Promoter Leonard Ellerbe favors Canelo Alvarez, asking $200 million to fight David Benavidez. He doesn’t feel Canelo (61-2-2, 39 KOs) is asking too much, and thinks the fight with Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) will generate enough money to top the $200M purse for the Mexican star .
That might not bring in enough revenue, especially if Benavidez also wants a massive purse. He’s going to want at least $50 million if Canelo gets a $200 million purse. However, Benavidez’s popularity may drop to nothing once he faces the winner of the October 12th fight between light heavyweight champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitri Bivol.
Benavidez already looked terrible in his debut at 175 against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, and he will look worse when he faces the Beterbiev-Bivol winner. So, if Canelo is going to fight Benavidez, he should do it before facing Bivol or Beterbiev. It will be too late if Canelo waits until after that fight because Benavidez will be exposed.
Canelo’s Price Tag: Worth it or Not?
“A lot of the fans don’t understand the business. I haven’t had a conversation with him about it yet. I’ve heard different things, but why not if that’s the number he’s looking for? I support it,” Leonard Ellerbe told the Fight Hub TV YouTube channel when asked about his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez asking $200 million for a fight against David Benavidez.
It’s not Mayweather vs. Pacquiao. Times have changed, and none of the fights in this era are bringing in the massive PPV numbers we saw 9-12 years ago. Illegal streams and firesticks have taken a huge bite out of PPV sales, and there aren’t popular fighters now like there were when Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin brought in big numbers years ago.
“Yes,” Ellerbe said when asked if a Canelo-Benavidez fight could generate enough revenue to support Canelo’s $200 million purse. “Everybody wants to see it. He (Canelo) is at the top of his game, making a lot of money, doing what he does. It’s about using his art and entertaining the fans at the highest level.”
The Saudi factor
If the Saudis are willing to spend $250 million to make the Canelo Vs. Making the Benavidez fight, regardless of whether it makes a profit, wouldn’t be a big deal if it bleeds money. Paying out that kind of money in purses isn’t going to make a profit because there aren’t enough casual boxing fans who know who Benavidez is. He has not beaten high level fighters during his career and is not active on social media or YouTube.
“He was very active, and that’s important, especially in a later fight in his career. He stays sharp. So that kind of stuff is always going to be in his favor. I really love this fight and I hope the Benavidez fight gets made at some point, hopefully next year,” Ellerbe said.
Canelo will be in great shape no matter who he faces. If it’s Benavidez, he’ll be ready to fight him and beat him, as long as his size doesn’t cause him problems.
“This is a fight that the whole sport wants to see. It’s two guys (Canelo vs. Benavidez) at the top of their game. The fans want to see that fight, and I think they will get it next year. I hear backlash that he (Canelo) is asking too much money. There is never enough money when you get up there and put your life on the line. It’s never enough,” Ellerbe said.
If Benavidez is the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Beating Dmitry Bivol, a fight between him and Canelo would be much bigger, but I don’t see him as beatable either. Even on their worst day, they will take Benavidez to school and embarrass him.
Canelo’s fearlessness
“I support his decision to do it whenever he’s ready to do it because there’s no such thing as him being afraid of Benavidez. That man (Canelo) has fought everyone in the sport. He has an incredible resume,” Ellerbe said.
Even if Canelo is afraid of Benavidez, he will fight him if the Saudis offer him $200 million, but they won’t pay him that kind of dough. They’d be better off giving Terence Crawford $40 million. Canelo-Crawford won’t be huge in terms of entertainment value, but it will attract fans.
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