The Canelo–Benavidez Fight Still Has No Resolution

Canelo Alvarez now has an open slot for September 2026 that fans hope that David Benavidez can fill. The match-up still interests people despite Canelo and Benavidez no longer fighting in the same weight class.

They’re only one division apart, and that’s not a big deal. We just saw Terence Crawford move up three weight classes to fight Alvarez. He just showed in that fight that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone to face someone from a different weight class.

Canelo was okay with the weight gap as long as the money was enormous. It should be the same thing as fighting Benavidez. There would be a difference in weight, but the money Alvarez would receive would make it worth it.

Ihe was brave enough to make that weight jump at 38, the Mexican superstar Canelo should follow his lead to face Benavidez at 175. 4 reasons why Canelo would receive less criticism for losing to Benavidez

Benavidez’s move to 175 – With him fighting at light heavyweight, Alvarez couldn’t receive as much of a backlash for losing to him now. Things are different because Benavidez is no longer in the same division as Canelo at 168.

Alvarez is now 35, and he’s showing signs of slippage. It’s not just the Crawford fight where Canelo looked to have lost elements of his game due to aging. He’d shown vulnerability against Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia.

Losing to Benavidez would be acceptable if it’s a competitive fight. All Canelo has to do is be competitive in losing, and fans will give him a free pass. Benavidez has shown that he’s worthy of the pound-for-pound #1 spot with his recent wins over David Morrell, Anthony Yarde, and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

He’s run the gauntlet at 175 and looked like pure gold. For whatever reason, the Ring staff hasn’t voted Benavidez as #1 P4P, but he deserves it in my book. As such, Canelo losing to him wouldn’t be viewed negatively.

It would be a legacy-enhancing move for Canelo to take a high-risk fight against Benavidez. The criticism that Canelo has taken over the years for choosing not to fight ‘The Mexican Monster’ would finally disappear.

When Benavidez was at super middleweight, Canelo never showed any interest in fighting him. It didn’t matter that he was Canelo’s mandatory for his WBC belt. The fight never happened. Now, there’s less to lose for Alvarez if he fights