Two-division world champion Paulie Malignaggi has once again gunned for Canelo Alvarez, after the Mexican opted to not fight David Benavidez in favour of a match-up against Jaime Munguia, despite Benavidez holding the position as WBC mandatory challenger.
Canelo became undisputed super-middleweight champion when he stopped Caleb Plant in 2021 and has made three defences of the crown following a loss to Dmitry Bivol at light-heavyweight, although some fans have criticised each of his three opponents at 168lbs.
As we entered 2024, Canelo-Benavidez was atop the most wanted list amongst most fans, but Alvarez has instead opted to take on Munguia, and this week demanded a mammoth fee for him to consider ever fighting Benavidez, regardless of his position with the WBC.
Speaking to Pro Box TV, Malignaggi claimed that Alvarez only fights mandatories when it suits him and slandered his reign as champion, believing that he is keeping the belts hostage.
“When the mandatory somehow becomes the guy who makes your bagel down the street, Canelo fights him and he will say ‘hey it is the mandatory, we had to take it’ and his fans will actually jump on you too.
“I’ve had discussions with Canelo fans where they’ve been like ‘Avni Yildirim, that was a mandatory, he had to do it’, okay when Jermall Charlo was hot at middleweight he was the mandatory as well and that fight was nowhere to be seen.
“Now Benavidez is hot right now at super-middleweight, he is a mandatory, now the fight is nowhere to be seen.
“I don’t have a problem with Canelo doing what he wants, I have a problem with Canelo doing what he wants with the belts.”
Canelo will fight Munguia on May 4th, whilst Benavidez appears to have moved on from his pursuit of Alvarez, moving up to light-heavyweight where a shot at the undisputed 175lb title beckons if he can get past Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th.