By Norm Frauenheim –
Canelo Alvarez threw out a couple of numbers that would seem to eliminate any chance he’ll ever fight David Benavidez
“One-hundred-and-fifty million dollars to $200-million,’’ Canelo said this week at a news conference formally announcing his May 4 fight with Jaime Munguia at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena.
Not even Donald Trump can come up with that kind of money these days.
It’s hard to know whether Canelo is serious, but conventional wisdom
suggests that the prohibitive purse numbers are just another way of Canelo telling Benavidez that it’s just not going to happen.
But fantasy numbers have also ignited more Benavidez-Canelo trash talk, which seemed to enter another inflationary spiral this week.
Benavidez fired back from Miami, where the Phoenix-born fighter is training for a light-heavyweight fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk, projected for June 15.
“Hopefully, after you make that $150 million, you have enough left over to buy a pair of nuts,” Benavidez said on his Instagram account.
Presumably, he wasn’t talking about a couple of Pistachios.
Nobody has yet given up on a Benavidez-Canelo possibility in September. Even Benavidez mentioned it in an Instagram post early Thursday.
“Just wait on it,’’ Benavidez posted. “don’t be surprised when this fight happens in September.’’
First, however, a lot would have to happen. Canelo has to beat Munguia. That’s considered likely. From this corner, however, Munguia has a real chance to take Canelo’s undisputed super-middleweight title in what would be a huge upset.
The 26-year-old Munguia, who in January did what Canelo could not in stopping John Ryder in Phoenix, has young legs. If he can take the fight into the late rounds – say, the eighth — he’s got a shot.
It’s no secret that Canelo runs out of gas down the stretch.
Then, there’s Benavidez, who will get a look at his future at a heavier weight against the competent Gvozdyk, a former 175-pound champion.
As of Thursday, there was still no word on where Benavidez and Gvozdyk will fight on a card also expected to feature Tank Davis, who hasn’t fought since last April’s stoppage of Ryan Garcia.
Moving on up
Emanuel Navarrete’s move up to lightweight is official. He’ll fight Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk on May 18 for a vacant World Boxing Organization in San Diego, Top Rank announced this week.
Navarrete, already a three-division champ, is expected to win. If he does, he figures to vacate the WBO junior-lightweight title.
That could open the door for the Oscar Valdez-Liam Wilson winner to land a possible shot at the vacated belt.
Valdez and Wilson, both beaten by Navarrete last year, fight March 29 – next week Friday — at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ in the main event on an ESPN-televised card.
