David Benavidez has shared his reaction to Canelo Alvarez taking on Christian Mbilli, believing the former undisputed king should be fighting an alternative opponent.
It was reported on Thursday that the pair have agreed to collide for Mbilli’s WBC super-middleweight strap in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 12.
The showdown would present Canelo with an opportunity to reclaim one of his four world titles, which he lost via a unanimous decision against Terence Crawford last September.
Prior to that, Alvarez had become a two-time undisputed champion at 168lbs but ultimately failed to nullify the speed and technical brilliance of ‘Bud’.
Mbilli, meanwhile, was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement, but is perhaps yet to fully establish himself at world level.
In his last outing, the Frenchman featured on the undercard of Canelo-Crawford and held Lester Martinez to a 10-round draw, but has not fought since being upgraded to full champion.
Regardless of his title, though, Benavidez does not consider Mbilli to be a worthy opponent for Canelo, who he has long accused of ducking him.
Instead, the WBC light-heavyweight champion has told Fight Hub TV that he would much rather see the Mexican face super-middleweight contender Diego Pacheco.
“Nobody wants to see that s*** [Mbilli vs Canelo]. I think [it] would have been better if he [was fighting] Diego Pacheco. Diego Pacheco’s a way bigger name than Mbilli.”
Having previously trained with Pacheco, it is hardly surprising that Benavidez, who bids to become a three-weight world champion this Saturday, has suggested his former stablemate would be a more appropriate dance partner for Canelo.
