By Gerardo Romero
May 2, 2024, 2:25 PM EDT
The president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mauricio Sulaimán, decided to clarify all the doubts and rumors that have marked the career of the undisputed super middleweight champion, Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, for not having accepted the fight against David Benavídez to this May 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas despite having been named as the mandatory rival by the organization.
During an interview offered with David Faitelson, the manager stated that David Benavídez earned the position of Canelo Álvarez’s official challenger in March 2023 and has to wait a year for said order to become effective, so the man from Guadalajara has not broken no regulations for having reached an agreement to face Jaime Munguía.
“There is a broad lack of knowledge of the technical aspects, of the regulations. David Benavidez won the position of official challenger in March of last year and it takes a year for that order to become effective, so before March of this year Benavidez had already been signed at 175 pounds. “No order, no rule has been broken,” he said.
“Benavidez left. He remains the official 168-pound challenger. In March the card for the mandatory fight should have come out, before that Benavidez decided to fight at light heavyweight, one division up for an interim title. After the fight he will decide if he wants to be an official challenger at 175 or 168, nothing was broken, but it is a story that causes a lot of controversy and that fuels the detractors of Canelo or the Council or boxing,” Sulaimán clarified. about this process between both boxers.
Likewise, the president of the World Boxing Council acknowledged that they do protect the undisputed champion, as all world boxing organizations usually do with their respective champions because they are their most important figures.
“Of course we do protect him, just as we protect all our champions, all our boxers. Saúl has proven throughout his career that he is someone who has absolutely earned the recognition of being the number one boxer in the world. From being the best paid, the biggest attraction in the whole world,” he stated.
These words from Sulaimán arise in response to the constant criticism that the WBC and Canelo Álvarez have received for not having faced David Benavídez in the ring.
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