According to a tweet from Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, an offer in the region of $50 million will be made to undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez by representatives of undefeated interim WBC champion David Benavidez.
An Alvarez-Benavidez fight would be an important matchup, given Alvarez’s overall popularity and interest in fighters from the Mexican and Mexican American communities.
Both fighters picked up dominating wins in their last outing. Alvarez returned from hand surgery to dominate John Ryder, winning a one-sided unanimous decision on May 6 in Alvarez’s hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico. Alvarez won by scores of 118-109 twice and 120-107.
Benavidez scored perhaps the most impressive victory of his career on March 25 in Las Vegas when he won a clear decision over Caleb Plant by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113. This fight clearly established Benavidez as the biggest threat to Alvarez’s reign atop the 168-pound class.
There was no response from Alvarez’s side. Late Wednesday, Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz released a letter he had written to Alvarez coach/manager Eddy Reynoso confirming he had made what he called a “lucrative” offer. “. He did not specify the terms of the offer.
But he expressed his disappointment in Reynoso for rejecting his offer and wrote that he had forwarded it at 4:45 p.m. on Monday:
Since you chose to conduct our negotiations for David Benavidez to face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in public, I am compelled to correct a few mistakes you made by claiming that you received no offers.
On Monday, May 29 at 4:45 p.m. I sent you what I’m sure would be one of the most lucrative offers of Canelo Alverez’s career to face Benavidez.
Please know that you do indeed have an offer to face Benavidez, a significant offer, and I have to tell you that I take offense to your assertion that I’m “fantasizing” about making this fight happen.
If you also can’t find that open letter and no one tells you about it, someone who knows him would let Eddy know that I’ll send that same offer anytime for him to pass on to Canelo Alvarez.
All he has to do is provide a working email address, apparently.
Sincerely, Sampson Lewkowicz
Alvarez was aiming for a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion who picked up a unanimous decision victory over him last year. Getting this fight to the downfall has been the stated goal of Alvarez and Reynoso.
However, the outcome of the Alvarez-Bivol fight was clear and it was not Alvarez’s typically huge pay-per-view draw. A fight with Benavidez could not only be a better fight in the ring, but also a more compelling business proposition.