Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez is a man high in demand.
The 34-year-old has been at the very top of the sport in terms of talent, achievements and box office appeal for some time now. As such, a win against him is not only lucrative but legacy-defining – only two men have managed it in 65 fights.
Recently he received an offer – now taken off the table – to face fellow four-weight world champion Terence Crawford. In an interview with Sway’s Universe, the Mexican pound-for-pound star dismissed a challenge from ‘Bud’ due to the gulf in weight.
“I think Crawford, don’t get me wrong, is a great fighter. But for me, in my weight class, it’s an easy fight. Easy money. If the money’s right I’m in. I don’t like to fight guys like Crawford because he moves a lot and the fight is not that great. I saw his last fight and he don’t move that much now. If the money is right, I’m in. Why not … I know in his mind he thinks he can do whatever he wants, because he’s very talented, but that why there are weight classes and he knows now.”
Crawford would need to move up two weight classes for the fight, from super-welter to super-middle.
Later in the interview, Canelo discussed David Benavidez, the man most in the sport feel deserves his shot more than anybody, and said he would take the fight for ‘no less than 200 million.’ He then explained why, calling the 27-year-old a risk – a sentiment he doesn’t hold for Crawford.
“Obviously, [Benavidez] is a risk. He is a great fighter and plus, he brings to the ring on fight night 25 pounds more than me, but I don’t care about that. If the money is right, I can beat that guy tomorrow.”
Tired of waiting for the fight, Benavidez has decided to campaign at light-heavyweight for the foreseeable.
Canelo returns to the ring for the second time this year on September 14 to face Puerto Rico’s Edgar Berlanga. On the line will be three of the four major belts after he was stripped of the IBF.
