Benavidez has decided his next move: will he chase the Canelo fight?
El ‘Mexican Monster’ is looking for greatness and after beating the dangerous Oleksandr Gvozdyk, he wants to become undisputed champion.
David Benavidez has become one of the biggest names in boxing. The Mexican Monster has kept his undefeated record and recorded impressive performances against his last opponents, proving he’s a top boxer and not just a hype fighter.
The last time he stepped into the ring was to take on the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Oleksandr Gvozdyk. While many believed it could be the first time Benavidez tasted defeat as a professional, the Phoenix native managed to outbox his Ukrainian opponent en route to a unanimous decision victory last June.
After that triumph, many fans and experts are wondering what will be David’s next step. The former two-time WBC super middleweight champion and current WBC interim light heavyweight titleholder after beating Gvozdyk wants to take on more challenges and fight for all the marbles.
Will Benavidez try to get the Canelo mega fight again?
While many would love to see a battle between Benavidez and Saul Alvarez for all the belts at super middleweight, that fight won’t happen. Not at least shortly.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) president, Mauricio Sulaiman, recently announced Benavidez will vacate the interim 168-pound title and keep the interim light heavyweight title. The reason is to try to face the winner of the Artur Betebiev vs. Dmitry Bivol battle, which will happen in October.
Benavidez’s decision takes place when Canelo’s next fight is close to being announced. Canelo will defend all his titles against Edgar Berlanga on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Mexican Monster shone at 168 pounds and was the WBC champion from 2017 to 2020. His success began after beating Ronald Gavril, although Benavidez lost his title after testing positive for cocaine. However, he won it again against Anthony Dirrell and successfully defended it against Roamer Alexis Angulo. In 2020 the championship was vacant and Canelo Alvarez won it after beating Callum Smith.
In 2022 and 2023, Banedivez chased Alvarez after winning the interim belt at 168, looking for a fight with all the belts at stake in the super middleweight division, but the Guadalajara native rejected him on different occasions.