Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has named his price for a long-awaited showdown with David Benavidez. Canelo says he’ll fight Benavidez only if the paycheck justifies the risk.
Canelo has repeatedly been accused of ducking Benavidez with many disappointed that he fought Jaime Munguia over the weekend instead. Calls for Canelo to fight Benavidez only intensified after the undisputed super middleweight champion defeated Munguia via unanimous decision on May 4.
In a March kickoff press conference for the Munguia fight, Alvarez named his price for the showdown with Benavidez. He said it would take between $150 million and $200 million for the risk associated with the matchup.
Canelo addressed those demands again on Thursday. The undisputed champ said it would take $200 million — more than five times Canelo’s reported $35 million payout, per boxing journalist Dan Rafael, for the Munguia fight. Canelo’s biggest point of contention is the weight discrepancy between him and Benavidez.
“All I see is that Benavidez weighs 25 or 30 pounds more than I do on the day of the fight,” Alvarez told press at a charity golf event on Wednesday. “I have no problem with that, but if you want me to fight with him it’s $200 million.”
The high price tag evoked thoughts of Saudi Arabia. The country is moving mountains to procure boxing’s biggest bouts, including the long overdue undisputed heavyweight title fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on May 18. Canelo didn’t close the door on Saudi Arabia but further moved the financial goalpost.
“If they pay me twice as much as I earn, yes,” Alvarez said. “But if they are going to want to pay the same, why the hell?”
WBC interim super middleweight champion Benavidez (28-0) recently defeated Demetrius Andrade in six rounds to retain his interim title. Some worry it’s now or never for Alvarez vs. Benavidez as the latter prepares to fight Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC interim light heavyweight title in June.
