Daniel Jacobs thinks superstar Canelo Alvarez is avoiding a fight with David Benavidez in favor of “other arenas” to leave the fight on a high note.
Jacobs’ call for Canelo vs. Benavidez
Former IBF/WBA middleweight champion Jacobs would like to see Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs), the undefeated 168 lb champion, fight Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) “next.”
Benavidez is currently Canelo’s WBC bantamweight at 168, but that could change if he chooses to retain the WBC light heavyweight bantamweight he recently won with his twelve-round unanimous decision over former 175-lb champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
The World Boxing Council has given Benavidez two weeks to decide which of the two mandatory rankings he wants to keep: 168 or 175. He can’t keep both.
Canelo, 33, was open to fighting Benavidez and even invited him to the ring after his 12-round unanimous decision win over Jaime Munguia on May 4, but his asking price for the bout is $200 million.
It is a fair price for such a war, but so far, none of the big promoters or money men have been willing to give him the dough.
Canelo’s Concerns and Benavidez’s Status
“I would like to see that fight against Benavidez. I think that’s the next battle he has to fight. It’s something the fans want, that’s why they’re so serious about him,” said Daniel Jacobs talking to Fighthype about wanting to see Canelo Alvarez fight David Benavidez in a tough fight.
Canelo has said that Benavidez only gives him 25 pounds on fight night, and he has a point. Benavidez is a light heavyweight in terms of size, but he’s not a big puncher. His fight last year against Demetrius Andrade, headlined on November 25, 2023, reportedly brought in the lowest PPV numbers on Showtime.
“Benavidez is a big, strong, powerful fighter, and he is still the next one. I think maybe Canelo avoids that and tries to choose and go to other fields to get out of the limelight,” said Jacobs.
Benavidez’s Alleged Dodging & Jacobs’ Motivation
Benavidez, 27, isn’t “next” at 168 because he’s fighting on loan at 168 and should be campaigning at 175 because of his size. He has told himself that the only fight he wants at 168 is Canelo.
If Benavidez goes back to 168, he’s not “next” in the super middleweight division because he’s going back to the division for that one fight. Besides, Benavidez is a light heavyweight, and he wants to fight Canelo to get money and increase the fame he will get by fighting him.
Many feel that Benavidez has been cheating on David Morrell Jr., the former WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion, who has called him out numerous times. That’s the fight Benavidez should have taken instead of facing 35-year-old Demetrius Andrade last November. Benavidez has no room to say that Canelo is avoiding him if he does something about avoiding Morrell.
In a competitive match, Daniel Jacobs lost a twelve-round decision against Canelo on May 4, 2019. Interestingly, since then, Jacobs’ career has slowed to a crawl, as he has fought only three times.
Some boxing fans believe that the big pay day Jacobs gets to fight Canelo has reduced his desire to stay busy with his career. So, he has only had three drinks in the last five years.
Jacobs returns to the ring this Saturday night, July 6, to face Shane Mosley Jr. in a 10-round fight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
This will be Jacob’s first fight since his twelve round decision loss to John Ryder on February 12, 2022, in London, England. In that fight, Jacobs gassed after six rounds and was knocked out by Ryder in the second round of the fight.
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