Benavidez Criticizes Canelo: When You Make $40M, You Owe It to Give Everything Every Round

Pulse Sports Team 14:42 - 04 November 2026

Canelo Alvarez secured a decisive victory over Christian Mbilli last weekend, but his performance inside the ring failed to impress everyone. Speaking in an interview with FightHubTV, David Benavidez voiced his frustration, claiming the Mexican superstar owes far more entertaining displays both to the fans and to those paying him massive purses for every fight.

"He gets paid so much money and is supposed to be the best fighter in the world, right?" Benavidez said. "The expectation is for him to go in there and knock a guy like that out, not just wait around to counter. When your opponent isn't doing anything, show your class. Step up, apply pressure, use your defense and head movement—just like he did against Caleb Plant."

Benavidez added that Alvarez's passive approach does not reflect his stature or his paycheck:

"In my opinion, when you're taking home $40 or $50 million, you have an obligation to give everything you've got in every single round—from the first to the twelfth. I'm not trying to talk trash, but isn't that the plain truth? Doesn't everyone see it? There was way too much waiting around. Canelo is a far better boxer than Mbilli and has a vastly superior skillset. He just wasn't hunting for the knockout the way he should have been."

Benavidez believes the Mexican champion missed a prime opportunity to close the show with a stoppage against an opponent who was fighting with hesitation.

"When you're the higher-level fighter with all the skills, you have to show it, especially for that kind of money. He can knock all these guys out, including Mbilli, who was clearly fighting scared. In that spot, you just ramp up the pace, bring that Julio Cesar Chavez style, and finish the job. Canelo is way too talented to be coasting on cruise control, especially when making that kind of money," Benavidez concluded.