By: Sean Crose
After a stellar performance against fellow super-middleweight Caleb Plant a few weeks ago, David Benavidez found himself being hailed as the man who could conquer Canelo Alvarez. Just don’t count young welterweight world champion Regis Prograis as one of those who feel Benavidez can beat Canelo in the ring – at least not right now. “It was a brilliant performance,” Prograis said fightHub regarding Benavidez’s efforts against Plant. “I thought it was going to be like that.” However, Prograis feels much of Plant’s loss is related to Plant itself.
However, Prograis points out that Benavidez is catching up to Canelo’s skill set. “He’s close to that level with Canelo,” Prograis said, “but I don’t think right now. Canelo is just a step above me.” Yes, Prograis feels that’s still true now, even as some say Canelo is slipping due to last year’s loss to the light heavyweight title to Dmitry Bivol. “You can’t get rid of Canelo,” Prograis said. “Canelo is a beast. I don’t think he’s aged…he fought Bivol. He went up in a completely different weight class to fight Bivol… they create the weight classes for a reason.”
In fact, it’s clear to Prograis that it takes more than some people think to beat the redhead star. “You can’t count Canelo,” he said. “Canelo is one of the greatest people to ever do it.”
