It may yet come to be remembered as one of boxing’s great fights that never happened, but David Benavidez insists there is still a path to a long-discussed showdown with Canelo Alvarez.
For years, Canelo dismissed the prospect of facing Benavidez during his dominant reign as the world’s leading super-middleweight, even as the hard-hitting American steadily rose through the division’s ranks. Frustrated at being frozen out, Benavidez eventually vacated his position at 168lbs and moved up in weight.
The shift has so far been richly rewarded. Benavidez has since captured the WBC light-heavyweight title, while Canelo’s own ventures at 175lbs produced mixed results. He claimed the WBO belt with a highlight reel stoppage of Sergey Kovalev in 2019, but was comprehensively outboxed by WBA champion Dmitry Bivol three years later.
Canelo’s immediate future is now uncertain following a crushing defeat to Terence Crawford in September, a loss that brought his reign as undisputed super-middleweight champion to an abrupt end.
Benavidez, by contrast, appears to be surging. He was in imperious form in his most recent title defence against Anthony Yarde and is now eyeing blockbuster clashes with unified champion Bivol and former undisputed ruler Artur Beterbiev. In the interim, Benavidez is set to test himself at cruiserweight for a single bout in May 2026, when he challenges unified champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez. Yet, as he explained to The Ring, the door remains open for a belated super-fight with Canelo.
“I’m in a great position in every single way. I wasn’t gonna go down to 168, but now if Canelo wants to come up, I got the WBC world title at 175.
“After I beat Bivol, I’m gonna have all the belts. So after that happens, I’m the one who has the power. Canelo said he fights for greatness, he fights for titles. Well, let me go pick up all the titles and let’s come back to the table and talk.”
In the meantime, Canelo has been offered a route back into world title contention at super-middleweight, with the IBF ordering a bout between the Mexican star and unbeaten Cuban Osleys Iglesias for the vacant IBF title at 168lbs.