Canelo sets record straight: Why he picked Munguia, returned to PBC
And why he is not fighting David Benavidez
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LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez has long said that his preference was not to fight a fellow Mexican, so when plans were in the works for his Cinco de Mayo weekend bout this year he did not envision a countryman across the ring from him.
In fact, the original plans were for Alvarez to defend the undisputed super middleweight championship against WBC middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo. But after Alvarez so thoroughly outclassed his twin brother, then-undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo, in September it left the prospect of that fight as a non-starter.
There was zero fan interest, derision from the media and, most notably, no appetite from Premier Boxing Champions boss Al Haymon to pay for it under the terms of a three-fight deal he had made with Alvarez, because it was clear the fight would be a pay-per-view bomb. It led to a brief separation between Alvarez and PBC as Alvarez shopped for a new deal.
“The fight with (Jermall) Charlo is not exciting for the fans after his brother do what he do in the fight — nothing,” Alvarez told Fight Freaks Unite. “So, it's not going to be a good fight for the people.”
Alvarez was not interested in facing Mexican-American David Benavidez, the unbeaten WBC interim titleholder, but unbeaten Mexican Jaime Munguia?
Alvarez’s interest was piqued after Munguia, in his first bout under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, scored four knockdowns against veteran contender John Ryder and stopped him in the ninth-round in January.
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