David Benavidez backs Canelo Alvarez to improve in Terence Crawford rematch

David Benavidez would welcome a rematch between Terence Crawford and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after seeing the Mexican return to form against Christian Mbilli last weekend.

Benavidez spent a long time unsuccessfully chasing a bout with Alvarez before opting to move up to light heavyweight and then cruiserweight.

Alvarez, however, accepted a fight with Crawford – previously a junior middleweight – in a huge September 2025 showdown. Given that Alvarez was naturally the bigger man, plenty expected him to be too much for Crawford, only for the American to turn in a masterclass and win over 12 rounds.

Canelo took 13 months off before returning to defeat Mbilli on points and regain one of the four belts he had lost to the now-retired Crawford.

Talk in the aftermath naturally turned to a potential rematch with Crawford. After all, Canelo is 3-0 in return fights with previous opponents. Repeat victories over Miguel Vazquez and Francisco Villanueva have likely been forgotten, but it was the success he achieved against the formidable Gennadiy Golovkin that Benavidez recalls.

After the pair fought to a contentious draw in 2017, with most believing Golovkin deserved to win, Alvarez showed improvements in the rematch to earn a decision victory.

“I would love to see it because basically, when Canelo had that close fight with [Gennadiy] Golovkin, the second fight he came in more fierce, more conditioned and stayed in the pocket,” Benavidez told FightHub.

Even so, Benavidez stopped short of picking the Mexican to repeat that success against Crawford.

“So, [Alvarez] has it in him, I would love to see that,” Benavidez said.

“Honestly, that would be the only other fighter that I would want to see Canelo against – Canelo-Crawford II and I think that Canelo does better, but I don’t think that he goes in there and takes Crawford out.

“I think that it would be a close fight, but then also what I would be excited to see is how Crawford does with that [rematch] and if it is going to make him better – which I think it is because he is a great fighter – so it would be another great fight.”