Benavidez Sr. sees decline in Canelo since his fight with Caleb Plant

Canelo Álvarez’s defeat to Dmitry Bivol last May had a big impact on the boxing world, as the Mexican superstar was a solid favorite to get his hand raised against the Russian fighter.

Many believed the Mexican had the skills to defeat his opponent despite having to go up in weight to try to take the light heavyweight belt from Bivol.

The undefeated boxer proved to have skills enough to make it a difficult fight for Canelo, who was also hit by the difference in weight between both fighters.

Canelo: not the same fighter anymore?

Following that, the Guadalajara native went down to super middleweight to face another undefeated boxer, Caleb Plant, in a unification bout, managing to defeat the American by TKO in round 11. But that victory didn’t help Canelo and the media forget about his defeat to Bivol.

José Benavidez Sr, father of boxers José and David Benavidez, feels that Álvarez has been showing a decline since the fight with Plant, and the work in the gym is taking its toll on Canelo.

“I believe that if Canelo accepts a fight with Bivol at 175 pounds, I dare to say that Bivol can stop him”, he said.

“If we pay attention, and call me crazy, but we haven’t seen the same Canelo since the fight with Plant”, Benavidez added.

Benavidez Sr, who could see his son David face the Mexican star in 2023 if he beats Plant in their bout next March, believes that his ‘decline’ is a combination of Canelo’s high activity and natural aging.

“He has done a great job, he has been very active, but he has not had the time to rest. And age has been accumulating as well. I believe that, little by little, Canelo is wearing himself out in the gym”, he concluded.