemed less likely once Benavidez moved up to light heavyweight and became an interim WBC and WBA (regular) champion, while Alvarez still had all four belts at 168 pounds. A light appeared to beacon when Alvarez lost his titles in September against Terence Crawford. Nothing was holding Alvarez back from moving up to a weight class where he battered Sergey Kovalev in November 2019 to capture the WBO light heavyweight title.
Intriguing styles make for classic between Benavidez and Zurdo
Watch: Tactical breakdown of both fighters
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) already had his next fight mapped out. After destroying Anthony Yarde in the latter half of November, Benavidez announced that he would be jumping up to cruiserweight to fight unified champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez. And that showdown will be happening this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on DAZN PPV.
Why not try to revisit a Canelo fight even at 175 since Benavidez now has gold and has become significantly more marketable in the last five years with dominant victories over Yarde, Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and David Morrell?
"A Canelo fight was out of reach," Benavidez told DAZN News. I think you guys know that Canelo doesn't want that fight. The reason why I took this fight with Zurdo Ramirez is because I wasn't able to get the fight with Dmitry Bivol either.
"That fight is why I put all this work in, because that fight was for all the titles. So, for me to just stay around and to fight a Callum Smith or a (Joshua) Buatsi or even fight a (Artur) Beterbiev for no title, I think it made sense for me to go and chase the accolades. This fight is for two belts. Once I win this fight, I'll become a champion in a third weight class."
For Benavidez, if he gets past Ramirez on Saturday night, the targets for him remain the same, and that is to continue to make the biggest fights with significant stakes.
"After I win the belts, I'm coming back down and still looking for these fights at 175," Benavidez said. "My goal isn't to leave 175. My goal is just to make a bigger fight at cruiserweight, come back down, and then win the belts at 175."
Benavidez vs. Zurdo on DAZN PPV
Watch David Benavidez versus Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez on DAZN PPV this Saturday, May 2. Buy as a one-off PPV or get it included with the DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription, which also includes the Wardley vs. Dubois (May 9), Usyk vs. Verhoeven (May 23), Fury vs. Hall (June 13), and Zayas vs. Ennis (June 27) PPVs without any extra one-off costs.
For pricing, more information, and to sign up to watch, click here.
