For years, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez left the door open to a possible fight with long-time rival David Benavidez, though continually took on lesser challenges.
Now, the Mexican legend’s manager and trainer, Eddy Reynoso, has slammed the door shut on that super-fight.
“We’re going to stay at super middleweight for now,” Reynoso told Ring Magazine.
Canelo weighed 164 pounds for his fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2017 but made his proper super middleweight bow the following year, beating Rocky Fielding by third-round knockout. He has since defeated the likes of Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant at super middleweight.
In the years since, Benavidez surged up the rankings, clubbing Plant and Demetrius Andrade, among others, to brutal victory while Canelo began to box a level or two below, even though Benavidez would have provided him with a box office caliber opponent, in a 50:50 contest.
Benavidez has since moved to light heavyweight, and challenges Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for the unified cruiserweight titles on May 2 in Las Vegas.
Rather than fight at 175 pounds — a division Canelo has fought in before — Reynoso said they’d rather focus at 168, because “the division is heating up and we can really stay busy for the foreseeable future.”
“That fight against Benavidez is done [finished].”
Eddy Reynoso gives Canelo vs Benavidez a 0% chance of happening
“There was a time when that fight could have been made at 168, and it didn’t happen, so it’s done,” Reynoso added.
“Benavidez is now fighting at cruiserweight. There is a better chance for Benavidez to fight Oleksandr Usyk than there is to fight Canelo.”
With Reynoso insisting Canelo is focusing on opponents from a division they claim is heating up, it leaves the likes of Hamzah Sheeraz, Osleys Iglesias, Diego Pacheco, Jermall Charlo, and Christian Mbilli as his most viable options.
