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David Benavidez Shrugs Off Terence Crawford Fight for One Clear Reason

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David Benavidez Terence Crawford

While the world eagerly awaited the long-anticipated clash between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford, David Benavidez quietly faded into the background.

For a time, the calls for Canelo to test himself against ‘The Mexican Monster’ grew faint. But now that ‘Bud’ has triumphed and become the new undisputed super middleweight champion, the conversation has shifted.

With Canelo dethroned, many are asking what’s next for Crawford? Will he retire on top or continue building his legacy? Naturally, one name that immediately surfaces is David Benavidez. Though he’s currently competing at light heavyweight, Benavidez was once seen as Canelo’s most dangerous challenger at 168 pounds. However, the 28-year-old doesn’t seem particularly eager to face the pride of Omaha.

David Benavidez Reveals Why He Turned Down Shock Crawford Fight Offer: "Would've Been Amazing" - Seconds Out

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Why is David Benavidez not interested in fighting Terence Crawford?

At first glance, it might seem like David Benavidez is ducking Terence Crawford, but the undefeated star insists he has his own reasons. “My plan is after this fight, I want to go down to 154,” Benavidez said jokingly before adding, “No,” during a chat with Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV. The Mexican-American boxer is scheduled to face Anthony Yarde on November 22. Regardless, he made it clear that his days at super middleweight are over.

While Benavidez isn’t interested in fighting Crawford, he didn’t shy away from praising him. “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Crawford,” he said. “He put a hell of a performance. He’s up there in the Mount Rushmore [of] the greatest fighters of all time and you know, let Crawford do his thing, bro.” Still, it remains unclear why Benavidez would turn down what could easily be a blockbuster matchup.

“I have no interest of going down to 168,” he explained during the interview, offering one simple reason behind his choice. “It would be dope winning all titles, but I’m way past 68… I wouldn’t even go down to 168 for Canelo.” But then comes the real question—does Terence Crawford even want the fight?

Crawford’s trainer reveals intentions for Benavidez fight

Terence Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has made it clear that a fight against David Benavidez isn’t part of the plan following Crawford’s historic win over Canelo Alvarez. Speaking to Fight Hub TV, McIntyre said the team plans to take a break before deciding what’s next. “No, we ain’t doing that fight,” McIntyre said.

“No, we’re not going to vacate the belts. We’re just going to sit where we need to sit for a minute, and then get back in the gym, and do our thing,” he added. Meanwhile, for Jarron Ennis, Crawford has already ruled out dropping back down to 154 pounds, leaving a potential rematch with Alvarez as the most likely, and lucrative, option on the table.

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Why Terence Crawford isn’t interested in facing the opponent that Turki Alalshikh named

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Terence Crawford Turki Alalshikh

Terence Crawford already made his feelings clear about fighting one specific opponent.

While UFC champion Ilia Topuria is targeting Crawford following this past weekend’s results, there’s a huge name in boxing that has been linked with ‘Bud’.

It isn’t clear where the new undisputed super middleweight champion will go from here after moving up two weight classes to face Canelo Alvarez.

One thing that is for certain is that it didn’t take long for Turki Alalshikh to suggest who he wants to see Crawford face next following a post on social media.

Terence Crawford didn’t rule out fighting David Benavidez but said he wasn’t interested because of the size difference

When he was asked about a potential rematch with Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford stated that his new direction hasn’t been decided yet following September 13.

This would obviously be the biggest fight out there for ‘Bud’, but there is another star that some, including Turki Alalshikh, want to see him in the ring with.

Alvarez has been accused of avoiding the 30-0 David Benavidez in the past.

The 28-year-old last competed at super middleweight in November of 2023, before moving up to light heavyweight for the next two bouts of his career.

Crawford, who beat the older brother of ‘The Mexican Monster’ (Jose Benavidez Jr.) in 2018, was asked about the prospect of facing him down the line during an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast earlier this year.

“My thing is, Benavidez is a big dude,” Crawford replied. “Not to say I won’t fight him, I fought his brother. His brother was big when I fought him. The only reason why I entertain Canelo is because he’s not a big dude. He might be thick but he’s not a big dude.

“Benavidez is like six foot something, then he’s gonna come in 190, 200 maybe, you know what I mean? You never know, that’s a big dude… I might as well go to heavyweight if I fight Benavidez.”

How David Benavidez compares to Terence Crawford and some of his former opponents

As the youngest super middleweight world champion in boxing history at just 20 years old, David Benavidez has been one of the most exciting rising stars for some time.

While his undefeated record is very impressive, he hasn’t had the opportunity to face a star like Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, or even Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev as of yet.

For a comparison, here is how Crawford and Benavidez compare to one another, along with Alvarez and Jose Benavidez Jr., who was stopped by ‘Bud’ in the twelfth round.

Stats according to BoxRec Terence Crawford David Benavidez Canelo Alvarez Jose Benavidez Jr.
Age 37 28 35 33
Height 5’9” / 175cm 6’2” / 188cm 5’7½” / 171cm 5’10½ / 179cm
Reach 75” 74½” 70½” 71”

As Crawford himself said, the stats show that while there wasn’t much physical difference between him and Alvarez, Benavidez would be a whole different story.

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