For years, fans have criticised Canelo Alvarez for not facing former super-middleweight rival David Benavidez, and now Alvarez has revealed why the fight never took place.
Canelo became the super-middleweight division’s first undisputed champion back in 2021, dethroning each of Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant within 12 months in one of modern boxing’s most impressive runs.
After an unsuccessful challenge for Dmitry Bivol’s light-heavyweight crown, Alvarez returned to 168lbs and defended the belt against Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder and Jermell Charlo – ignoring a fight with the physically imposing Benavidez, who was his WBC mandatory challenger.
Speaking to Inside The Ring Show, Canelo said that his only targets at that stage were fellow world champions.
“When we were both at 168, I fought every champion in that division. Why [did] he never fight those champions? If he was a champion at that point, I’d fight him. My goal was being undisputed.
“Right now it’s just impossible. He can [go] fight with heavyweights, do you know what I mean.”
Benavidez held the WBC super-middleweight belt in 2020, but he was stripped after missing weight ahead of his fight with Roamer Alexis Angulo, with the vacant title instead being added to Canelo’s clash with Smith four months later.
Earlier this month, Benavidez moved up in the pound-for-pound rankings by knocking out Gilberto Ramirez to become a three-division champion and a new top dog on the cruiserweight scene. He may drop back down to light-heavyweight next, but has also touted a heavyweight run in the future. The 29-year-old’s days at super-middleweight are well and truly over, meaning the Canelo fight is as unlikely as ever.
