David Benavidez by no means received to combat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez when each had been nonetheless at tremendous middleweight, when Benavidez was each the necessary challenger and the de facto prime remaining contender for Alvarez’s championship.
However that received’t hold Benavidez, who’s now a lightweight heavyweight contender, from having the ability to take pleasure in an anticipated combat between Alvarez and Terence Crawford, which might happen this September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, based on The Ring Journal.
“It’s a superb combat. It’s a superb combat for each of them,” Benavidez stated on The Ariel Helwani Present. “I believe it’s extra vital for Crawford than anyone, however I believe if anyone can beat Canelo, I believe Crawford might. I believe it’s simply the dimensions performs an enormous distinction. Nevertheless it’s a superb combat. I’ve no dangerous emotions towards that combat.”
Canelo turned professional at junior welterweight as a young person and has moved up through the years, unifying world titles and profitable the Ring championship at junior middleweight, turning into the lineal champion at middleweight, incomes undisputed standing at tremendous middleweight – the place he nonetheless owns three of the 4 main belts – and even briefly holding a title at mild heavyweight.
Crawford is a former Ring champion at light-weight, was undisputed at junior welterweight and welterweight, and now has a world title at junior middleweight. He could be shifting up two weight lessons to tackle Alvarez. And whereas Crawford is about the identical top as Alvarez, we’ve seen that weight lessons can matter – as when Jermell Charlo, then the undisputed champ at 154, appeared undersized towards Alvarez at 168 of their 2023 combat.
However Crawford has a reasonably good shot at victory within the eyes of Benavidez.
“I give him a 7 out of a ten,” Benavidez stated. “Crawford is nice. I believe he’s been understanding that he’s going to combat Canelo for a protracted, very long time. Crawford, he likes to choose up the weights, so I’m positive he’s been engaged on the weights for a protracted, very long time. Crawford, when an individual has a giant IQ like that, in the event you do sufficient weights and also you keep working for a very long time, you could have a puncher’s likelihood. You’ll be able to positively make the opposite man uncomfortable and damage him a pair occasions. Crawford’s a extremely good fighter. I wouldn’t be stunned if he wins.”
In the meantime, there’s nonetheless some disappointment from Benavidez that he didn’t get to face Alvarez himself – “Just a little bit, however I don’t wanna seem to be a hater,” he instructed Helwani – however Benavidez prefers to deal with what’s in entrance of him.
He’s simply headlined a pay-per-view with Saturday’s victory over David Morrell and stays in necessary place to problem the winner of the February 22 rematch between undisputed mild heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
“I’m blessed and I received my place proper right here. I’m in a giant place as properly,” Benavidez stated. “I’m simply glad for Crawford that he’s capable of get a giant combat like that, too.”
And he thinks a combat with Alvarez remains to be doable.
“I believe it is going to occur,” Benavidez stated. “I simply received to maintain doing what I’m doing. I believe now, what I’ve proven is I’m a sufficiently big title. David Morrell wasn’t actually that identified, however we nonetheless bought out 20,000 individuals in T-Cell Enviornment. I’m positive the pay-per-views [buys] are fairly good. I believe I’m making my case.
“And I nonetheless have a variety of room to develop. I don’t know when Canelo’s going to retire, however by the point perhaps in a pair years, this combat will most likely be even larger than it was when individuals first talked about it. I’ll have extra titles. Canelo will most likely have extra titles. And it’ll simply make for a much bigger combat – sort of like Mayweather-Pacquiao.”
