David Benavidez, a prominent figure in the boxing world, believes he will become one of the sport’s biggest stars and top pound-for-pound fighters without needing help from undefeated super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), a two-time champion at 168 pounds who never lost his titles in the ring, has been the number one contender to Alvarez for three years and recently held the WBC interim title. However, he couldn’t convince the 33-year-old Mexican icon or the sanctioning bodies to arrange one of the biggest fights the sport could offer.
Instead, the 27-year-old “Mexican Monster” has decided to take matters into his own hands. This Saturday, he will move up to light heavyweight to challenge former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-1, 16 KOs) for the WBC interim title at 175 pounds.
“To be honest with you, I did everything in my power to make that fight happen,” Benavidez told CBS Sports at Thursday’s media day. “I defeated the fighters they said I couldn’t beat. I’ve been the number one contender for three years, but my hands were tied. I did everything possible to make it happen. The only reason this fight isn’t happening is because Canelo doesn’t want it to happen, because he knows damn well that when he faces me, I’m taking all his titles home.”
However, you won’t hear Benavidez going out of his way to accuse Alvarez of avoiding him, as many fans and critics have done. He has too much personal business to attend to.
If Benavidez wins, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority responsible for the country’s substantial boxing budget, has already designated him as the fighter to face the winner of October’s undisputed light heavyweight showdown between undefeated champions Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) and Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs).
“I can’t keep thinking about what [Alvarez] is doing and his strategy,” Benavidez said. “I’ve done my job perfectly. I think it will happen, but I don’t know when. I think this fight is too big to leave on the table like that. Everyone wants to see this fight, and I want to be in it too. I want to show people that I’m the best in the world, but I don’t know when that will happen.
“Since I was a kid, I never thought, ‘Oh, I want to face Canelo.’ My main goal is to be the best in whatever weight class I’m in, and I was trying to do that at 168 pounds. I tried to unify the titles, but I didn’t get the opportunity, so I moved up to 175 pounds. Now, this fight will put me in a position to fight for all the titles at 175, and I will continue to be a dominant force in whatever weight class I choose to fight in.”
Benavidez also confirmed earlier rumors from boxing trainer Stephen “Breadman” Edwards that he not only sparred with fighters like Bivol, Beterbiev, and Gvozdyk in the past but also had significant success.
“I got the better of all of them, and they know that too,” Benavidez said. “But I don’t want to disrespect any of them because they’re all great fighters. I know I have to be 100% prepared for each of them because all those guys are beasts.”
