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Canelo Alvarez has explained why he has been so reluctant to fight David Benavidez.
Canelo is preparing to fight William Scull in May for the chance to become undisputed at 168 pounds for the second time. A win would add Scull’s IBF title, which was stripped from Canelo after he chose to box Edgar Berlanga rather than facing Scull, who was his mandatory. During Benavidez’s time as a super middleweight, he was the WBC mandatory for Canelo for more than two years. The WBC did not enforce the mandatory nor strip Canelo, meaning Benavidez never got to fight.
The Mexican Monster ultimately moved up to 175 pounds, where he is the current WBC Light Heavyweight Champion. The Mexican Monster still has ambitions of becoming undisputed, although his focus is now at 175 pounds. Canelo previously said he wanted $150-200 million to fight Benavidez. Benavidez stated that Canelo was offered a fixed purse of $70 million.
Benavidez On Canelo
“I knew one day people were gonna ask for that fight and I feel like it’s amazing how much attention this fight is getting, and I think even winning more right now the more he’s putting it off. They offered him $70 million to fight me that’s before pay-per-view, you guys can call Al Haymon and ask him that, imagine after pay-per-view,” Benavidez stated
This created the perception that he was ducking the Mexican Monster by choosing less riskier opponents. He ultimately chose to face Edgar Berlanga instead, beating him in a one-sided unanimous decision. While the fight received a lot of backlash during the build-up, Canelo still sold 650,000 PPVS. The fight also brought in a live gate of $17 million, showing he can still produce big numbers regardless of who he faces. If he beats Scull, he will be on course to fight Terence Crawford in September in another mega bout.
Canelo On Benavidez
However, Crawford is moving up two weight classes from 154 pounds, meaning he poses less danger than someone like Benavidez. Canelo addressed his reason for not choosing Benavidez, stating The Mexican has disrespected him. Boxing is a sport where trash talk can either work for you or against you, depending on how the other fighter takes it. Canelo’s following comments suggest that his standing of Benavidez is even less than what it used to be.
“You know, I don’t really know how to answer this question, but I think the way he talks, he thinks he’s Superman, right? And he is very disrespectful—not just with me, with everybody. And he’s accomplished nothing. He’s not even a champion, and he’s not even in my weight class already. And you know, it’s a lot of things there that don’t make sense. And plus, at this point in my career, I can do whatever I want. And you guys can’t take anything away from my career, from my legacy, from anything. Because, you know, if you see my résumé, I fought everybody out there—all the elite fighters out there,” Canelo said
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Jerry Jones is getting exactly what he wants with Micah Parsons drama
Do not let any of the noise and drama fool you. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is getting exactly what he wants with the Micah Parsons contract negotiation, even as it reached a boiling point on Friday with the star edge-rusher declaring a public trade demand. It's the perfect storm for Jones because all of this is doing the one thing that he loves more than anything in the world. It is keeping his team, his beloved Dallas Cowboys, as the top story in the NFL and the top headliner maker in the league. His team, his player and his story are the one thing that everybody is talking about. It's the top headline on every sports website. It's the top story on "SportsCenter" and ESPN. It's dominating the radio waves. It's put a spotlight on the Cowboys star and driven all of the NFL's discussions toward them. It doesn't matter if it's overly dramatic — or even bad press. It's still press. It's still focus on them. In Jones' world, the motto of "no press is bad press" is very much a way of life. He isn't worried about getting the best deal for the Cowboys or their salary-cap situation, and he might not even be concerned with putting the best possible team on the field. He is simply concerned with the Cowboys being the league's biggest newsmaker. There is a reason all of these big-time contract negotiations play out this way for the Cowboys. Whether it was Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Parsons, they have all played out the same way. The Cowboys dragged their feet, a holdout was either threatened or started, the bridges seemed to be burning between the player and team, the negotiations would dominate the news cycle and then eventually a new, more expensive deal would eventually emerge. That is almost certainly how this process is going to play out. Trade demands get made all the time in the NFL, and they do not guarantee a trade will get made. It is often a last-ditch negotiating tactic to speed things along. They usually work in that context. By the time the regular season rolls around, the Cowboys and Parsons will likely come to terms on a contract, and all of this will be forgotten. It will probably end up costing Jones and the organization more than it would have had they agreed to a deal sooner, but again, that wouldn't have given the Cowboys the headlines they want. It is almost as if Jones likes having to pay top dollar because then he can talk about how he negotiated and paid out the most expensive deal. It's about glitz and glamour as opposed to dollars and cents. All of this fits in with Jones' overall mindset and approach when it comes to running the Cowboys. He is the decision-maker. He is the football guy. He is the only owner who does weekly news conferences after every game as if he's the coach, and he is the only owner who does a weekly radio show discussing the X's and O's of the team. It's all about satisfying his own ego, and nothing satisfies his ego more than seeing his team and his name in the news. A drawn-out contract negotiation is the best way to do that when there are no games being played. In terms of on-field success, the Cowboys have mostly been an afterthought over the past 30 years. No Super Bowls, no NFC Championship Game appearances (the longest current drought in the NFC) and mostly mediocre finishes. Any other franchise with that sort of track record would be an afterthought in the NFL. But not the Cowboys. Not Jerry Jones. It is all by design. It's the only thing they want and care about.
