Via Sean Jones: David Benavidez says Canelo Alvarez needs to face Dmitry Bivol at 175, not 168, for their rematch next year because he lost to him in the light heavyweight division.
Benavidez admits that Canelo is “milk cow”but he doesn’t understand why he would bring 175-lb WBA champion Bivol (21-0, 14 KOs) down to 168 for the rematch rather than fight him in the division he lost.
Also, Benavidez said that Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) wouldn’t be better at fighting at 168 with Bivol because the Russian boxer would be faster and more elusive than him at 175.
In other words, Bivol won’t lose weight to 168 if that’s Canelo’s grand plan to try to win the rematch.
David Benavidez said to Fighthype when asked about the rematch between Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol.
“He was motivated. I don’t think he’s unmotivated for the fight. I just think that Bivol is a better boxer and a better counter-attacker. He’s a better fighter than all of them.
“Canelo will have to fight Bivol like he did with Golovkin. The way he fought Golovkin was the way he did with Bivol. He has to throw more. When fighting Bivol, he was trying to cut off that arm and fired a huge shot.
“He [Canelo] was on his horse to defeat Caleb Plant and Callum Smith and just fought like that. He thinks he can fight like that against everyone, but he can’t. He has to change his style with Bivol, and how he does it, I don’t know.
“That’s his problem. He’ll have to figure that out. I think so because he’s one of those men that wouldn’t be a nasty weight loss. He goes around 185 years old, so he doesn’t need to lose a lot of weight. If anything, I think he will be faster,” Benavidez said of Bivol.
“He won’t be as strong, but he will be faster and more elusive. So I think it’s going to be even worse for Canelo. I think if he has a rematch with him, he has to get past 175. Why would he do it for the guy [Bivol] won his weight class relegation?
“I understand that Canelo is the money bull, but he was defeated. Canelo told Bivol he was going to go to 175, and he was beaten at 175. So why did he rematch in a lower weight division? ‘ Benavidez said.
