The father and trainer of 168-pound contender David Benavidez was livid when news of Canelo Alvarez’s recent controversial remarks reached his ears.

Alvarez, the undisputed 168-pound champion from Mexico, told reporters earlier this week that he had no desire to fight his compatriots, particularly the light heavyweight contender Gilberto Ramirez. It did not take long before observers began pointing out that, under that principle, Benavidez would also be excluded. (Benavidez, to be sure, is an American citizen, but he is of Mexican and Ecuadorian descent).

Talk of an Alvarez-Benavidez fight has been on the minds of boxing fans for the past few years.

Benavidez Sr., who has had some terse words for Alvarez in the past, said Alvarez’s comments illustrate why he will never be as great as the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez, whom, Benavidez Sr. insisted, fought everybody without prejudice.

“I’ve never in my life heard a champion [say that],” Benavidez Sr. told FightHubTV. “If he wants to be like Julio Cesar Chavez—to me, Julio Cesar Chavez is the best that Mexico has ever given…He’ll never be like Julio Cesar Chavez ‘cause Julio Cesar Chavez fought black, Mexican, Puerto Ricans, anybody. And this guy is saying that he would not fight any Mexicans.

“And now he’s saying that if ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez beats Bivol he’s not going to fight him, he’s not going to fight Mexicans. To me I don’t have any respect for this guy, bro. Champions fight anybody. That (nationality) doesn’t matter.”

Benavidez Sr. believes Alvarez is simply “scared” of fighting his son. David Benavidez has long repeatedly called out Alvarez, but his team appears to have lost hope in that fight materializing any time soon. It was reported by krikya360.com earlier this year that Benavidez’s backers at Premier Boxing Champions had offered Alvarez a lucrative two-fight deal, which included a fight with Benavidez; in the end, Alvarez rebuffed that offer favor of another lucrative deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing and DAZN.

“If you think you can beat David, why don’t you come and shut me up,” Benavidez Sr. said. “Fight him (my son). But what it is, he’s scared of fighting David Benavidez. If David was so easy, he wouldn’t care if he was Mexican or Black or whatever. But he knows that David is stronger, bigger and hungrier."

Benavidez Sr. clarified that he respects Alvarez. However, he suspects that Alvarez does not want to fight his son because losing to a fellow Mexican may be more damaging to his career than losing to a non-Mexican.

“I have a lot of respect for him (Alvarez) right now,” Benavidez Sr. continued. “I wouldn’t call him pound for pound because he lost to Bivol, but he’s a dangerous fighter. But we’re not afraid of taking challenges like that and risk our undefeated record with someone like him, but he just doesn’t want to take that opportunity or the risk of losing to David Benavidez and taking all his fame.

“He lost to Bivol, not a problem; if he loses to David, David becomes a superstar, and he’s forgotten. That’s what I think. That’s what it is.”