By Dan Ambrose: Former 2-time WBC tremendous middleweight champion David Benavidez is assured that he’ll defeat 3-belt champion Canelo Alvarez when he lastly will get his shot to struggle him.
Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) is going through Jose Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs) in a WBC title eliminator subsequent month on November thirteenth on Showtime Championship Boxing on the Footprint Middle, Phoenix, Arizona.
With a victory over the previous IBF 168-lb champion Uzcategui, Benavidez, 24, will lock himself in as Canelo’s obligatory.
Except Canelo chooses to vacate his WBC belt or if IBF champion Caleb Plant beats him of their undisputed conflict on November sixth, he’ll must face Benavidez.
Final 12 months, Benavidez misplaced his WBC tremendous middleweight title when he got here in obese at 170 3/4 kilos for his protection towards Roamer Alexis Angulo on August fifteenth, 2020.
Though Benavidez gained the struggle by a ten spherical technical resolution over Angulo, he nonetheless misplaced his title on the scales. Canelo took benefit of Benavidez’s misfortune by defeating Callum Smith 4 months later in December 2020 to seize the vacant WBC 168-lb title.
Since then, Benavidez has been engaged on making an attempt and recapturing his WBC title. He’s fought as soon as in defeating Ronald Ellis by an eleventh spherical knockout final March, and now he’s going through Uzcategui on November thirteenth.
Benavidez assured of beating Canelo
“I’m all the time going to trust in myself. I really feel like I can beat him,” mentioned David Benavidez to Struggle Hub TV about Canelo. “And I seen a variety of issues that I do know I can benefit from.
“I feel the factor that Canelo’s opponents, they haven’t had energy. The final ones [Billy Joe Saunders and Avni Yildirim] haven’t had energy.
“You want energy to maintain Canelo off of you, or else he’s going to be proper there all night time. That’s the factor with me. I really feel like I’m the toughest hitter at 168.
“And I really feel like 24 wins with 21 knockouts, so I undoubtedly obtained the products to provide Canelo a great struggle.
“I obtained an important jab, nice physique pictures, nice velocity, and I placed on a variety of stress too. I really feel like that’s the kind of fighter Canelo is when he fights,” Benavidez mentioned.
There’s a great likelihood Benavidez will beat Canelo as a result of the Mexican famous person’s work charge is dropping off to the extent the place he would want a knockout or questionable judging for him to defeat him.
With Benavidez’s offense and glorious chin, he would put the judges in a difficult place in the event that they gave Canelo the victory in a struggle he was badly outworked.
For Canelo to beat Benavidez, he would want to extend his punch output to a degree we haven’t seen in a few years. I don’t know if he can try this at this level in his profession.
Benavidez ready for his alternative
“He hasn’t had an opponent that has given him a variety of bother like that,” mentioned Benavidez. “All of them appear to be defeated. With me, it’s going to be the precise reverse. I’ve a variety of confidence, I’m motivated, and I consider in myself, and I do know I’m going to be the one which beats Canelo.
“There are lots of people that assist me and lots of people that suppose Canelo will beat me. That simply offers me extra motivation to go on the market and work as onerous as potential to get the victory and shut all of the haters up.
“There’s a lot of motivation for this struggle [Jose Uzcategui], and I’m ready for my alternative. Like I mentioned, I’m going to be the one which beats Canelo.
“I don’t care the place I struggle him. I simply need to get within the ring with him. Texas can be nice. If I might struggle in entrance of 73,000 folks like they simply fought. You bought two Mexican fighters. I don’t see why we wouldn’t promote the stadium out,” mentioned Benavidez.
If Canelo chooses to bypass Benavidez or vacate his tremendous middleweight titles, he’ll must go after the vacant belt.
We noticed how Canelo needed no half in combating Gennadiy Golovkin in his early 30s and pushing onerous to struggle him. It wasn’t till GGG was 36 earlier than Canelo combating fought him.
Canelo will most likely ignore Benavidez and never give him the struggle he’s been asking for towards him.
