Paulie Malignaggi Predicts Canelo's Defeat In A Possible Benavidez Showdown

Malignaggi: "I've been saying for two years, Benavidez would overpower Canelo"

Paulie Malignaggi expresses his opinions on Canelo Alvarez maybe facing David Benavidez and predicts a clear result /

By Mohamed Bahaa

The possibility of Saul "Canelo" Alvarez entering the ring with David Benavidez is among the most awaited boxing events for fans. Though 'The Mexican Monster' holds an obligatory place in the WBC super-middleweight ranks, the unified champion seems not interested in the matchup, dismissing Benavidez as offering little more than an additional 25 lbs on fight night, and has reportedly asked a stunning $200 million to take the fight into consideration.

Former Italian-American two-weight world champion and now well-known boxing expert Paulie Malignaggi has expressed his annoyance at Canelo's refusal to meet Benavidez. Malignaggi didn't hold back when speaking, implying that Canelo should resign his championships instead of avoiding the fight and expected a decisive result in Benavidez's favor should the two meet.

“I don’t care who Canelo fights if he would vacate the titles. Personally, I’ve been saying this for two years, I think David Benavidez runs him over like a train running over a car that’s stuck in the train tracks. I stick with that. His apprehension to fight the mandatory continuously only cements my opinion," Malignaggi said. He also pointed out that his desire in a Canelo-Benavidez fight comes more from the relevance of the titles than from the possible thrill of the fight itself.

Particularly with Benavidez going up to light-heavyweight for his previous contest, the possibility for a Canelo-Terence Crawford fight has lately also attracted attention. However, Malignaggi is still uncertain about this matchup as well.

“I think Canelo is looking for easy pickings. Easy pickings later in his career. The fact he’s been allowed to avoid his mandatory for three years is absolutely appalling. The sanctioning bodies should be ashamed of themselves, absolutely disgraceful," Malignaggi said. Although Canelo might think about a battle with Crawford, the champion's financial needs are excessive, most likely influenced by the rich offers from figures like Turki Al Sheikh.

Malignaggi, however, questioned the logic behind the discussion of a Canelo-Crawford fight, especially considering the recent encounter between Crawford and Israil Madrimov. “The Crawford vs Israil Madrimov fight was right there. I don’t understand why there’s this talk about Crawford and Canelo. I think if anything that fight right there should tell you he’s not able to go up that many more weight classes.”

On September 14 in Las Vegas, Canelo is set to return to the ring facing the undefeated Edger Berlanga.