Per ESPN, Canelo Alvarez and his team are finalizing a super middleweight defense against 22-0 fighter Edgar Berlanga. Although it is not confirmed, the rumored date for this fight is September 14th, 2024 at the T-Mobile Arena, which will also rival the UFC Noche card also taking place in Las Vegas, at the Sphere. However, that is not the main topic that is being discussed regarding this fight.
The main topic being discussed is Canelo’s willingness to fight anybody but David Benavidez. David Benavidez is someone who many fans believe has earned a rightful shot at the Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship but has not been granted one yet. This has led to those fans claiming that Canelo is ducking Benavidez and that he knows that David will give him the toughest fight.
What Has David Benavidez Done To Earn a Title Shot?
David Benavidez has gone 29-0 in his pro career so far, but the record is not what has earned him a rightful championship shot. That came when he faced off against Caleb Plant in March of 2023, and walked him down for 12 straight rounds, claiming a unanimous decision.
After that fight, Benavidez seemed like the clear guy who gets the next shot at Canelo, though that instead went to John Ryder. Although Ryder was a decent contender for Alvarez, it was clear that he was not as deserving as Benavidez. He went on to lose that fight in a dominating fashion via TKO, as many expected. Benavidez then fought another top contender Demetrius Andrade in November 2023, in a TKO win that fans thought would surely grant him a Canelo fight.
However, Canelo was then instead scheduled to defend against Jamie Munguia, increasing speculation of him ducking David Benavidez. Despite being 43-0, Munguia had never fought anyone that was on the level of Caleb Plant or Demetrius Andrade, and it was a very questionable decision for Canelo and his team to make this fight. To nobody’s surprise, Canelo once again won his fight, this time by decision.
Why Canelo Alvarez Won’t Fight Benavidez
Originally, Canelo had stated that he has never ducked anybody and that he will only fight who he deems worthy of a shot. He later changed the reasoning to a weight issue, stating that Benavidez comes into fight night much heavier. Although these explanations do have some truth to them, they do not hold much substance to wait out a fight like this, which is why many fans have claimed that Canelo is ducking.
After the Canelo vs Munguia fight, it seemed clear that David Benavidez was next to get a title shot. However, instead of waiting for Alvarez to give him one, Benavidez had decided to move up a weight class and make his debut in the light heavyweight division in a dominating win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Just weeks after this fight, Canelo now appears to be scheduled to fight Edgar Berlanga, someone who is undefeated but nowhere near the level of the champion. It seems as if Benavidez was destined for the next title shot, but didn’t want to wait around for Canelo to fight less deserving people. He has officially stated that he is no longer looking for that fight and instead wants to become Undisputed Champion in his new division.
What’s Next For Canelo and Benavidez?
At 175 pounds, Benavidez now has the opportunity to fight multiple top guys such as Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, and many others. Bivol and Beterbiev are scheduled to put all four world titles up on the line on October 12th, 2024, in a fight that will crown an Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship. Benavidez is most certainly going to be first in line for whichever fighter comes out on top in this upcoming super fight.
Canelo will likely look to get some more wins as Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion before calling it a day in that division as well. There have been some rumors about him potentially involving himself in a super fight with Terence Crawford, but there have been no reports of any talks between the two teams.
Alvarez will eventually move up to light heavyweight himself, as he has attempted to do so before but failed to win against Bivol, his only loss aside from Floyd Mayweather. This means that a future Canelo vs Benavidez fight is not completely out of the picture as they will both be seeing each other in the same weight class soon.
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