David Benavidez just kicked things into high gear! Frustrated with the elusive pursuit of a fight against Canelo Alvarez, he has adopted a unique strategy to lure the Mexican superstar into the ring. What did he do? The WBC interim super middleweight champion just launched merchandise trolling ‘Cinnamon’! However, it didn’t seem to resonate with fans as much as he had hoped.

The Mexican ‘Monster’ has been Canelo’s number one contender for the last two years and his mandatory since 2023. Despite that, neither has Canelo been stripped of his belts nor has Canelo agreed to face Benavidez. In fact, Canelo has demanded $200 million for a potential fight against Benavidez, so it seems like Benavidez has launched a trolling campaign against Canelo to hype up this potential match and get Canelo paid.

David Benavidez turns cheeky with his strategy

While this isn’t the first time Benavidez has taken shots at Canelo Alvarez, launching merchandise to mock the Mexican legend is a first. After Benavidez shared the “Limited Available” merchandise on his Instagram story today, talkSport editor Michael Benson quickly picked up the story to share with his followers on X. 

He wrote, “David Benavidez firing shots at Canelo Alvarez with his ‘ducking season’ merch today…” However, Benavidez had actually come up with this idea back in May, as the original post for this T-shirt was shared back then by Benavidez’s own merch store. Now, one can speculate the T-shirt wasn’t selling well, which is why Benavidez had to share it in his Instagram story. 

Regardless, it was a shot at Canelo, so when fans discovered this cheeky move, some sided with him, but the majority didn’t!

Shot at Canelo Alvarez backfires on Benavidez 

Despite Canelo’s refusal to face Benavidez time and time again, most people didn’t like the disrespectful move from Benavidez against a future Hall of Famer. One user, frustrated with the blatant disrespect, suggested Benavidez’s singular goal in life is to fight Canelo instead of creating his own legacy. The user even roped in Benavidez’s trip to light heavyweight, claiming it was an awful performance. However, with Canelo avoiding a fight and the WBC refusing to strip Canelo, Benavidez is stuck where he can’t even win the belts in the division.

Someone else pointed out that lately, all Benavidez can think about is Canelo, branding the unbeaten boxer obsessed. Such comments show how the tide suddenly changed from people sympathizing with Benavidez to turning against him.

Meanwhile, this user warned Benavidez about a potential lawsuit Canelo may file against him for the T-shirt. However, if such banter could create hype for the fight, perhaps someone may agree to pay Canelo $200 million.

While Benavidez faced backlash for the T-shirt, he also garnered support. One fan expressed eagerness to buy the shirt immediately, believing that Canelo is indeed avoiding Benavidez. Yet, can demanding money to put your life on the line be called ducking?

Another user encouraged Benavidez even more, claiming he would avoid all of Canelo’s fights because he is avoiding Benavidez while promising to buy Gervonta Davis’ PPV instead. So, someone is benefiting from this beef.

With that said, did this merchandise angle from David Benavidez revitalize interest among fans for a fight against Canelo Alvarez? Absolutely! But was it a little uncalled for? You be the judge of that and let us know in the comments below!