Yesterday, Sampson Lewkowicz made headlines as he issued an open letter to Canelo Alvarez and his team about a fight with the WBC super middleweight number-one contender, David Benavidez, who is signed to a promotional contract with him. Canelo Alvarez is currently viewed as the face of boxing and the undisputed super middleweight world champion, holding all four world titles in the division, the WBO, WBA, WBC, and IBF.
Sampson’s open letter to Canelo and Eddy Reynoso, who goes by the @CaneloTeam, was a response to a tweet that Reynoso sent out on Wednesday, May 31st, which according to Google translate (which took Reynoso’s original tweet in Spanish and translated to English) said the following.
“Now it turns out that ducks shoot shotguns!! They even make offers? For now the 3 promoters that lead the business are MATCHROOM -PBC-TOP RANK and none have sent me any offers to fight in September! There are times when the seats of the coliseum”
Sampson responded with the screenshot of an e-mail, he had sent to Reynoso’s team with the title ‘Proposal Alvarez vs Benavidez’.
“I answer that tweet with the truth,” said Sampson to ProBox TV News. “Then it is totally [silent] from Canelo team.”
Sampson went on to explain how the fight between Canelo versus Benavidez is different than others in a business sense.
What makes Sampson's offer different is they are saying Canelo doesn’t have to take on any risk, as they would not be required to take on the finical burden. The money exists and now all Canelo has to do is accept the offer as Sampson, and those he is working with have put together a sum of money they feel is enticing enough to make the fight.
“We are [offering] the money to him,” said Sampson. “[Canelo] doesn’t need to pay Benavidez. It is not the payday. It is a fight."
When asked about statements ProBox TV News obtained last night about Jose Benavidez Sr. stating that they might be willing to face Jaime Munguia if the fight with Canelo Alvarez doesn’t happen, Sampson was quick to point to an age-old virtue - patience.
“I understand the frustration of the [Benavidez’s team],” said Sampson when asked about a recent ProBox TV News story about Jose Benavidez Sr. saying Jaime Munguia would be a viable option for David Benavidez if Canelo isn’t in play. “At the end of the day, we need to wait patiently and see what decision [Canelo makes].”
That same sentiment Sampson echoed to the media and the fans as well. Despite Canelo versus Benavidez being one of the most exciting fights - the undertone as it takes time for things like this to get made or even communication to reach a point of heightened enthusiasm.
“No idea, I have no idea,” said Sampson about when a decision would be made about this fight. “Only God knows, what will be the next move for the Canelo team.”
As for the promotional aspects of the fight, Sampson made it very clear that he is working with Premier Boxing Champions.
“I am working with PBC [Premier Boxing Champions], exclusive,” said Sampson. “Even though I do other fights with ESPN and DAZN, I am an exclusive promoter [with] PBC.”
As for Canelo’s contract situation, Sampson could only comment on the following.
“The only thing I can tell you about [Canelo’s promotional situation is] he is a free agent,” said Sampson. “And he is his own promoter.”
