David Benavidez’s father, Jose Benavidez Sr., says Canelo Alvarez will be sent to the “hospital” if he ever fights ‘The Mexican Monster.’ He states that Canelo’s body is “no longer the same,” and it wouldn’t respond effectively in a fight against Benavidez.
Jose Sr. says the “shadow’ of Canelo’s fear will follow him the rest of his life, tormenting him with the memory of his avoidance of Benavidez. It’ll be there in his mind. You can tell that Jose Sr. means what he says. He’s also very bitter about Canelo choosing not to fight his son, and it’s something that’s tormenting him as well.
“There’s no way he’ll fight David Benavidez. He doesn’t want to fight him,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to Fight Hub TV about Canelo Alvarez not having any interest in fighting ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez. “He’s a young fighter. Super strong, getting better, and he’s proving himself to be a top elite fighter.”
It’s already an established fact that Canelo will never fight Benavidez. Jose Sr. doesn’t even need to mention it because fans already know that Alvarez wants nothing to do with him. He’s too dangerous and way too big. The punch output that Benavidez has is what would be Canelo’s biggest problem. He has a low output and doesn’t move well enough to keep Benavidez from getting to him.
Canelo’s Body: No Longer Same
“His [Canelo] body is not responding. I think it’ll be bad for boxing for David Benavidez to fight Canelo Alvarez. To be honest, he will send him to the hospital. The body is not the same anymore. I believe that fight will never happen,” said Jose Sr.
If Canelo did fight Benavidez, he likely would get knocked out if he were put under the kind of pressure that we saw ‘The Mexican Monster’ put David Morrell under in his last fight. Canelo isn’t as young, big, or as powerful as Morrell to hang in there with Benavidez for 12 rounds like he did.
“He did a lot for boxing, but he’s not recognized as a true champion because he did not fight David. That shadow is always going to follow him around. I think Canelo can make exhibition fights,” said Benavidez Sr. “He doesn’t need the belts. He’s already recognized. A lot of people will watch him fight, and he can still make big fights.”
I get the impression that Canelo doesn’t care what the public’s perception of him is. He’ll duck fighters that are too risky, and continue to choose the ones that he feels he’s got a good chance of winning. That means no Benavidez or Dmitry Bivol fights for him. He’s willing to fight Terence Crawford because he’s old, small, weak, overrated, and there’s a lot of money involved.
Canelo: Exhibition Fights Only?
“He can fight against the YouTuber Jake Paul. That can be another great fight. It’s entertainment. So, he can still make exhibition fights and keep going,” said Jose Sr. about Canelo. “He’s a good fighter. At this point, I don’t think he’s ready to fight any elite fighters anymore. The body is not responding.”
Alvarez is still good enough to compete against elite fighters, as long as their names aren’t David Benavidez, Dmitry Bivol, and Artur Beterbiev. He can beat elite fighters at 168 and below. An exhibition match between Canelo and Jake Paul is very possible. We could see that in the near future, as long as the money is there.
With the purse that Alvarez will get fighting Terence Crawford, he might be too spoiled to agree to a fight against Jake or many of the other fighters. He’ll expect similar money for a lesser fight, and then refuse to fight when he doesn’t get his way.
“He’s trained so much, and had so many tough fights that the body is worn. He’s not the same Canelo anymore,” said Benavidez Sr.
Jose Sr. brings up a good point about Canelo. He’s not the same fighter at 35 due to his age, hard training, and his long 20-year professional career. He’s been involved in tough fights against Gennadiy Golovkin, Dmitry Bivol, and Miguel Cotto. Even the ones that weren’t tough, he took punishment.
Last Updated on 05/27/2025
