Legendary fighter-turned-promoter Oscar De La Hoya has backed one man to become the first fighter to knock out Mexican star Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo made his return to the ring earlier this month, suffering the third defeat of his professional career to unbeaten American superstar Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford at a sold-out Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The 35-year-old from Guadalajara has received some criticism for his performance against Crawford, with many fans and analysts left wondering whether the Mexican great is now past his formidable best as he enters what could be the final chapter of his career.
One man in particular that has been very critical of Canelo in recent years is retired six-weight world champion De La Hoya, who promoted the Mexican star under Golden Boy Promotions for a large portion of his career until their relationship broke down in 2020.
Speaking to Fight Hype, De La Hoya made his feelings clear about a potential clash between Canelo and unbeaten light-heavyweight star David Benavidez, as he claims Canelo will ‘never’ take that fight.
“It would never happen, trust me. Canelo knows that David Benavidez will knock him out. He will never do it.”
Benavidez, who is known as ‘The Mexican Monster’, has been chasing a fight with Canelo for a number of years now but he is yet to secure a showdown with the four-weight world champion.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix made the move up to 175lbs last year, defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk to capture the WBC interim light-heavyweight title.
He was elevated to full WBC world champion earlier this year and is set to make the first defence of his crown against Britain’s Anthony Yarde in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 22.
