Benavidez’s Impressive 2023, But His Next Big Test Is Canelo
David Benavidez’s stoppage win over Demetrius Andrade was his second win on the bounce against a former world champion in a stellar 2023 as he targets Canelo Alvarez.
The Mexican Monster made Andrade quit on the stool as he kept his position as the WBC super middleweight interim champion. The victory meant he was still in line to face Canelo Alvarez for an undisputed fight. Before the Andrade win, Benavidez beat the former IBF champion Caleb Plant. But the true test will be against Alvarez.
The attempts at making a fight on Cinco De Mayo weekend and Mexican Independence Day have yet to be successful so far. But things could be about to change. Following PBC’s new network deal with Amazon Prime Video, there is an expectation that there will be a huge fight for its first PPV next year. And given that Benavidez overpowered Andrade, there is a feeling that he needs to do the same against Canelo to be an all-time great.
Benavidez’s Level
“I don’t want to crap on Demetrius, but I did think the fight would be more competitive. It’s definitely when you’re in there. Great fighters have a way of winning with ease. They have a way of making things look easier than they should be. Terence Crawford just did it. [Naoya] Inoue just did it, and it looks like David is doing it.
“That’s a sign of a great fighter when they have these close fights on paper, and then they turn out not to be close when they get in the ring. “David is the best fighter I’ve ever coached against in a professional boxing match, and I’ve got over 70 fights as a professional coach. He’s the best guy I’ve ever gone up against. He’s a bad boy. He can fight,” Stephen Edwards (trainer)
Benavidez Vs. Canelo
But doing it against Canelo will take work. Alvarez is a four-division champion who has only been beaten twice. Those losses were against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol, who have won world titles. But following Alvarez’s win over Jermell Charlo, he boldly claimed that no one would beat this version of Canelo. But it is important to put the victory into perspective. He was facing Charlo, who had jumped up two weight classes from 154 pounds.
Therefore, the performance did not reflect Canelo’s current form. It also meant that Canelo failed to face a proper super middleweight, unlike Benavidez or David Morrell Jr., who have been mentioned as serious threats to his career. But it is seen as a 50-50 fight, with Benavidez’s power going up against Canelo’s experience at the top level. Alvarez has not been stopped in his whole career. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. expects it to be a close fight.
“I think Canelo can beat [Benavidez], but Canelo has to be at his best with a lot of movement and good conditioning. Benavidez is very skilled, very tall and tough. I think it’s 50-50,” Chavez revealed
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