Benavidez says he declined a fight with Crawford for not being able to make weight
‘The Mexican Monster’ explained he was offered a mega bout against Terence Crawford this summer at 160 pounds.
David Benavidez is one of the best boxers in the sport today and his name is an attractive option for any potential showdown. He will take on Oleksandr Gvozdyk in June at light heavyweight for the WBC interim title. However, his fate could have been very different if he had chosen another path.
Benavidez said he was recently offered a big clash with the two-weight class undisputed champion Terence Crawford in August at 160 pounds.
The 27-year-old undefeated fighter, who will go up from 168 to 175 to take on Gvozdyk, added that Turki Alalshikh called him and offered him a middleweight fight with Bud.
“I had talked to Turki, great guy. They had wanted me to fight in August. I told them I’m with PBC – we got this big card [on June 15th]. So, I think it was just a conversation of opening the doors that this might be a reality that we could make this happen”, he said in an interview with boxing journalist Sean Zittel.
“We never got to that point. He did mention to me one fighter. He wanted me to go down to 160 and fight Crawford. I said, ‘Bro, I cannot do that.’ If I could make 160, that would be amazing, but I can’t. I don’t remember the last time I weighed 160. I would love to share the ring with him but not at 160″, Benavidez added.
Benavidez wants the Bivol vs Beterbiev winner
The possibilities of seeing a fight between Benavidez and Crawford seem pretty slim, as there’s a significant weight gap, and none of them will likely make such a risky move to face each other.
As for now, Crawford is expected to return to the ring in August against Israil Madrimov. The Nebraska great will be looking to become a world champion in four divisions, as he challenges his opponent for the WBA and WBO interim world super welterweight titles.
Although many fans want to see Benavidez take on Canelo in a much-anticipated showdown, the Guadalajara native doesn’t seem very interested in that fight and will face Jaime Munguia instead on the Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Benavidez has repeatedly stated that he won’t wait for Canelo and has his sights set on the light heavyweight division. El Bandera Roja wants to become an undisputed champion and he will have the chance to accomplish that feat if he defeats Gvodzyk and faces the winner of the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev battle, which will take place in June.