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Eddie Hearn Responds to Floyd Mayweather’s Criticism of Canelo Alvarez

Published 12/05/2021, 9:30 AM EST

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Floyd Mayweather recently accused Canelo Alvarez of ducking a scrap against super middleweight elite David Benavidez. Having beaten all the 168 lbs kingpins, Alvarez is now the first undisputed super middleweight champion of the sport, and David Benavidez deserves a crack at him. Well, the P4P king appears interested in moving up to the cruiserweight division to become a five-weight champion.

A huge section of the audience, including Floyd Mayweather believes, Alvarez should prove himself against Benavidez instead of moving up to cruiserweight. Eddie Hearn, however, doesn’t fall in that group. The Matchroom chief sat down with Fight Hype.com and gave his take on the whole scene. He is supportive of Alvarez’s potential move to the cruiserweight unit and doesn’t see David Benavidez as a very valid opponent for the P4P king.

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As a response to Mayweather’s criticisms on Alvarez, Hearn said, “David Benavidez is a great fighter right? But he hasn’t got anything that Canelo Alvarez wants. If you look at what Canelo has done over the last year and a half, he has consistently fought the champions. Okay?”

“He had a mandatory that he had to take. But he boxed Daniel Jacobs, the world middleweight champion. He boxed Sergey Kovalev, the light heavyweight world champion.”

Two-division champion Benavidez has a flawless pro record of 25-0 with 22 KOs. Hence, many see him as an antidote to Alvarez’s impeccable dominance. But all the massive features still don’t put Benavidez in a superior position to the mighty Canelo Alvarez. Eddie Hearn freshly highlighted that, later in the same interaction.

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Akin to Benavidez, Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant were also undefeated before they locked horns against Alvarez. The P4P king made all the super middleweight champions look bleak before him and handed lopsided defeats to them. Thus, Benavidez’s status doesn’t intimidate him. Besides, Hearn highlighted how Alvarez’s sheer activeness since the past year has made him look even better.

 

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The British promoter continued, “Then he said to himself I want to be undisputed. He boxed Callum Smith, the number one in the division, the Ring Magazine champ. Then he boxed Billy Joe Saunders, WBO world champion. Then he boxed Caleb Plant. He did it in a year.”

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“It baffles me and I know I am Canelo Alvarez fanboy. Because I think he is great and I know him personally. And to achieve what he has achieved, to have the money he has, the ambition, and the drive that this guy has. Makes him incredibly special”

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Per reports, Alvarez can challenge Ilunga Makabu for his WBC cruiserweight world title next.  28-2 as a pro, Makabu is clearly not on the same level as Alvarez and will remain a massive underdog in the potential fight. Thus, it will be interesting to see whether the P4P king opts to defend his 168 lbs belts or move up to the cruiserweight radar.

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. Combining his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports, he has earned a combined 3000 plus bylines over the last two years.
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