PBC was willing to give Canelo Alvarez his guaranteed purse for a fight with Jermall Charlo on May 4th, but he had to agree to face David Benavidez in September. No biggie, but ‘The Face of Boxing’ Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) opted not to agree to the deal
Benavidez wasn’t one of the original three fighters that Canelo had agreed on for his three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC]. His first fight had been against Jermell Charlo, and the second would have been against his brother, Jermall.
It’s believed that the third fight that Canelo wanted was Jaime Munguia for September, which would have been a good option but not on the level of Benavidez.
PBC likely would have lost money if they gave Canelo his guaranteed $35 million for a fight against Jermall Charlo for May 4th, but they would have more than made their money back if Canelo-Benavidez had gone down for September like they had wanted.
Boxing insider Dan Rafael gives the lowdown:
- The Payout Problem: PBC would have paid Canelo his guaranteed purse for a fight against Jermall Charlo on May 4th, but he would have to face David Benavidez in September for that to happen.
- The Benavidez Factor: Canelo’s original three-fight deal with PBC didn’t have Benavidez among them. PBC wanted Canelo to take a smaller guaranteed purse for the Jermall fight, and he wouldn’t agree to that.
Did Canelo Duck Benavidez?
The question that fans have is, did Canelo leave PBC to swerve a fight against Benavidez? It looks that way to many boxing fans, as Canelo would have gotten his guaranteed loot for the Jermall fight on May 4th and then a match against Benavidez in September.
If the main problem for Canelo was getting his guaranteed money for the Jermall fight, the problem was solved as long as he agreed to fight Benavidez in September. Canelo chose not to agree to the deal offered by PBC, and it seems obvious he didn’t want to fight Benavidez.