By Norm Frauenheim –
For now, the David Benavidez-Canelo Alvarez possibility isn’t about boxing. It’s about politics.
The debate goes on.
And on.
It also brings to mind an old line. To wit: You can’t play boxing. But you can play politics. Turns out, Benavidez is playing them very well.
In the ring, I’m not sure he could beat Canelo, at least not right now. But he’s winning the argument in terms of support that continues to grow in the wake of his unanimous decision over Caleb Plant on March 25 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand.
His performance was not his best. At the post-fight news conference, the Phoenix-born fighter said: “I could have done better.’’ His long-time fans have seen him better.
Since the 117-111, 116-112, 115-113 cards were announced, however, it’s become increasingly evident that the victory on Showtime was, far and away, his biggest. It boosted his celebrity and credibility like no other bout on his 27-fight resume.
It was also the latest step in his stubborn march forward, always forward. It affirmed his credentials in the ring and signaled some newfound power at the box office.
Who knows about the pay-per-view numbers? They don’t mean much anymore, not during an era when so many are armed with the decryption tech needed to rob the telecast.
But he and Plant did sell out 13,865 available seats at the Grand Garden Arena on a busy weekend in Vegas. The NCAA Basketball Tournament and Taylor Swift were in town.
Canelo and Eddie Hearn had long argued that Benavidez wasn’t worthy. They said he hadn’t fought anybody. It was another way of saying nobody really knew him. But that roaring crowd a couple of weeks ago said something else.
They do know him and they like what they see. Increasingly, they’re buying Benavidez and not the tired Canelo/Hearn argument. I’m not sure exactly what Hearn and Canelo will say next. But it might be hard to hear them
Even fighters, active and retired, are beginning to amplify the public sentiment. Ex-heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder, who was at ringside March 25, said Benavidez would be too big and strong for Canelo, the undisputed super-middleweight champion.
Then, there’s retired, multi-division champion Juan Manuel Marquez. He’s questioning his fellow Mexican legend publicly.
“I’m going to give my point of view: As champion I would show the world that, if Benavidez hasn’t had opponents like me, then it would be an easy fight, because I show that he is not an opponent that is at my level and I can beat him,’’ Marquez told Mexican media. “I am at a higher level and I will show you that you will not beat me.”
That, and more, sets the stage for loud echoes from Benavidez’ victory over Plant and his growing fan base on May 6 in Guadalajara, where Canelo fights John Ryder for his first bout in his homeland in more than a decade.
A month before opening bell, the criticism is already there. But it’s short-sided. Amend that. It’s unfair.
Canelo, who hasn’t fought since a trilogy victory over Gennadiy Golovkin in September, is coming off surgery on his left wrist. He should test it in a tune-up. He’d be stupid if he didn’t.
But what happens after that is fair game. If all goes well against Ryder, Canelo is already on record as saying he’ll fight Dmitry Bivol next September in a rematch of Bivol’s stunning upset of him at light-heavyweight.
The Bivol plan is loaded with potential complications. It’s still not clear whether Canelo would fight him again at light heavyweight (175 pounds) or at super-middleweight (168). If it’s 168, Canelo’s titles would be at risk.
There’s a reasonable argument that Canelo can’t beat him at either weight. One-seventy-five or 168, Bivol will still be the much bigger man at opening bell.
At any weight, the bout would resurrect the argument about Bivol’s Russian citizenship. For as long as Russians are killing Ukrainians in Putin’s unprovoked war, Ukraine will demand that all Russian athletes be banned.
Bivol – promoted by Hearn, who also promotes Ryder — was a gentleman with no political comments before and after his first fight with Canelo in Vegas.
Yet, the Ukrainians, including Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, condemned the decision that allowed him to fight. If there’s a rematch, further condemnation is sure to follow, especially in the wake of a World Boxing Council decision to ban Russians from its rankings.
Why risk the controversy and another loss to a Russian who wouldn’t bring as many fans as the unbeaten Benavidez, a Mexican American in perhaps the biggest Mexican American-versus-Mexican fight since Oscar De La Hoya-versus-Julio Cesar Chavez?
It’s just another question. But if you’re taking a poll, the guess here is that the majority would say don’t take the risk. Just go straight to the Benavidez-Canelo option. More money, more interest, is there than in Bivol-Canelo. Barring a crazy miracle from Ryder, the belts would still be there, too.
“If he wants to go with Bivol, then I think what’s going to happen is, maybe — because I’ve been the mandatory for the past three fights for the WBC belt, I think maybe he’ll get stripped of that,’’ Benavidez, a former two-time WBC champion, said Wednesday on The DAZN Boxing Show. “And I was hearing some talk saying he might get stripped of the WBA belt, too, if he doesn’t accept a fight with me.
“If he doesn’t get in the ring, it might be me versus David Morrell or me versus (Jermall) Charlo for the WBC and WBA belt. So, even if you take Canelo out of the equation, these are still huge fights for me. This is still my dream I’m chasing after. The WBA belt is a belt I’ve never had. I want to get the WBC back again, so I’ll be three-time world champion.
“That’s really all I’m in it for, I’m looking for these belts. There’s big things on the way.’’
Call it a good political jab. It’s landing, landing in a big way.
