Tim Bradley has taken aim at Canelo Alvarez following David Benavidez’s dominant knockout win over Gilberto Ramirez. He has reignited debate around a long-awaited clash between the two.
Benavidez delivered a statement performance on Cinco de Mayo weekend at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He moved up 25 pounds to cruiserweight and stopped Ramirez in emphatic fashion to capture the WBA and WBO titles. Immediately after the win, he called for a fight with Alvarez, who was present at the venue to support Jaime Munguia, who fought on the undercard.
However, it remains unclear whether he was present in the building when Benavidez called him out in the ring interview.
Reacting to reports that Alvarez could be in attendance, Bradley did not hold back. He questioned why the Mexican superstar has yet to face Benavidez despite years of demand from fans and analysts.
“Canelo… you didn’t have the b***s to get in there and fight David Benavidez,” Bradley said on FightHype. “But you’re going to go to his fight? Come on, go and get in the ring with Benavidez.”
Bradley urges Alvarez to make Benavidez fight happen now
Bradley urged Alvarez to make the fight now, especially given the current circumstances. He pointed out that Benavidez has moved up in weight and suggested that a bout at super middleweight could still be made.
“He’s already blown up to 200 pounds now. Bring him back down to 168 and make the fight,” he added.
Bradley also expanded on why he believes the fight has not happened. He suggested that some fighters struggle with the idea of losing to certain opponents and that it can affect decision-making at the highest level.
“Canelo should have already fought Benavidez,” Bradley said. “Some guys can’t deal with themselves if they lose to a certain guy.”
He compared the situation to past generational matchups, referencing how legends passed the torch by facing the next wave of fighters. And feels the former undisputed super middleweight champion does not have that.
“Don’t you want to pass it? It’s just like when Oscar De La Hoya fought Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. and Chavez Sr. passed the torch to De La Hoya. I’m older now. You beat me, you beat me, you’re the next one on the throne. And that’s respect. That’s the reason why I think a lot of people have a hard time with Canelo, because he doesn’t have those codes. He doesn’t live by that.”
Bradley publicly pushing for the fight, the demand for a showdown with Alvarez continues to grow.
Fans have long viewed the matchup as one of the biggest fights in boxing. Now that Benavidez is making statements in higher weight classes and has gained significant attention in the boxing world with a KO victory over Ramirez, it will be interesting to see if this bout comes to fruition.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Alvarez is set to fight Christian Mbilli for the latter’s WBC super middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.