‘Why would he be scared of Benavidez?’: Lampley says Canelo not afraid of a challenge

Jim Lampley says if Canelo fought Gennadiy Golovkin twice, there’s no reason to believe he’d be scared to fight David Benavidez.

Longtime boxing commentator Jim Lampley spent some time talking to Fight Hub TV immediately after Canelo’s win over Jaime Munguia and says while he does agree that a Canelo vs David Benavidez fight is the most compelling matchup out there for him, he doesn’t for a second believe that Canelo is scared to take the fight. Check out some of what he had to say below.

Lampley on Canelo vs Munguia

“(Munguia) was spirited, he was brave, he was beautiful in the early rounds, he gave the crowd a sense that maybe he had a chance to win the fight. And at the end of the day he didn’t have a chance to win the fight because of the two things that make Canelo Alvarez what he is: his amazing punch resistance — people call it a chin, I think it’s really his legs — but his ability to take a punch is unlike anybody else in the sport, and his counterpunching skill.

“He takes what you bring to him and he comes back with those thudding shots. He knows when to go to the body, he know when he’s got you ready to start going to the head, and he wound up doing to Munguia what he’s done to a lot of other guys.

“Late in the fight the conclusion that my mind came to was ‘hey, if he survived Gennadiy Golovkin twice, he wasn’t really going to be in danger against this guy, and I love Munguia. But at the end of the day the Canelo Alvarez that twice survived Gennadiy Golovkin was just too great to be in any danger tonight.”

On whether it says more about Canelo or Munguia that Canelo couldn’t force a stoppage

“I think that says more about Jaime. I give him credit. He’s a spirited young fighter, he had Freddie Roach in his corner. Canelo didn’t want to take any unwarranted chance in the later rounds seeking to put the cherry on the sundae because he knew he was winning the rounds.”

On how he views a Canelo vs Benavidez fight

“First of all, David Benavidez is cosmic sighting, spectacular, etc. But you’re talking about the evidence of one fight (against Andrade). Canelo Alvarez, you’re talking about the evidence of 70 fights. I don’t know enough about David Benavidez to say to you ‘oh he’s going to beat Canelo Alvarez, he’s going to knock out a guy that nobody else has ever really been able to put on the canvas.’

“Do I think David is a cosmic puncher, the biggest I’ve ever seen at that weight? I do believe that. Do I believe it’s a fight that we need to see, that has to happen, that needs to take place in the wake of this? I do believe that. And I’ve never seen Canelo back down from a challenge. He fought Gennadiy Golovkin twice, why would he be scared of David Benavidez.”