SUMMARY
- David Benavidez was touted to be the next opponent for Canelo Alvarez.
- Alvarez's trainer, Eddy Reynoso has denied claims of being offered a $55 million purse for the fight.
Canelo Alvarez is one of the most sought-after boxers on the planet and rightfully so. Pound for pound the second-best boxer in the world, the Mexican has been in the news lately. With his next fight drawing nearer by the day, there have been a lot of talks and controversies behind the scenes.
Previously, Saul Alvarez marked a dominant return to the ring with his win over Jermell Charlo. Although his opponent did not show any intention to try and win the fight, Alvarez did his part and rightfully emerged victorious on the night. Since then, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding who his next opponent will be and when the fight will take place. Among the list of opponents, David Benavidez was the prime candidate.
‼️ David Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz has declared that Al Haymon’s PBC have now offered Canelo Alvarez a guaranteed purse of $55million to fight Benavidez next, who will be moving up to light-heavyweight to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk instead if he turns it down.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 22, 2024
As such, it was reported that preliminary discussions were underway and Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz even quoted a fight purse for Canelo. Following Benavidez’s WBC interim super-middleweight title win over David Lemieux in 2022, Alvarez was meant to be his next mark. Unfortunately, due to the Mexican’s busy schedule, a fight could not be made.
Canelo Alvarez’s trainer denied claims of a $55 million fight purse
However, despite initial excitement, talks soon died down, and both fighters were expected to fight other names. With that said, new information has come to light, scrutinizing comments made by David Benavidez’s camp. As it turns out, the aforementioned fight purse quoted by the camp of Benavidez was not true and no offer was made to the side of Canelo Alvarez.
Recently, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman revealed that Canelo would likely not be Benavidez’s next opponent. Shortly after, it was revealed that ‘The Mexican Monster’ would take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk. As such, the interim light heavyweight championship would be on the line. Notably, it was stated that Benavidez sought the move to 175lbs after no response from Saul Alvarez’s camp.
‼️ Canelo Alvarez’s trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso has now denied that they have been offered a guaranteed purse of $55million by Al Haymon’s PBC to fight David Benavidez next. Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz made this claim, but has since deleted his post. [@ESPNmx]
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 23, 2024
As such, Canelo’s trainer/promoter Eddy Reynoso has revealed that they never received any offer of a $55 million purse. Previously reported by talkSPORT correspondent Michael Benson, it was also revealed that Sampson Lewkowicz, who originally made the claim, has since deleted the post. Thus, the general feeling around the matter is that Canelo’s name was used to create hype for Benavidez’s next fight.
Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next?
Naturally, a lot is to be sorted out, and there is still no word on an opponent for Canelo either. Previously, the Mexican fighter revealed that he wished to fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend. To be more precise, Alvarez claimed that his next fight would be on May 4, against an American opponent. For the most part, the names being touted are Jaime Munguia and Jermall Charlo.
Although Terence Crawford has also called for a fight against Alvarez, it is seen as an unlikely possibility for now. In the meantime, reports suggest that Al Haymon’s PBC is ready to splash $35 million for Saul to fight Jaime Munguia. Notably, the promotion wants Canelo to do away with the idea of fighting the elder Charlo twin. According to the PBC, a fight with Munguia is a much more beneficial business proposition.
At the same time, Alvarez would still be swayed to fight Jermall, seeing that he is the better fighter. Not only is he better than his brother, but the two were originally intended to fight as well. With a dominant showing against Jose Benavidez Jr., “The Future of Boxing” marked a triumphant return after two years out. As such, he stated that he was finally fit and ready to give The Mexican King a run for his money.