Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz says Canelo Alvarez will never be the “biggest star in Mexico” if he doesn’t fight David Benavidez before tiring. Here’s the thing: Sampson states that if Canelo does fight Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs), he’ll be “knocked out, and it won’t be fun.”
In other words, Sampson sinks his own argument for why Canelo should face ‘The Mexican Monster.’ Why would Alvarez want to fight someone who is going to beat him, especially when they’re fighting at light heavyweight and coming off back-to-back lackluster performances against David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk?
Benavidez’s Humbling
Benavidez, 28, was dragged through hell by the former Cuban amateur star Morrell (11-1, 9 KOs) last Saturday night, dropped in the 11th, and looking like a shell-to-pieces soldier coming back the frontlines in shock.
All the cockiness was knocked out of Benavidez by Morrell in that fight. Afterward, a beat-up Benavidez looked meek, seemingly afraid to make eye contact with Morrell and sounding like a defeated fighter in the post-fight interviews. Morrell had knocked the stuffing out of Benavidez, leaving the broken soldier that fans saw afterward.
Begging for a Chance
“I wouldn’t say that to the fighter. I would say that to Eddy Reynoso. Continue doing a good job. Don’t face Benavidez because he will knock out Canelo. It will definitely not be fun, trust me,” said Sampson Lewkowicz to Sean Zittel when asked if David Benavidez’s performance against David Morrell will make it less likely that Canelo Alvarez will want to fight him.
“He’s [Benavidez] much stronger, much bigger, and I don’t believe he will be attracted anymore. I believe Benavidez has earned top 10 pound-for-pound. I believe he’s doing his own legacy. He doesn’t need Canelo anymore. Canelo let him go because when he retires, he’ll be ‘The Mexican Monster’ and it will not be Canelo.
“He probably has a fight or two fights more. By next year, he will not be any more Canelo, and he will never get the opportunity to be the biggest star in Mexico because he didn’t fight Benavidez. He would not take the chance. He didn’t take the chance for the past two years. How would he take the chance now when he has a big fight with Crawford.”
The Shaming Game
It sounds like Sampson is trying the same tricks as Benavidez to shame Canelo into a fight against ‘The Mexican Monster.’ It’s not going to work because Canelo can see through the trick, and he’s not going to be manipulated by these mind games.
Benavidez and Sampson are using shaming tactics to try and control & manipulate Canelo to give them the fight they’ve been asking for. Benavidez can get a lot of money from a fight against Canelo, so he won’t stop using different tactics to pressure him to give him what he wants – the payday.
“Then he would look for another excuse,” said Sampson about what Alvarez would do after he beats Crawford. “So, we’re not talking about Canelo anymore. I believe in September. Maybe because, most likely, he’ll be too busy, Canelo. So, that is a great opportunity [for Benavidez to fight],” said Sampson.
Canelo has already ruled out fighting Benavidez, saying he didn’t like his approach to getting the fight. It’s unclear why Sampson is still talking about this fight. Benavidez needs to focus on staying relevant at 175 because he looked average against the 11-fight novice David Morrell last Saturday night.
If Morrell had more experience, he’d have knocked Benavidez out last night by pressing him from the get-go rather than waiting until the championship rounds to start putting heat under his backside. Benavidez was breaking from the pressure from the Cuban power puncher from rounds 10 through 12.
