Canelo accused of ‘avoiding’ David Benavidez, as he targets Dmitry Bivol rematch next

Former two-weight world champion Paulie Malignaggi has accused Canelo Alvarez of 'avoiding' a fight with David Benavidez.

Over the weekend, Canelo defended his undisputed super-middleweight world titles against tough challenger John Ryder, winning by unanimous decision.

3

3

Before and after this fight, Canelo called out Dmitry Bivol for a rematch, having suffered only a second career loss against the Russian last year in the light-heavyweight division.

"I want the same terms, the same everything as the last fight," Canelo told . "The goal is to have the rematch with Bivol in the same terms.

"I think I'm better than him, that's it. If you see the first five rounds, six rounds, I dominated the fight.

"But then I get tired, of course, because I don't train at my 100 per cent."

With that being said, Bivol himself wants to come down to 168lbs and challenge Canelo for his undisputed crown, as he told ESPN: "Why should I even do the rematch at 175lbs?

"What is the challenge or what is the motivation for me if I've already beaten him at that weight class?

3

Most read in Boxing

Boxing schedule 2025: Results and dates including Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2

Brutal ringside footage shows Naoya Inoue getting dropped with vicious left hand

Anthony Joshua considering huge investment in EFL club as boxer reveals new details

Floyd Mayweather flaunts huge winning bet on Canelo Alvarez's lacklustre fight

"And I don't think we should worry about who thinks what. It's really about what we want, what each of us wants.

"And I think he wants to win, and if he can win, he might have a better chance at 168lbs because he said that that's his weight class. And for me, there should be some motivation and some challenge."

Although, a number of boxing fans and pundits, including Malignaggi believe that a better fight for Canelo would be against former two-time super-middleweight world champion David Benavidez.

After recording a career-best win against Caleb Plant last time out, Benavidez, who holds the WBC 'interim' belt at 168lbs, called out Canelo.

After hearing the news that Canelo wants Bivol next rather than Benavidez, Malignaggi tweeted: "Avoiding his WBC mandatory at all costs [three red flag emojis]."