'Most likely scenario' for Terry McLaurin revealed
A recent report indicated that teams potentially interested in acquiring Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin learned that the club is "not trading" him before the 2025 season begins. The 29-year-old, who is in the final year of his current contract, may have responded to this news by requesting a trade on Thursday. However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared Friday that he doesn't "think there's a strong chance McLaurin gets traded" before September. "There's been no suggestion from the Commanders' side that they're looking to deal him, even after his request," Barnwell wrote. "Trading him now would likely result in landing 2026 draft picks, which won't help the Commanders in a season in which they're hoping to compete. And there just aren't many teams with the cap space or cash budget at this point of the offseason to give him the sort of deal he appears to want." McLaurin allegedly does not want to accept less money than DK Metcalf, who received a five-year, $150M deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Whether or not McLaurin "deserves" such an extension is irrelevant as it pertains to his importance to Washington and the market for players at his position. McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign with team highs of 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards as quarterback Jayden Daniels guided Washington to the NFC Championship Game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. Additionally, McLaurin was second in the NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Washington sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. That shows why Barnwell and others are convinced that acquiring future draft assets for McLaurin makes little sense for the win-now Commanders. "The logical thing is for McLaurin to stay with the Commanders, for the two sides to come to terms on a new deal or some sort of raise, and for Daniels to have his best pass catcher on the field in Week 1," Barnwell concluded. "It's still the most likely scenario." On Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted that "several teams that called Washington about [McLaurin] before his trade request on Thursday were told the team will not trade him." Commanders general manager Adam Peters seems to understand he still has plenty of time to work something out with McLaurin before Washington opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 7.
‘Concerns’ Emerging for Matt LaFleur, Packers Coaching Staff
Matt LaFleur and the Packers coaching staff remain one of the most respected across the NFL, but some are beginning to wonder if this group is capable of bringing a Lombardi back to Green Bay. While the Packers made the postseason in each of quarterback Jordan Love’s first two seasons as the starter, Green Bay regressed last fall and there are some significant questions at cornerback, pass rush, and along the offensive line as the 2025 season nears. If Green Bay makes big strides this season, and Love makes a leap, it could turn out to be one of LaFleur’s most impressive coaching jobs to date in his career. Is it Time to Worry About Matt LaFleur, Packers Coaching Staff? There’s real optimism about Jordan Love taking the next step and the Packers making noise in the NFC North, but not everything in Green Bay is trending in the right direction — especially on the coaching side. ESPN’s Ben Solak sees some red flags developing if 2025 plays out similarly to 2024. “Two key coaching points give me pause in Green Bay,” Solak writes of LaFleur and staff, for ESPN. “It ended the season dead last in defensive success rate against dropbacks but second in EPA per dropback faced. How? Tons of interceptions. The Packers ripped off 17 picks, tied for third most in football, and recovered 14 fumbles. They finished third in defensive EPA on takeaways (behind Denver and Buffalo), and though I don’t think their defense was poorly coached by any stretch, it probably punched above its weight last season. “The second is Green Bay’s performance against elite teams. It ended the season 1-5 in its division (beating only Chicago on a game-ending field goal block) and lost to the Eagles twice, including in the playoffs. The best defensive coordinators — Vic Fangio, Brian Flores and Aaron Glenn — were able to flummox Love and expose that opportunistic defense. Green Bay’s staff never found a solution as the season went on.” If the Packers are going to take that next step, LaFleur and his coordinators will need to prove they can scheme consistently — not just rely on turnovers or hot streaks. Defensive volatility and an offense that falters against elite play-callers isn’t a recipe for sustainable success. Follow Matt Lombardo on Threads at @MattLombardoNFL. To read more of our articles and in-depth NFL coverage, click here.
Yankees' trade-deadline whirlwind may not be enough to win AL East
It was a busy trade deadline for the New York Yankees, who added Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Austin Slater, José Caballero and Jake Bird (and Wilberson De Pena in rookie ball, if we want to get technical). Having done his part, Brian Cashman, the weary Yankee general manager, can lay his phone down and take a breather without negotiating something. The Yankees are, without a doubt, a much better team. But this raises an overlooked question: are they good enough? The Yankees lag the Blue Jays in the AL East by 3.5 games entering Friday. New York doesn’t necessarily need to win the division, as they seem to be bound for the postseason either way. However, they will likely need to face the Jays once they get there, and their 3-7 record against Toronto this season doesn’t bode well for them. How do the Yankees stack up after the deadline? McMahon has been a marvelous addition since he arrived in the Bronx. Rosario, who will presumably be used in place of McMahon when facing southpaws, can be an impact bat on those occasions. Both Doval and Bednar will be very helpful in lowering the temperature in the Yankees’ bullpen dumpster fire, which owns a 4.19 cumulative ERA entering Friday, before any of the recently traded arms could make their pinstripe debuts. But beyond these four (two of which will be platooned), the others are only marginal improvements. *Caballero’s 34 stolen bases are the most in the game this year. His 44 last year were the most in the AL. While no one can deny the Yankees’ roster has gotten stronger, Cashman failed to address the rotation, which has been plagued by inconsistent performances and pummeled by injuries. The team has also released Marcus Stroman in hopes that Luis Gil (will return on Sunday) and Ryan Yarbrough (expected to be back in August) can be as productive as they had been before their respective injuries (for Gil, that’s 2024). Meanwhile, in Toronto, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins wasn’t idle when it came to bolstering the rotation. Atkins was able to land former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber from the Guardians, among other moves. Bieber is yet to pitch this year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he is well on his way back, having made four rehab starts. If he can be a productive arm this year, this could easily add to the Yankees’ misery. The fact remains, if the Yankees are going to topple the Blue Jays (in the division, postseason or both), they will need a much higher level of reliability from their questionable rotation.
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