01/19/2025
For the few boxing fans still holding out hope that Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez will someday meet in the ring, it’s time to face reality: the fight isn’t happening.
According to Sampson Lewkowicz, Benavidez’s promoter, the long-anticipated showdown is officially off the table. In an exclusive interview with Brunch Boxing, Lewkowicz detailed years of failed attempts to secure the bout and laid the blame squarely on Alvarez’s reluctance to face the undefeated super middleweight star.
“Some people blame me, saying, ‘Why didn’t I push for the Canelo fight?’” Lewkowicz said. “Canelo will never fight him. That is the truth. Never.”
Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Lewkowicz explained that despite multiple offers and persistent efforts to negotiate, Alvarez refused to engage in meaningful discussions. “When a fighter says, ‘I will not fight him because he disrespected me,’ you know the answer. He will not fight him. After many, many attempts, including giving him offers, he [Canelo] didn’t take the fight,” Lewkowicz added.
The reluctance, according to Lewkowicz, boils down to Alvarez’s unwillingness to face such a dangerous opponent. “Canelo Promotions decided not to fight Benavidez because he’s too dangerous. Happened to be Canelo Promotions, the fighter is Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. So, he can say whatever. The funny thing is that he [Canelo] says, ‘No, the father [Jose Benavidez Sr.] disrespected me. David cursed me and said things I don’t like.’ Okay, he’s a fighter, so come and beat the shit out of him. He decided not to fight him.”
Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
For years, Benavidez had been one of the top contenders at super middleweight. A former two-time WBC champion, his status as mandatory challenger repeatedly put him on a collision course with Alvarez. But as the fight failed to materialize, Benavidez chose to stop waiting and take control of his own career.
“We’re not interested anymore in Canelo,” Lewkowicz said. “The only thing we are interested in now is the next fight, which is a real fight, with David Morrell.”
Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Lewkowicz also praised Morrell, the WBA World Light Heavyweight Champion, and predicted that the young Cuban star would also pose a great threat to Alvarez. “I would say that it’s not only much more dangerous for him [David Benavidez], but [Morrell] can beat Canelo. I believe David [Morrell] will knock Canelo out in under six rounds. Each one of them is really good. It’s a 50-50 fight.”
Lewkowicz didn’t hold back when addressing Alvarez’s excuses for not fighting Benavidez. “Canelo [vs. Benavidez] would be 60-40 in favor of Benavidez,” he claimed. “So, he doesn’t want to fight. Regardless of the money, Canelo will never ever take a fight with Benavidez. Regardless of the excuse, stupid excuse that he says.”
Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
Despite being the mandatory challenger, Benavidez found himself in a perpetual state of limbo as Alvarez and the WBC failed to commit to the fight. The WBC, under President Mauricio Sulaiman, adopted an unusual hands-off approach.
When asked why Benavidez ultimately moved up to the light heavyweight division instead of forcing the WBC’s hand at 168 pounds, Lewkowicz offered a more pragmatic response. “At the end of the day, if he [Canelo] dropped the belt, who will fight him [Benavidez]? The Canadian [Christian] Mbilli? He means nothing. It’s better to fight David Morrell. It’s better to fight the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol. That is the reason he went to 175. 168 means nothing when he has no names to fight. Will he make that money fighting Mbilli or fighting any other ones that are there?”
Without the guaranteed prospect of a mega-fight with Alvarez, the super middleweight division lost its allure for Benavidez. Staying at 168 pounds offered little more than frustration and limited opportunities.
Lewkowicz also criticized Alvarez’s rumored plans to face junior middleweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford in September. The prospect of Crawford moving up from 147 pounds to 154 to 168 pounds did little to impress him.
Photo Credit: Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
“The 168 division without David Benavidez is nothing. There’s nobody else,” Lewkowicz said. “And that is the reason that they [Canelo] started to negotiate to fight Crawford, another fighter that you need to go from 47 to 54 to 68. Good luck.”
While fans will continue to debate the reasons why Alvarez vs. Benavidez never happened, one thing is clear: David Benavidez is moving on. With the February 1, PBC PPV on Prime bout against David Morrell and potential bouts against the other top light heavyweights on the horizon, Benavidez is forging his own path to glory and superstardom. As for Canelo Alvarez, questions will linger about whether his legacy will be tarnished by his refusal to face “The Mexican Monster.”
For now, the dream of Alvarez vs. Benavidez is officially over. According to Lewkowicz, it’s time for fans to let it go. “Canelo will never fight him. That is the truth. Never.”
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