David Benavidez’s handlers say undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez is barely hurting himself by avoiding the highest contender.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman on Monday advised Boxing Social that Alvarez has been ordered to defend the WBC title towards obligatory challenger Benavidez this 12 months or he’ll danger shedding the belt. Alvarez is free to combat anybody he desires on Could 4, which presumably means Sulaiman is pondering September for the showdown.
Nevertheless, Sampson Lewkowicz, Benavidez’s promoter, mentioned that he doesn’t anticipate his shopper to face Alvarez at any time this 12 months. He and Alvarez’s handlers evidently haven’t had critical negotiations.
“Canelo Alvarez will make his legacy and his legacy might be stained as a result of he didn’t combat the perfect presently, which is Benavidez,” Lewkowicz advised ProBox TV. “I feel the kids, possibly the grandchildren at some point, will ask him why he didn’t combat Benavidez as a result of [Canelo] says he desires the perfect fights, however that’s the perfect combat.
“Now he says he’s going to combat an American [on May 4]. At one second … it was [Jermall] Charlo. Now we don’t know who the American is perhaps. We’ve got an concept of who it is perhaps, however since I’m not concerned in these negotiations, I can’t say who it’s as a result of I don’t know. … I do know that Canelo’s legacy might be tarnished.”
Lewkowicz went on: “Now if he fights [Benavidez], it doesn’t matter if he wins or loses. The legacy of him goes to be the perfect for me within the historical past of Mexican boxing as a result of he went to combat the perfect, like [Julio Cesar] Chavez did, like Juan Manuel Marquez did, like [Marco Antonio] Barrera did, like so many high boxers did which have achieved glory.”
Alvarez mentioned final Tuesday that he plans to combat an American on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas however offered no additional data.
Charlo is rumored to be the main candidate however the 160-pound titleholder has been cagey when making reference to Alvarez, first saying that he hasn’t talked to supervisor Al Haymon since he outpointed Jose Benavidez Jr. (David’s brother) in November after which saying “nothing is official,” which appears to indicate that he’s Alvarez’s alternative.
Alvarez dominated out a possible combat with 147-pound champion Terence Crawford due to the load distinction.
The one different viable potential opponent from the US would appear to be unbeaten Edgar Berlanga. The unbeaten New Yorker, who’s scheduled to combat Padraig McCrory on Saturday, hopes to face Alvarez in Could however Alvarez hasn’t indicated he’s within the matchup.
An announcement ought to come quickly: Could 4 is barely 2½ months away.
