Oscar De La Hoya Rips WBC For Not Forcing Canelo to Fight David Benavidez

In his inaugural Clap Back Thursday video, boxing promoter and former champion Oscar De La Hoya took aim at the World Boxing Council (WBC), questioning why undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez has yet to face his mandatory challenger, David Benavidez. De La Hoya’s comments echoed the growing frustration from fans and the boxing community over the prolonged wait for this highly anticipated bout.

De La Hoya pointed out the WBC’s recent decision to order its lightweight champion, Shakur Stevenson, to face his mandatory challenger, William Zepeda. In his video, De La Hoya quipped, “Ordering? What does that mean? They (the WBC) ordered Canelo-Benavidez like three years ago and that hasn’t happened.” Canelo has not faced a WBC mandatory challenger since his February 2021 bout against Avni Yildirim.

David Benavidez, who has spent years chasing a fight with Canelo, faces a decision by July 19 (today). He must decide whether to continue campaigning at super middleweight or to stay at light heavyweight. The pressure on the WBC to finally mandate the Canelo-Benavidez fight is mounting, not only from Benavidez’s team but also from the boxing public and media. Should Benavidez decide to remain at super middleweight, the WBC is expected to order the mandatory bout between him and Canelo.

In a recent interview with Brunch Boxing, Benavidez emphatically stated his willingness to fight at 168 pounds if a Canelo Alvarez bout presents itself in September, saying “100%.” WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, acknowledged in a previous social media post that the Canelo-Benavidez fight is the one “all want to see.”