Jose Benavidez Sr. is furious with Canelo Alvarez for choosing to fight smaller opponents instead of his son, David Benavidez.
WBC super middleweight champion Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) will face Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) this Saturday, November 25th, on Showtime PPV. But from Benavidez and his father Jose Sr.’s perspective, it seems like Canelo could be the opponent this weekend.
Expressing an entitled attitude, the Benavidez duo believes Canelo should acknowledge them even though David has not faced notable opponents yet.
Ironically, Jose Sr.’s criticism of Canelo for fighting smaller competitors seems hypocritical as David Benavidez, a considerable 168-pound fighter, has been pitted against smaller opponents throughout his ten-year professional career.
Observing Benavidez’s drained appearance this week indicates that by dropping to 168 from his natural weight of 175 or 200, he is taking advantage of the system to face opponents of lesser stature, posing a risk of kidney damage due to dehydration.
Benavidez Sr. has continuously raised the topic of Canelo in his role as the promoter of Benavidez’s interim WBC super middleweight title fight against Demetrius Andrade, scheduled for Saturday night, November 25th on Showtime PPV.
Using Canelo’s Name Canelo has been consistently referenced by Team Benavidez as they promote the Benavidez vs. Andrade fight. There seems to be an attempt to pressure Canelo into fighting David, driven by the fans and the sanctioning body.
Whenever Canelo is brought up, Benavidez has little to say except for self-promotion, which becomes tiresome to listen to.
Canelo’s promoters have never acknowledged the possibility of losing and failed to provide a convincing rationale for choosing to fight 35-year-old Demetrious Andrade over others like Dmitri Bivol or David Morrell.
Jose Sr. Criticizes Canelo for Not Facing Benavidez
“Demetrius Andrade is a unique fighter. He was a two-time Olympian and has held two world titles in two weight classes,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. in a recent boxing news interview discussing the upcoming David Benavidez fight.
Addressing the matchup, Jose Sr. said, “It’s two different styles. He thinks he has the blueprint to defeat David., and I think there’s a blueprint for defeating Boo Boo. We’ll see on November 25th, but we’ll have to adjust to what he brings to the table. We are very excited and ready. I can’t wait for November 25th.”
The weaknesses of Benavidez’s approach have been demonstrated as Ronald Gavril and Caleb Plant came close to defeating him with their jabs and movement. If Plant hadn’t fought last March, he would have defeated Benavidez.
Benavidez’s physique at light heavyweight presents challenges, and fighting at 168 leaves him with less energy than he would possess at 175 pounds, where his strength would be greater.
“I’m tired of talking about Canelo Alvarez. He’s fighting little guys. “I was at 118,” Jose Sr. said. “Maybe we can talk about him moving up to 168. If he wants to fight at 118, we can definitely make that fight.”
If Benavidez Sr. truly wants to halt the discussions about Canelo, he should refrain from consistently bringing up the topic. Constantly complaining about wanting David to confront him only creates a sense of desperation.
“I don’t think Canelo wants to fight David Benavidez”. He’s trying to find any advantage he can. We saw him fight 154 Charlo. Look what happened,” Jose Sr. said.
“We’re trying to make our own history and create our own path. We’re trying to stay busy. I want to thank Al Haymon for every opportunity he’s given us and I We just have to get ready and stay busy,” Jose Sr. said.
If Canelo and Jose had focused more on fighting better opponents and complained less, Canelo might have considered fighting Benavidez much earlier. It is challenging for Canelo to take Benavidez seriously when he hasn’t faced the same level of competition.
Ronald Ellis
David Lemieux
Caleb Plant
Ronald Gavril
Romer Alexis Anglo
Anthony Dirrell
If Benavidez had faced Morel, Dmitri Bivol, or Artur Beterbiev years ago, Canelo might have given him an opportunity. However, since he hasn’t, Canelo overlooks him and sees him as one of many contenders fighting inferior opponents, seeking a payday.
Benavidez at 168, Will Move to 175 without a Significant Fight
“Like I said, if nothing happens at 168, I’ll definitely go to 175,” said Benavidez Sr. regarding his son David. “We’re going to campaign there at 175 and 168, no problem. Probably whoever wins that match, we’ll be in that match,” Benavidez Sr. discussed David’s plans in the 168 division and his desire to confront the winner of the Artur Beterbiev vs Callum Smith fight on January 13th.
If Benavidez misses the opportunity to fight Canelo next May, he will have to face David Morrell and possibly move up to 175 if he doesn’t want to face him.
“He [Andrade] is undefeated. No one wants to fight him. Everyone ran away from him.,” Jose Sr. said. “We know it will be a tough fight, but we need these fights to go to the next level and prove to everyone that David is ready to be the best at 168.”
Andrade, a 35-year-old left-handed fighter, is not popular and does not engage in a fan-friendly style. Benavidez didn’t have to face him, but chose him over Morel or Bivol.
“I don’t think winning will do him anything. I don’t think he’ll get credit for fighting a great fighter, but we’ll keep going,” Benavidez Sr. expressed doubts about David receiving recognition for defeating Andrade.
If Jose Sr. wanted Benavidez to gain acknowledgment from the fans for a win, he should have pitted him against one of the following fighters:
- David Morel
- Dmitry Bivol
- Jay Opetaia
- Artur Beterbiev
- Chris Billam Smith
- Richard Liakpohe
“We’re working hard and we’re going to fight anybody. For everyone who wants to fight, we’re not going to run away from anybody and let’s see what happens,” Jose Sr. stated. [Dmitry] Bivol.
“He beat Canelo and beat Zurdo Ramirez, so this is a fight we want to win as well. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll probably take Beterbiev.”
Simply using the names of light heavyweight champions Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev will not be sufficient for the boxing community to regard Benavidez seriously and fight against them, as he has previously shown a tendency to play it safe and choose to face Andrade, Caleb Plant, David Lemieux, and Kyrone Davis instead.
“They’re monsters in that division, and they’re the people we want to compete against,” Benavidez Sr. expressed his desire for a matchup between Bivol, Beterbiev, and Benavidez. Fighting either of them next instead of opting for another contender at 168 will confirm their intentions to the fans.
