Canelo-Benavidez should be next. This ain't rocket science
Plus TONS of random thoughts: Inactivity crisis; shame on Tim Bradley; all hail little guys; MVP's bad call; laughable Davis-Benn talk; Teofimo's inconsistency; fake Shakur retirement; 5 dream bouts
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The mental gymnastics over who Canelo Alvarez should fight on May 4 on a PBC/Amazon Prime Video PPV are hilarious when there is really only one right answer, and it’s a fight that would be relatively easy to make.
Obviously, the top opponent — by far — to challenge the undisputed super middleweight champion is David Benavidez, who is 28-0 with 24 KOs, the WBC mandatory challenger/interim titlist, and a growing attraction. Why isn’t this fight already made when it’s so crystal clear it’s the fight to do?
They are both with PBC and Benavidez has more than earned the shot with back-to-back clear big wins over former titleholders. He knocked out then-unbeaten Demetrius Andrade in November in a one-sided beat down and won via unanimous decision in a fight he dominated in the second half against Caleb Plant, whose only other loss was to Alvarez.
If Canelo wants the fight it could be made in short order. Benavidez and his promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, want the fight. They are not going to be hard to make a deal with.
Yes, Alvarez has more than earned the right to pick and choose his opponents at this stage of his great (a word I do not use lightly) career. However, there aren’t any more appealing opponents and he has also always said he would fight the fights the fans want to see. This is one of those fights.
Canelo is the undisputed champion but Benavidez is the undisputed No. 1 contender. He is the people’s mandatory.
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