Boxing icon July Cesar Chavez Sr. backs Canelo Alvarez in his upcoming defense of the undisputed super middleweight championship on May 4th, coinciding with the Cinco de Mayo holiday. Chavez dismisses the notion that Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) is avoiding his WBC mandatory challenger David Benavidez, expressing confidence that the fight will eventually take place.
Canelo has already ruled out facing Benavidez for his May 4th bout, as well as Jaime Munguia and Terence Crawford. This leaves a pool of potential opponents for Canelo to choose from.
Chavez believes that when Canelo eventually faces Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), it will be a challenging fight due to David’s size and strength in the 168-pound division. However, Chavez does not address why Benavidez himself is not taking risks by facing other formidable opponents such as David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, Jai Opetaia, or Dmitry Bivol.
There is speculation that Benavidez is fighting outside of his natural weight division, either at light heavyweight or cruiserweight, in order to capitalize on his size and secure lucrative fights against Canelo before moving up to where he truly belongs.
Regarding Canelo’s May 4th opponent, Chavez commented, “Whoever it is going to be is a worthy adversary for Saul. I don’t know if he’s avoiding Benavidez. He doesn’t avoid any fighter. These things happen in boxing. Sooner or later, they will face off against Benavidez, a fight that everyone eagerly anticipates. However, the decision ultimately lies with Saul. I cannot speak ill of Canelo because he has shown me great respect. He has earned everything he has achieved through hard work. He has the right to choose his opponents. Of course, the organizations have the authority to enforce mandatory challengers, but it all depends on Canelo.”
Chavez also shared his thoughts on Munguia, stating that the young fighter has potential but needs further refinement. He believes Munguia should engage in a couple more fights at 168 pounds to truly showcase his abilities. Chavez also expressed his opinion on a potential matchup between Munguia and Benavidez, acknowledging the challenges Munguia would face against the taller and stronger Benavidez in the super middleweight division, which would pose difficulties even for Canelo.
According to the Source boxingnews24.com