The boxing world eagerly anticipates a potential showdown between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez. Canelo Alvarez is widely regarded as one of the top five boxers in history. His career has been marked by dominance and a string of titles across various weight classes, reinforcing his status as one of boxing’s all-time greats. The Mexican icon has captured numerous titles across multiple divisions, solidifying his legacy.
However, he has also faced criticism for allegedly avoiding fights against opponents at their peak performance. Detractors argue that he carefully selects his opponents to avoid risks, often steering clear of fighters at their prime. For many fans, Alvarez’s hesitation to face David Benavidez is a prime example of this cautious approach.
Canelo Alvarez during a fight. Image source: skysports.com
Benavidez's Strategy to Force a Fight
But Benavidez has now revealed an ambitious strategy to make the Mexican superstar step into the ring with him. With fans clamoring for the clash, the American boxer has unveiled a calculated plan to make the fight happen-regardless of Canelo’s hesitations.
Benavidez, however, has no intentions to let this potential fight slip away. “The only way I see this fight happening is me winning all the belts at light heavyweight,” Benavidez said on Nightcap with Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson.
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Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez Full Boxing Fight Highlights Promo | Why Benavidez wins ?
Potential Opponents and Future Plans
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez made a strange move, but finally confirmed his opponent for his next fight, on May 3 with two particular elements for that fight: he will seek to become undisputed super middleweight champion again and will leave the Las Vegas venue for the first time in five years, on one of the most coveted dates of the year for world boxing, the commemoration of Cinco de Mayo.
Thus, according to ESPN's Salvador Rodriguez, Canelo will face the undefeated Cuban William Scull in Saudi Arabia, the division's champion for the International Boxing Federation (IBF), who stripped the Mexican of his title for refusing to face him last year. If he wins, the Mexican would regain his undisputed super middleweight title. Canelo Alvarez earned a unanimous decision win against William Scull on May 3 to become the undisputed super middleweight champion for the second time in his career.
The official announcement came from Sheikh Turki Alalshick. And Scull would be the warm-up to face Terence Crawford, also in the Middle East, in September, in the first fight in history between two undisputed champions. This will be the first of four fights Canelo signed with Riyadh Season, which includes a fight in September against Terence Crawford, as well as two more fights in the Middle East in 2026.
With this decision, Canelo would leave aside the challenges of people like Jake Paul, who was very close to closing a cruiserweight fight with the Mexican and David Benavidez, who did not even enter the rumors as a possible rival of Canelo for this May date.
Will Canelo Avoid Benavidez?
Rumors of a multi-bout agreement with Terence Crawford raise questions about whether Alvarez will ever face Benavidez. Given that Canelo has expressed a desire to retire by age 37, some speculate he may never risk his legacy by taking on the younger, dangerous Benavidez.
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Lewkowicz claimed that it was a shameful display and he fell asleep watching the contest. He further added that Alvarez is not capable of fighting Benavidez. A clash between the two Mexican pugilists has been rumored for a long time but has never come to fruition. Alvarez is currently at 168 lbs while Benavidez fights at 175 lbs.
Speaking about Alvarez vs Scull, Lewkowicz told Pro Boxing Fans: When you get paid so much money, you need to take a risk. Canelo didn't want to take a risk. And the other guy, the Cuban Scull, he damaged all the Cubans. Because, we have a problem already with the running.
He added: This guy (Scull), he lost, shameful. And Canelo didn't engage in a fight, he never took a risk. It is shameful too for him. And beside that, now you know the reason why Benavidez was not so nice and he talked so many sh*t and his father too. But it was a good excuse for Canelo because he can't fight [Benavidez].
Fighter Stats and Betting Odds
Benavidez has a height advantage of 4 inches over Canelo. Canelo is currently the more experienced professional fighter, having had 37 more fights, and made his debut in 2005, 7 years and 9 months earlier than Benavidez, whose first professional fight was in 2013. Canelo's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 9 months and 16 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 6 months and 23 days. Benavidez's last 5 fights have come over a period of 3 years, 3 months and 21 days, meaning he has been fighting on average every 7 months and 29 days.
Canelo Alvarez is currently 4/5 (-130) to win the bout outright, while you can get 19/20 (-110) on David Benavidez if you fancy the slight upset.
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| Fighter | Height Advantage | Experience (Fights) | Debut | Average Fight Interval | Betting Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canelo Alvarez | -4 inches | More (37 fights) | 2005 | 6 months, 23 days | 4/5 (-130) |
| David Benavidez | +4 inches | Less | 2013 | 7 months, 29 days | 19/20 (-110) |
Crawford's Trainer Rules Out Benavidez Fight
Terence Crawford’s trainer, Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre, has ruled out Bud Crawford fighting David Benavidez. ‘BoMac’ said Terence is going to hold onto the four super middleweight titles that he won from Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) last Saturday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Turki didn’t say a word last Saturday about doing a second fight between the two. He asked on social media about whether David Benavidez can return to 168. That could mean for Crawford or Canelo. Also, it would be more entertaining than if Crawford were to be used as Benavidez’s opponent.
“No, we’re not going to vacate the belts. The belts will be meaningless to Crawford if he can’t get the rematch with Canelo, because there is nobody at 168 that would be a big-money fight for him. That’s obviously why he would choose to hold onto the four titles. He wants the Canelo rematch.
“Canelo is an all time great. He’s the last one. There’s no more Canelo’s,” said Crawford to Ring Magazine. “When you look around, you say, ‘I’m the Canelo.’ I’m the Face of Boxing now. Benavidez is a big enough star for Crawford to get a nice payday if Turki chooses to put the fight on one of his Riyadh Season cards.