Canelo Alvarez is not “100% focused on boxing” and “done as a fighter,” David Benavidez’s father Jose Benavidez Sr has claimed.
Benavidez can put himself in a mandatory position to face undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo if he beats Caleb Plant in their WBC final eliminator next Saturday in Las Vegas.
Alvarez was sidelined with a hand injury after overcoming Gennady Golovkin on points in their third fight in September, but will defend his belts against WBA mandatory challenger, John Ryder in a homecoming fight in Mexico on May 6.
Benavidez Sr feels the 32-year-old is coming towards the end of his career, which has spanned 18 years to date and has questioned whether he has the same discipline, as he previously demonstrated.
“I look at him [Canelo], with all due respect, done as a fighter,” Benavidez Sr told IZQUIERDAZO.
“He’s exhausted. First we saw him with a knee injury, and now he’s injured his hand.
“Now we can see that Canelo is starting to drink, he is starting to enjoy life and he has every right to do so because he was a very disciplined fighter.
“I think he has a lot of business now and is not 100% focused on boxing.
“Now he plays golf, a sport that takes a lot of time and dedication.
“In my opinion, Canelo should stay with golf and start a career there.
“I heard he is a very good golfer and there is no age limit to play the sport.”
Victory for the Mexican great on May 6 could lead to a rematch with WBA light heavyweight champion, Dmitry Bivol, who inflicted just a second loss on his professional record by unanimous decision in May.
Benavidez Sr claims that his son already has his next three fights set in stone, providing he overcomes Plant and admits Alvarez does not feature in those plans.
“I have bad news for everyone: there will be no fight between David Benavidez and Canelo,” he added.
“Forget this fight, we have other horizons.
“We have a three fight contract with [David] Morell, [Jermall] Charlo and [Demetrius] Andrade,” said Jose Sr.
“These are very good fights, names that Canelo Alvarez didn’t want to fight. So we will fight with them to show who we are.”
