Canelo backs Bivol to beat Benavidez, says he “did nothing at 175 pounds”

Canelo Alvarez is confident that he could beat David Benavidez – and that his former conqueror could, too. 

Benavidez, a former super middleweight, has moved on to the light heavyweight division and will soon be the WBC mandatory challenger for the winner of the undisputed 175-pound title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on October 12. 

Bivol is the only other fighter outside of Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat the four-division champion Alvarez, having done so convincingly in a unanimous decision in 2022 during the Mexican star’s second quest to become a two-time light heavyweight titleholder. 

Should former sparring partners Bivol and Benavidez ever meet, Alvarez is leaning toward the guy who already beat him.

“If Benavidez is like we saw in the last fight, yes, Bivol beats him,” Alvarez told BoxingScene and other media. 

Benavidez didn’t look his destructive best in June during his division debut against Oleksandr Gvozyk, going the distance to get a gritty win while sustaining several injuries. Benavidez absorbed 163 punches and landed 223 of his own to beat the former champion Gvozyk.

Benavidez is set to return on December 14.

Alvarez believes 175 pounds is Benavidez’s natural weight class, and that it’s going to be different for “The Mexican Monster” moving forward because he’ll be fighting guys at his weight. 

“Look, 175 is his weight class. And he did nothing at 175. He’s not the same,” said Alvarez. “I don’t want to say what he needs to do. If the money is right, I’ll fight anyone. Right now is the time for me to ask for the money. If they want me to fight him, they need to pay me good.

“If there is something good for me on the table, I am in. I don’t care,” added Alvarez. “He just brings 25 more pounds to the table. It’s a risky fight. But I can beat that guy, but not in the way I always did. It could be [that I fight Benavidez before I retire]” 

Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) will next face Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on a pay-per-view event distributed on Amazon, DAZN, and PPV.com. He appears unbothered by the +950 underdog Berlanga. 

“I don’t care what kind of fight he brings. I’m going to fuck that guy up,” said Alvarez. “He’s nervous. We need to understand that.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine, and more. He’s been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.