Jose Benavidez Sr. recently made clear his displeasure at Canelo Alvarez’s choice of opponents, criticizing the undisputed super middleweight king for fighting IBF champion William Scull in May and then squaring off with 154-pound belt-holder Terence Crawford in September. “He can do whatever he wants,” Benavidez Sr. told Fight Hub TV, “but that doesn’t make it right. This is a circus.” In his view, neither Scull nor Crawford offers the caliber of challenge Canelo should be seeking at 168 or 175 pounds.
Benavidez Sr. pointed out that Scull is little known among even the most knowledgeable fans, and he questioned the WBA, WBC, and other sanctioning bodies for permitting a title defense against someone with a modest profile. He was equally dismissive of Crawford’s jump two divisions north, arguing that the welterweight-turned-junior middleweight star “isn’t ready” for the size or power Canelo would bring in a 168-pound fight. “He looked really bad in his last fight,” he said of Crawford’s showing against Israil Madrimov. “Why allow that?”
Watch Canelo vs. Scull press conference highlights: Watch
Canelo’s critics also see echoes of Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s late-career approach in the Mexican champion’s matchmaking. As Benavidez Sr. put it, “Boxing has turned into something not that good,” lamenting an era in which marquee fights with real intrigue can be overshadowed by novelty showdowns and quick paydays. He'd prefer more unification fights or even a matchup with his son David, whom many view as the top threat at 168.
“People want to see the best fight the best - those are the fights that matter.”
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