Benavidez camp eyes September slot as rivalry with Canelo shifts toward attention and control of key dates
Jose Benavidez Sr. says David Benavidez has taken over Canelo Alvarez’s traditional Cinco de Mayo slot. The comments come as the rivalry shifts away from a fight and toward control of boxing’s biggest dates.
Benavidez Sr. claimed his son, David Benavidez, has effectively taken Canelo’s traditional Cinco de Mayo fight territory after years of failed negotiations and public callouts between the two camps.
“The final straw. We took his date,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. to Mill City Boxing. “We called him out. He was there, and he went out running.”
Benavidez Sr. also suggested the family is prepared to target the September Mexican Independence Day weekend, another slot long associated with Canelo throughout his career.
“Yeah, we’re waiting,” said Jose Sr. when asked about September.
“Everybody is talking about it now. We’re ready. We’re here. Nobody goes there. It’s a different time,” said Benavidez Sr.
The comments reflect how the Benavidez camp increasingly views David as the new center of attention among Mexican and Mexican-American boxing fans, especially after Canelo moved up to face Terence Crawford instead of finally fighting Benavidez.
But the reality of the calendar is more complicated than the rhetoric.
Cinco de Mayo became available largely because Canelo was not occupying the weekend due to a healing elbow injury. September is different. If Canelo is healthy, it is difficult to imagine him willingly giving up Mexican Independence Day, which remains one of the biggest commercial weekends in boxing.
Running directly against Canelo on that date would likely split the audience badly. Canelo still carries the larger mainstream fan base, gate history, and pay-per-view drawing power despite criticism surrounding the Benavidez situation.
That is why Jose Sr.’s comments sound more symbolic than literal.
The Benavidez camp appears focused on claiming cultural momentum rather than truly trying to compete head-to-head with Canelo financially. In their eyes, the fact that fans continue talking about the fight years later represents its own kind of victory.
The “he went out running” line also makes clear the bitterness surrounding the matchup has not faded. The Benavidez side still believes Canelo avoided David for stylistic reasons, particularly after years of public pressure for the fight to happen at 168.
Now, instead of chasing the fight directly, the conversation has shifted toward legacy, attention, and who represents the future of Mexican boxing. Whether that actually translates into ownership of Canelo’s traditional fight weekends is another question entirely.
