By Vince D’Writer: Once again, the undisputed super-middleweight champion is about to treat the general public to a boxing match that they have mild interest in, as Canelo Alvarez will defend his title against John Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) on May 6th in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Fight fans have been anticipating a clash between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez for a significant amount of time. The last time Canelo stepped inside the ring, fans were hoping it would be against Benavidez, but instead of a bout with Benavidez, fans witnessed a third fight between Alvarez and the declining 40-year-old Gennadiy “GGG” Golovkin.
The bout took place on September 17, 2022, and it turned out to be a night to forget, as the trilogy fight lacked entertainment value. Canelo defeated Triple G by way of a unanimous decision, and after closing out the trilogy, Alvarez was met with questions in regard to a potential future opponent.
The name David Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) has been a thorn in Canelo’s side, and after his victory over Golovkin, the media poked Alvarez with the question at his post-fight press conference. An agitated Canelo delivered a direct response to a question that suggested he didn’t want to fight any Mexican fighters in order to avoid David Benavidez.
“Guys, I always say this, you show that video and put whatever you want. When I say I don’t want to fight Mexicans is because I represent Mexico, and that’s why, but I don’t care. I fight anybody my entire life. Whether you think I don’t want to fight with one Mexican Benavidez, but look, I hear his dad talking a lot of sh*t, but look, he’s accomplished nothing, one single champion, Anthony Dirrell.”
Canelo stated Benavidez accomplished nothing, but Benavidez is a two-time WBC super middleweight world champion. Unfortunately for the undefeated Benavidez, he lost the WBC title in self-destructive fashion on two separate occasions.
The first time Benavidez lost the belt was due to his positive test for cocaine back in 2018. After defeating Anthony Dirrell and winning the WBC strap for a second time in 2019, Benavidez would once again be stripped of the title in 2020 because he weighed in at 2.8 pounds over the weight limit for his voluntary defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo.
Four months after David Benavidez was stripped of his WBC belt, Canelo Alvarez defeated Callum Smith to win the WBA and the vacant WBC title. Since losing his belt on the scale, Benavidez has posted three consecutive TKO victories, and he’s been campaigning for a shot at Canelo Alvarez and the undisputed crown.
Benavidez defeated David Lemieux by way of third round TKO back in May 2022 and won the vacant WBC Interim super-middleweight title, but Alvarez still makes the assertion that Benavidez isn’t a worthy opponent due to his record of only defeating one world champion.
Canelo claimed that the former two-time WBC super-middleweight world champion David Benavidez didn’t deserve a shot at the undisputed title because Benavidez has a weak resume, but five months after making a claim, Canelo agreed to a fight with John Ryder, a man who has never been a world champion, and he has five career losses.
At the time Canelo was searching for an opponent, Benavidez was already locked in with Caleb Plant, meaning Canelo should get a pass for fighting Ryder. However, fans want to know if both Alvarez and Benavidez win their upcoming bouts, what does the future hold in regards to an Alvarez vs. Benavidez clash?
During an interview with Fight Hub TV, Canelo spoke about his upcoming bout with John Ryder, and he also spoke on what the future holds if David Benavidez is able to defeat Caleb Plant on March 25.
“Yeah, look, every fight is good for me and the fans, right? My goal now is Bivol, and then we’ll see. Like I say, right now, my goal is Bivol, and we’ll see what happens, but if the fight with Bivol don’t happen, then we’ll look at other things.”
Back in May 2022, Canelo Alvarez moved up to 175 to challenge the WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Even though he was thoroughly dominated over the course of 12 rounds, for some unapparent reason, Alvarez is sold on the idea that Bivol should automatically give a rematch to a man he’s already defeated by way of unanimous decision.
As far as the potential bout with David Benavidez, it seems like it’s a match that Canelo Alvarez doesn’t want. Every time the subject of Benavidez comes up, Canelo either gets frustrated or attempts to avoid the question.
It is very possible that Canelo Alvarez would be okay with never stepping inside the ring to face Benavidez. The hand speed and the volume punching of Benavidez could pose major problems for the 32-year-old Alvarez.
In regards to the March 25th bout between David Benavidez and Caleb Plant, the undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez picked Benavidez to win the fight. Despite the fact that he picked Benavidez to win, deep down inside, Canelo could possibly be hoping that Plant can pull off the upset. If that were to happen, Canelo would have the perfect excuse to never fight David “The Mexican Monster” Benavidez.