- Boxing. Canelo Alvarez reveals the only rival who would make him return to 175 pounds
- Boxing. Canelo Alvarez and why he won't accept fights that hurt his legacy
WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman recently commented on why Canelo Alvarez did not fight against David Benavidez only a few days before his fight against Jaime Munguía on May 4 in Las Vegas.
Mauricio Sulaiman explained that David Benavidez will be able to decide if he wants to fight Canelo
"There is a broad ignorance of the technical, of the regulations" According to Sulaiman David Benavidez won the official challenger position in March of last year and it takes a year for that order to become effective, then before March of this year Benavidez had already been signed at 175 pounds. No order, no rule has been broken.
"Benavidez is gone, he's still the official challenger at 168 pounds, the card for the mandatory fight should have come out before Benavidez decided to fight at semi-complete weight, one division up for an interim title."
"Benavidez will decide if he wants to be the official challenger at 175 or 168, nothing was broken, but this is a story that caused a lot of controversy and that fed Canelo's naysayers or the Council or boxing," clarified Sulaiman and accepted that the WBC protects Canelo, as all bodies do with their champions.
Sulaiman claims WBC "protects" Canelo
"Of course, we protect him, just as we protect all our champions, all our boxers. Saul has shown throughout his career that he is someone who has earned the recognition of being the number one boxer in the world. To be the highest paid, the biggest attraction around the world."
About this Saturday's fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Mauricio Sulaiman commented that Munguía has arguments to take advantage of Canelo's natural decline.
"For me it's likely, it's a very thin line. You never know when that baton is ed. Canelo has been seen moving slow, he has looked tired in the last rounds, he throws few punches, he manages his timing very well."