With Benavidez, Canelo can’t wait him out till he’d outdated and previous it in the best way that many boxing followers consider he did towards Golovkin. It hurts Canelo extra if he waits three to 6 years earlier than he fights Benavidez.
David gained’t again up
“I don’t get backed up an excessive amount of, and I don’t let folks push me to the ropes,” mentioned Benavidez when informed that Canelo backs up most of his opponents to the ropes. He might strive.
“I might like to see him strive, however I really feel that the distinction between the opposite guys he’s fought and me is I’m stronger than all the blokes he’s fought.
“We simply need to see how he reacts to the punches. As soon as I hit that proper spot, I do know I’ll harm anyone; it doesn’t matter who it’s.
“So, if I hit him with the proper physique shot, proper hook, some good uppercuts, I do know I can harm that man. I’ve a wonderful jab,” mentioned Benavidez.
Alvarez can beat fighters that don’t again up on him, however clearly, most of his opponents have all the time backed up towards him. If Benavidez doesn’t again up, he’s going to want a great chin as a result of Canelo shall be hitting him with some huge pictures.
Canelo deserves credit score if he beats Plant
“The opposite fighters he’s fought, they didn’t have a wonderful jab,” Benavidez mentioned of Canelo. That’s why Canelo can go in there and do what he needs to do as a result of no one retains him off of him.
“No person throws a jab, and no one retains him at a distance. So there’s a variety of issues that I do that might actually again him up with my energy pictures and physique pictures.
“I simply obtained to get in there and see how issues go, however I really feel like I’m very assured what I can do to him.
“If you struggle Canelo, you need to be per the jab. My jab isn’t like all regular jab. My jab is sort of a proper hand.
“There are a variety of issues that I can do to doubtlessly harm Canelo if I do the proper stuff. If he wins the IBF belt, he’ll have all of the belts, and also you’ve obtained to provide credit score the place credit due.
“Simply because I misplaced my [WBC super middleweight title] and he [Canelo] gained it from any individual else [Callum Smith], I’m not going to say that he doesn’t deserve the belt or that he doesn’t need to be undisputed.
“If he wins the IBF title [from Caleb Plant], and he has all of the belts, then he deserves to be known as undisputed,” Benavidez mentioned.
Canelo will deserve credit score if he beats Plant to turn out to be the undisputed tremendous middleweight champion on November sixth. However with that mentioned, you need to have a look at the blokes he’s overwhelmed to earn that distinction.
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Callum Smith
- Rocky Fielding
None of these former 168-lb champions are thought of the identical degree as Benavidez, Gennadiy Golovkin, David Morrell Jr., Dmitry Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, Joe Smith Jr., or Carlos Gongora.
You gained’t have the ability to give Canelo full credit score if he turns into the undisputed champion at 168 as a result of his opposition has been too poor.
Benavidez ready for the chance
“I do know finally I’m going to get that chance,” mentioned Benavidez about him believing he’ll get a title shot towards Canelo finally. “I’m not going to shuttle speaking s***.
“I make a mistake [in failing to make weight], and he picked up the belt as a result of he obtained the chance.
“I do know I’m going to get my likelihood, and I do know I’m going to be greater than prepared when that chance comes. Like I mentioned, I would be the one to shock the world. It’s going to be a conflict.
“I do know Canelo is a superb fighter, however I’m an important fighter as effectively. I’m not laying down for no one, so I do know it’s going to be a conflict,” mentioned Benavidez about him combating Canelo quickly.
We’ll see which path Canelo takes if he efficiently defeats Caleb Plant on November sixth of their tremendous middleweight undisputed conflict.
Sadly for Benavidez, it’s unlikely that Canelo will maintain onto his 4 titles at 168. Canelo might be going to vacate the belts and transfer as much as 175.
If he does keep at 168, he’ll seemingly take a calculated danger by combating somebody like Jermall Charlo or Errol Spence Jr. Benavidez is just too huge of a danger for Canelo, and it goes towards his career-long sample.
