David Benavidez has every intention of sticking around at super middleweight until at least one more major title is back in his possession.
The desire is a driving force behind his next fight, a showdown with former middleweight titlist David Lemieux for the interim WBC super middleweight title. The two collide May 21 on Showtime from Gila River Area in Glendale, Arizona in the second consecutive home state headliner for Benavidez (25-0, 22KOs), a Phoenix-based former WBC super middleweight titlist who is keen on entering his third title reign.
“I believe [a win] puts me as mandatory for Canelo Alvarez,” Benavidez told Showtime’s Brian Custer while in attendance for the Errol Spence-Yordenis Ugas Showtime Pay-Per-View event from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “There’s no doubt about it. I’ve already won a title eliminator with the WBC, now this for the WBC interim title. If he doesn’t want to fight me next, he should just give up the belt and let me fight for it.”
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KOs) is the current undisputed champion but whose next two fight dates are already booked. The Mexican superstar next challenges WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11KOs) on a May 7 DAZN Pay-Per-View from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A win will see Alvarez drop back down to super middleweight for a trilogy clash with WBA/IBF middleweight titlist Gennadiy Golovkin (42-1-1, 37KOs) who will move up in weight for a targeted September 17 PPV main event.
Alvarez has spoken of possibly fighting a third time on the year, though mentioning names other than that of Benavidez. It won’t sit well with the unbeaten 25-year-old, whose two title reigns have both separately ended outside the ring due to a positive drug test in 2018 and missing weight ahead of an August 2020 title defense.
Despite the setbacks, Benavidez remains a top-rated contender who has stopped his last five opponents. Weight is no longer an issue, nor will it be until he feels his work is done at super middleweight.
“I’m gonna be here until I give the fans all the fights I promised them,” vows Benavidez, who stopped Kyrone Davis in the seventh round of their November 13 Showtime headliner at Footprint Center in Phoenix in his last fight. “I don’t want to just do it for them. I want to do it for myself too.
“I believe I’m the best 168 pounder and I want to leave the weight class knowing that.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox