It’s all conjecture, but it’s slowly becoming more and more factual.

The trophy case of Canelo Alvarez is bordering on ridiculous at this point. The 33-year-old has won world titles as a junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight, and in the light heavyweight division. It isn’t just the championship hardware that he’s racked up but also the skills he’s displayed time and time again.

In short, Alvarez is a pound-for-pound star and the sort of fighter that comes around once in a lifetime. The eye-catching victories he has under his belt have some, maybe even most, viewing him as the best Mexican fighter of all time. His WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF 168-pound titles also have him pegged as the best super middleweight in the world, not surprising.

His place in history, nevertheless, could be tainted. Just a few short years ago, Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) and the rest of the boxing world heard the faint footsteps of David Benavidez. As time has progressed, his footsteps have gotten louder. Now, thanks to Benavidez picking up back-to-back big-time wins against Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, he’s emerged as the clearcut number one contender.

So far, Alvarez hasn’t shown too much interest. Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is good, possibly very good, but Alvarez has always believed that the 26-year-old hadn't done enough to earn the right to share the ring with him. At this stage, however, Teddy Atlas is convinced that Alvarez can no longer avoid the elephant in the room. If he does, his pristine stature could take a significant hit.

“If Canelo is gonna be called one of the greatest Mexicans and the top 168 pounder and accept those accolades, then he has to fight Benavidez,” said Atlas on The Fight with Teddy Atlas. “He has to fight Benavidez to justify that. He has to.”

Recently, Benavidez made an example out of Andrade, a former two-division champion who dominated his competition for a decade and a half. Once he faced off against Benavidez, all of the sly and smooth boxing skills he displayed were thrown out the window.

After doing his best to remain on the outside and outbox his man, Andrade was forced to bang it out. The 35-year-old dug his feet in the dirt and began wailing away. His attempts at chopping down that Benavidez tree, of course, were innocuous.

The 26-year-old marched forward all night long, absorbing blows and letting his hands fly when he came within range, eventually resulting in a sixth-round stoppage.

In a possible showdown between Benavidez and Alvarez, Atlas can envision a world where Benavidez fights the way he normally does. Meaning, he walks forward and uses an outrageous amount of pressure.

Could Benavidez have success employing that game plan? Sure he could but according to Atlas, the current WBC interim belt holder will have to be wary of the firepower that will be coming back at him.

“He can’t just walk forward the way he did with Andrade. The punches that will land on him will have more consequence, they will have more impact.”