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David Benavidez Reveals How And When He Wants To Fight Canelo Alvarez

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Jaren Kawada | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 9:05 PM ET

David Benavidez knows that if he is ever going to fight Canelo Alvarez, now is the time.

Alvarez, 35, is admittedly nearing the end of his career and is now coming off just his third loss in a 68-fight career against Terence Crawford. Benavidez has been the opponent fans have been pushing Alvarez to fight for years, and 'The Mexican Monster' knows that he now might have his best opportunity to do so.

However, before that fight can happen, Benavidez knows that he needs to have more to offer. Although he has a title defense against Anthony Yarde scheduled for November, Benavidez seeks a unification bout with Dmitry Bivol afterward to become the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

"I wasn't gonna go down to 168, but now if Canelo wants to come up, then come," Benavidez said on the Inside the Ring Show. "I got the WBC world title at 175. After I beat Bivol, I'ma have all belts. So after that happens, now I'm the one who has the power. Canelo says he fights for greatness, he fights for titles — well, let me go pick up all the titles, and let's come back to the table and talk."

David Benavidez says he'll be interested in a fight with Canelo Alvarez after he becomes the undisputed light-heavyweight champ #InsideTheRing is LIVE NOW exclusively on DAZN pic.twitter.com/F6gUXOaco6
— InsideRingShow (@InsideRingShow) September 22, 2025

Benavidez said the fight can only happen if Alvarez is willing to move up to 175 pounds. Alvarez has already made the move twice before and beat Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to briefly become the WBO light heavyweight champion.

Benavidez, 30-0, officially became a 175-pound world champion in February, when he overcame a knockdown to beat then-undefeated David Morrell by unanimous decision. However, he has been the WBC interim light heavyweight champion since 2022, when he finished David Lemieux in the third round.

David Benavidez's stance in cluttered light heavyweight title picture

Throughout his interim title reign, Benavidez has been forced to watch as Bivol and Artur Beterbiev repeatedly fought each other with undisputed status on the line. Their ongoing rivalry prevented Benavidez from achieving full championship status, but he eventually broke through earlier this year.

After Bivol exacted revenge in the rematch by majority decision, the WBC ordered him to defend against Benavidez. Instead of obliging, Bivol relinquished the title to pursue a lucrative trilogy bout with Beterbiev.

While Benavidez desperately attempts to insert his name into the undisputed conversation, his wait will continue. An injured Bivol continues to keep the belts sidelined, but the looming trilogy with Beterbiev is expected to commence in early 2026.

Benavidez will celebrate his 29th birthday in December, just one month after his fight with Yarde. As frustrating as the situation can be, he is still considerably younger than both Bivol and Beterbiev, expanding his championship timeline.

This article first appeared on KO on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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