"He belongs ahead" - Hall of Fame trainer believes Canelo Alvarez isn't the best at super middleweight
Teddy Atlas believes that David Benavidez is better than Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds.
The Mexican superstar is reportedly working on his return to the ring, slated for May. There, Alvarez is expected to meet Jermall Charlo. If booked, that would be a disappointment to many, who wanted to see the champion face 'The Mexican Monster'.
For the last few years now, there's been discussions of a potential bout between Alvarez and Benavidez. Many, including the great Mike Tyson, have named the latter as the greatest challenge to the super middleweight's championship status.
However, Atlas is ready to crown Benavidez already. Speaking in a recent interview with ProBoxTV, the Hall of Fame trainer made a controversial claim. That claim is that Canelo Alvarez isn't the best super middleweight on the planet.
In the interview, the longtime trainer opined (via Boxing Social):
“Obviously, Canelo could easily be the number one pick, but he has got two losses and two draws... “Benavidez has a chance to continue growing, to continue getting bigger, better and he is [already] naturally the bigger guy, naturally the stronger guy... ’I’m going to say that right now at 27-0, that he belongs ahead of Canelo."
Check out his comments below (12:00):
Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next? The champion's next two fights are reportedly set
While fans want to see Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez, they'll be waiting quite a while.
As previously mentioned, the unified super-middleweight champion will reportedly return in May opposite Jermall Charlo. The booking is interesting, given the fact that Alvarez dominated his brother, Jermell Charlo, last September.
However, if fans were disappointed to find out that Alvarez won't be fighting 'The Mexican Monster' in May, the news gets worse. According to a recent report from ESPN, the Mexican superstar's next two bouts are already set.
In May, Canelo Alvarez will face 'Hitman', and will later face Terence Crawford in September. Obviously, that's dependent upon the champion winning the first matchup earlier in the year. Still, a potential bout with 'Bud' would be massive.
The former undisputed welterweight champion himself called to face Alvarez last July. Following a knockout win over Errol Spence Jr., Crawford showed interest in moving up three weight classes for the bout.
While a massive fight, that bout will likely be a controversial one. Last summer, Alvarez himself downplayed a matchup with Crawford, calling him "too small."