David Benavidez Feels A Win Over Jose Uzcategui Should make Him Next For Canelo Alvarez
Just one short year ago, David “Red Flag” Benavidez (24-0, 21 KO’s) was the WBC super middleweight champion of the world. With that piece of hardware and his penchant for leaving his opposition prostrate and immobile, Benavidez was widely viewed as “the man to beat” in the division. That was before he was unable to make weight for his August 15, 2020 showdown with Roamer Alexis Angulo.
CHASING WHAT WAS ONCE HIS
Despite going on to stop Angulo in the tenth round, Benavidez wasn’t allowed to reclaim the title but is positioned as the #1 contender by the WBC. With the belt temporarily drifting in limbo the WBC wasted no time putting it up for grabs in the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KO’s) versus for WBA champ, Callum Smith bout. Smith then traveled all the way from the UK to Texas for his first bout in America.
Once there, he defended himself about as effectively as a gazelle with three broken legs would against a famished crocodile. Canelo chewed on and took chuncks out of Smith for twelve brutal rounds in route to a predictable unanimous decision win.
Now on November 13, Benavidez will take on former IBF champ Jose Uzcategui in a WBC title eliminator. If victorious, Red Flag has every intention on pursuing a fight with the redhead to reclaim his belt.
RELATED: David Benavidez: “Right Now I Bet Canelo!”
WE EARNED OUR SPOT!
Outside of being the previous owner, Benavidez recently explained in a recent virtual media roundtable how he is the deserving challenger.
“I don’t see why he would go in a different direction, I feel like a lot of people are putting pressure on already. I feel like this fight right here, for the WBC and IBF title eliminator, the winner has to fight Canelo definitely because it’s not only what the people want to see it’s because we earned the right!
“This is my second title eliminator. You know my last was with Ronald Ellis so if you fight two back to back title eliminators they have to give you the opportunity no matter what they wanted to do.”
Time will tell if Benavidez can topple Uzcategui and put himself on a collision course with Canelo. Likewise, the red head must first satisfy the challenge of IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant. If they are both victorious in their contests, then it would be a dream matchup to pair them against one another.
By: Bakari Simpson
