Canelo Alvarez warned his legacy will be "stained" by not fighting David Benavidez
Sampson Lewkowicz has warned Canelo Alvarez ahead of his next fight.
The Mexican superstar has been out of the ring since a dominant decision victory over Jermell Charlo last September. For Alvarez, the win was his third in a row, previously demolishing the likes of John Ryder and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Following the victory over 'Iron Man', the normally-active Alvarez decided to take some time off. However, the super-middleweight champion won't be out of action for too much longer. Earlier this week, Alvarez announced his intentions to return on May 4 in Las Vegas.
However, Alvarez's next fight isn't known as of now. While the boxer announced his return date earlier this week, he didn't announce his opponent. However, he dropped a hint that his next foe wouldn't be a Mexican boxer.
With that, the long-rumored bout with David Benavidez appeared to be off the table. For years now, many, including the great Mike Tyson, have opined that 'The Mexican Monster' could be the man to dethrone Alvarez at 168 pounds.
Unfortunately, the super-middleweight champion has shown zero interest in booking the fight. That has led to a passionate rant from Benavidez's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz. In an interview with ProBoxTV, he ranted:
“Canelo’s legacy will be stained, because he did not fight the best at this time which is Benavidez. I think the children, maybe the grandchildren one day, will ask him why he did not fight Benavidez. He says he wants the best fights, but that’s the best fight.”
Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next? Potential options as of now
As of now, Canelo Alvarez is running out of opponents to face.
The superstar stated in a recent interview with TV Azteca that he wouldn't be fighting a Mexican boxer next. With that, rumored bouts with the likes of Jaime Munguia and David Benavidez were off.
With that in mind, it seemed that Alvarez would end up fighting either Jermall Charlo or Terence Crawford. 'Hitman' was previously in discussions to face the Mexican boxer last September before his brother stepped in.
Meanwhile, 'Bud' called to fight Alvarez after a knockout win over Errol Spence Jr. last summer. However, those fights are now in doubt as well. Earlier this week, Alvarez shot down a bout with Crawford, while Charlo revealed that he wasn't in contact with the super-middleweight after all.
With that in mind, there are only a few other top contenders for Alvarez to face. While the likes of David Morrell and Edgar Berlanga are interesting, neither has been linked to the champion as of now.