David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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As Saul “Canelo” Alvarez prepares to face fellow Mexican countryman Jaime Munguia on May 4, the undisputed super middleweight champion is increasingly fielding questions about a future fight with David Benavidez.
Alvarez was front and center for a media throng at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and one of the event’s hot-button topics was his potential pitting against Benavidez.
When Alvarez, 33, was asked if Benavidez was the next biggest fight that could be made, he said, "Maybe. Who knows? But he brings nothing to the table for me. He just brings 25 extra pounds on the night of the fight. That’s it. He has nothing to offer me, anything. I’m the one … If a promoter who I work with offers $150 to $200 million, then I'll fight tomorrow. That's the only reason I'll fight with him.”
Separately, Alvarez – the world’s fifth-highest paid athlete – stressed that moving forward he is a businessman tending an empire, in addition to being an athlete.
Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) also denied a claim made by Benavidez’s camp that his team offered Benavidez $5 million and they never heard back.
"Not that I know – and I know everything,” Alvarez said.
Following a banner 2023 campaign in which he decisioned Caleb Plant and stopped Demetrius Andrade at 168 pounds, the 27-year-old Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is preparing to make his light heavyweight debut in June against former 175-pound titlist Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
Before the Freddie Roach-trained Munguia (43-0, 34 KOs) was awarded the Alvarez sweepstakes for the mega-matchup, Alvarez mainly considered clashes against Jermall Charlo and Edgar Berlanga.
“There is no pressure. I don't need to fight anybody,” Alvarez said of a potential Bennavidez matchup. “I don't need to prove anything to anybody anymore. I've done everything in my career. ... This fight with Jaime Munguia, you need to respect it because it's more important than other fights.”
Alvarez-Munguia will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The PBC pay-per-view event will be broadcast on Prime Video, DAZN and PPV.com.
