Per Frank Bay: David Banavidez hit the mainstream. If David did nothing boxing after celebrating old crop fighters (Anthony Dirrel and Demetrius Andrade) or Canelo Alvare’s remains (Caleb plant), he hit at least the algorithm. People know who ‘the Mexican monster’ is now out of box.
Jake Paul-King or Jester?
He officially gained the stamp of approval by the self-proclaimed ‘Face of Boxing’ YouTuber/Pro-boxer Jake Paul. Banavidez was recently a guest on a Jake Paul Podcast, where they both discussed their problems with Alvarez. This indicates that although David may not have earned the boxing colades or money that Canelo has, he has something more important. Clout!
The American lexicon produced a snake term named ‘Clout’. It is used to indicate a person’s status or social approval. If it was a presidential race, you could say that David would be in the polls, and Canelo would be very far behind. Benavidez fought hard, and he eventually won the masses, maybe not inside the ring, but a quick look on social media and it is clear that David is above -the -social opinion. Being friends with Jake Paul proves it, or does it?
Jake Paul is bitter at Canelo for what he says, to get rid of what he claims to be an agreement to fight in the summer of 2025. Jake only comes over as salt, crying that Canelo is just money hungry and doesn’t care about boxing because he broke his appointment with him.
Choosing a better date came and threw $ 100 million into his lap. How dare Canelo! And how dare Turki Alalshikh his circus fight on stage. It’s a little ironic if you ask me. Nevertheless, David and Paul simply sounded as if they were two bitter women who gossiped like a sewing circle over the man who rose to a woman with a larger chest.
I dare any man who reads it to seriously argue that they would do something different from what Canelo did. On the one hand, Jake Paul and David Banavidez are chasing you for a one -time payday for significantly less money, or on the other, you can earn $ 100 million for Willam Scull and much more with Turki Alalshikh continuing. There is no honest man who would not choose the latter.
The hated term ‘marination’
Boxing fans know the dreaded word marination. Yes, some things in life need time to grow and marinate. A good wine or choice of prime meat must be salted and marinated. But in sports, and specifically boxing, is it a good strategy, or is it more a avoidance?
Like when a woman tells a man that she goes out to wait to comply, it can have two effects for a man. It could be the woman’s way of utilizing him for more free meals, and he gave up when he realized he was played, and it could improve the man’s desire for a woman and do his best to win her. Women have perfected this strategy to a tea. Why are you asking? Because it works!
It also works in the same way for boxing. I’m going to have an unpopular opinion and say yes, sometimes big fights are better suited for marination, and Canelo v Benevidez is no exception. Is it a strategy that can burn back? Yes. But may the future payout be absolutely worth it, you bet on your hole it can.
There is no person who reads it who does not face this scenario every day. But in the box there is frowned, and fighters are hampered for perceived ducking when using this strategy. We see Jarron Ennis and Brian Norman handling the same scenario as I write. Of course, fans of an Ennis vs Norman struggle will hold, but the harsh reality is that nor is it a true star.
Of course, the money can be decent now, but if every fighter can continue to win and increase their profile, a future struggle becomes even more valuable. This is an unmistakable fact. Boxing history also supports my opinion. Mayweather against Pacquiao took about 6 years to make, Spence against Crawford took 4 years to make, and Canelo Alvarez against Gennady Golovkin has been running for 2 years.
In all these cases, the fights have grown over time. Any reasonable fan would have to admit that if Spence was made against Crawford in his infancy, for example, it would not have done well at the box office at all. The constant back and forth with fans and media created the fire storm that ensured his commercial success.
And for every successful marination process, it can also burn back. We now see it with Fury against Joshua, Joshua against Wilder, Tank Davis against Lomachenko, and many others. A fighter may lose during the marination process, but once again the risk is still worth the reward. Example: Fury vs. Joshua.
This battle is not what it once was, but it will still be a massive commercial success. Fans will complain that they want the fighting during their prime. I would argue that it doesn’t matter. Mayweather and Pacquiao were not in their primes when they finally fought, but people still wanted to see it after all the years of waiting.
