David Benavidez cannot catch a break. For the past two years, Benavidez was a mandatory challenger for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez‘s WBC super middleweight belt. That fight could have been the biggest fight of Benavidez’s career. However, as Canelo signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season and will face Willian Scull and Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford this year, the American has decided to move on.
Benavidez has officially moved up to light heavyweight and has been named as the the mandatory challenger for Dmitry Bivol by the WBC. Bivol is the undisputed light heavyweight champion beating Artur Beterbiev earlier this year. But with rumors of a Bivol-Beterbiev trilogy fight doing the rounds, Benavidez may have to sit and watch from the sidelines again.
But that is not all. There is another big Alvarez-shaped obstacle in Benvidez’s quest for Bivol. The Russian light heavyweight champ had defeated Alvarez in a shocking turn of events back in 2022. Since then, many fans have wanted a rematch, but the Mexican superstar had been reluctant. Until now.
“Is there a possibility in your four-fight deal you go back up to light heavyweight and take on Dmitry Bivol [or] whoever has the belt next year?” a reporter asked Alvarez at the press conference to launch his next fight.“Everything can happen. Everything is a possibility there. So I like challenge and we’ll see,” Canelo said.
However, if Alvarez indeed wants to avenge his loss to the Russian, then the Benavidez-Bivol fight would have to wait. Since the WBO has ordered Bivol to face Benavidez next, he will have to vacate his WBO belt. A rematch between Alvarez and Bivol, could get the light heavy weight champion the biggest paycheck of his career. However, before that rematch could become reality, there are a couple of things Canelo needs to take care of. First, starting with an undisputed clash.
Canelo Alvarez on the cusp of becoming undisputed champ again
Canelo Alvarez wants to be the undisputed champ again. The Mexican superstar, of course, holds the WBO, WBC, and WBC super-middleweight belts at the moment. He held the IBF title until last year when he chose to fight Edgar Berlanga, instead of his IBF mandatory, Willian Scull. Thus, the sanctioning body stripped him of his belt.
But now, the red-haired superstar is set to take on Scull on May 3 in Riyadh. This would be the first of Alvarez’s four fights under the Riyadh Season aegis. And their matchup is quite promising. Scull is undefeated so far with a 23-0 record, including nine KO wins. However, it is important to remember that Scull has not fought anyone of Alvarez’s prowess yet.
But there is more at stake for Canelo than just undisputed status. If Alvarez loses to Scull, he will not only he lose all his titles, but also put the Terence Crawford fight in jeopardy. On the other hand, if Scull does win, he has the potential to become a boxing superstar overnight, just as Dmitry Bivol three years ago. What do you think about David Benavidez moving to light heavyweight?
The post Canelo Alvarez Could Accept Dmitry Bivol Rematch As David Benavidez Faces One Roadblock, Per Reports appeared first on EssentiallySports.
