Boxing

Canelo Alvarez Claimed David Benavidez Had Accomplished 'Nothing' Amid Fight Refusal

Canelo Alvarez has been making it clear for years that he has no interest in fighting David Benavidez.

Grant Young

Saul Alvarez, known as Canelo Alvarez, during the Award ceremony for the 2023 National Sports Award and Encouragement.
Saul Alvarez, known as Canelo Alvarez, during the Award ceremony for the 2023 National Sports Award and Encouragement. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has nothing to prove within the sport of boxing. His multiple world championships in four different weight classes, 62-2-2 professional record with 39 KOs, becoming the first and only boxer in history to be an undisputed super middleweight champion, and the many millions of dollars he has earned through his success in the ring proves that.

However, if one asterisk were to be placed on Canelo's otherwise impeccable resumé, many boxing fans would assert that it's how he's still never fought David Benavidez.

Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) has been calling for a fight against Canelo for years, as they were in the same weight class and Benavidez was inarguably the best boxer in the division aside from Canelo. Despite this, Canelo never agreed to fight Benavidez, which caused him to move up a weight division and seek a championship fight against either Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev.

Canelo has been asked about fighting Benavidez for at least three years now. And when a reporter dared to ask Canelo about this potential bout after his fight against Gennady Golovkin in September 2022, the legendary Mexican boxer seemed to have heard enough.

"I heard his dad talking a lot of s***," Canelo said of Benavidez, per a 2022 YouTube video from Fight Hub TV. "But look what he has accomplished: Nothing! One single champion, Anthony Dirrell. Please, don't disrespect myself."

Since then, all Benavidez has done is raise his profile and keep winning fights, with the most recent one being against elite prospect David Morrell in early February.

Alas, it seems unlikelier than ever that these two will meet in the ring.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Boxing, Women’s Basketball, and the New York Mets for On SI. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years, and he thinks it’s time that Canelo Álvarez fights David Benavidez.