People will still want to see Tank Davis against Lomachenko and Wilder against Joshua. To prove further how crazy box fans are, they still wanted to see the rumors Mayweather against Pacquaio 2, even if it was just an exhibition.
The truth is that if Benavidez v Alvarez took place even two years ago, it would not have been a mega event. Only two years ahead, and David has increased his profile and is mainstream. Even with the commercial numbers of Alvarez slipping and showing bodily wear and tear, his star power would grow to unprecedented heights as and when he was fighting against David Banavidez. This is all part of the process.
The fear is what if Alvarez or David would lose a fight in between? I am here to tell you that it still wants to be a struggle that fans want to see and still be a great commercial success. Pacquiao lost on his way to Mayweather.
Floyd went to jail, and the fight just got bigger and bigger. The bright side is if David continues to win big battles, then the struggle only grows into unthinkable commercial success. Could Benevidez fight a battle against BiVol and beat the Canelo Conqueror, then a fight grows between him and Alvarez exponentially. The reality is that this battle is marinated.
Crawford skips the line over
In a case of perceived favors, Bud Crawford, not sure what you call it, may have earned or perhaps given a shot on the king. Therefore, it is said that this is not what you know, it is who you know. And Crawford was somehow adopted by the money man Turki Alalshikh as his favorite son. But let’s compare Crawford and Benevidez a little.
Is benavidez a better fighter than Crawford? You will have to say that Crawford has done more than benavidez in the sport. For most critics he is probably pounds 4 pounds 1. What about a pure technical box aspect? I’m sure most will consider Crawford as more skills than benavidez, which is stylish.
What about the level of opponents? The consensus should only be based on the technical aspects. Crawford faced the better opposition. Crawford has one P4P fighter on his resume, while benavidez has nothing.
Crawford cleared his divisions for undisputed, although weak, and Canelo was correct in the sentence until David hit Canelo’s remaining plant, he did nothing. Before the plant, he had no recognizable names on his resume. It should be noted that he beat Porky and Ronald for those titles. Edge Crawford.
Since boxing is also a business, we look at commercial appeal. I’m going to say that Crawford and Benavidez can be about the same level as social and reach. They are both dwarfed in that department by even Ryan Garcia, let alone to compete with Canelo Alvarez.
Crawford and Banavidez are known in the boxing world, but beyond it is difficult to say whether your average American would recognize on the street. What about ticket sales and viewers? Based on Crawford’s lonely PPV success against Errol Spence, Crawford wins the department. Why? Because benavidez hurled at the box office.
If Crawford is not a guaranteed ticket seller or PPV success, because unlike his successful Spence battle, most of his commercial fights have failed, then Benavidez fights just as well in his garage on YouTube. The only clear case why Benavidez earns a shot at Canelo over Crawford is the weight issue.
Specifically, fans believe that Canelo should not fight a junior middleweight in Crawford, while benavidez is in his own division. Well, that argument was kind of thrown out when benavidez decided to leave the division of his nemesis. Say what you want, but this step allowed Crawford to skip the line because David came out of the row.
Now for the ultimate comparison: Money. What makes more money? A Canelo vs. Crawford PPV or a Canelo vs. Benavidez ppv? It is difficult to make a convincing argument that a benavidez against Alvarez fight does better in the box office than Crawford against Alvarez. Logistically speaking, with the observation of the data in the past, a Canelo against Crawford PPV will be more successful at this moment. Based on the numbers alone, when Crawford and Benevidez are compared, Crawford has at least one commercially successful PPV.
Based on the evidence, Canelo will have to be a fool to throw the insane amount of money Turki Alalshikh will throw at him to Crawford. With the endless funds of Turki Alalshikh helping to promote the Canelo against Crawford, it has a much greater chance of being a commercial success than a fight between Alvarez and Benavidez.
Finally, for Canelo, the beat of Crawford will add another pound-by-pound fighter who is also a future Hall of Famer to his resume, which only increases his legacy. The truth is that benavidez has a way of achieving the status. Knocking Biblical would be a beginning.
Last updated on 04/02/2025
