David Benavidez won't drop down to 168lbs to fight Canelo Alvarez. The WBC interim light-heavyweight champion made this clear in a recent interview ahead of his February fight.
Benavidez, known as "The Mexican Monster," is set to face WBA Regular light-heavyweight champion David Morrell next month. At 28 years old, he's focusing on his career at 175lbs and doesn't plan to look back.
For years, fans and pundits linked Benavidez with Canelo, but the fight never materialized. Now, Benavidez has moved up in weight and isn't interested in cutting back down.
In an interview with Sean Zittel, Benavidez made his stance clear:
"To be honest I feel like I'm only worried about 175. I'm not coming back down to 168. I feel like my body is starting to get used to 175. I'm building more muscle and I just turned 28 so I'm starting to get in my prime now. I feel like this is the lane I'll stay in."
Benavidez's focus is on his upcoming fight and potential matchups in the light-heavyweight division. He added:
"I don't care about anything else. My main objective is to beat David Morrell, put a beating on him and then face whoever is next. We were ranked number one in the spot to face the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol, so if that's what it is I'm 100% ready for that as well."
As for the long-discussed Canelo fight, Benavidez seems to have moved on:
"If I don't get that Canelo fight I really don't care. I'm really happy with where I'm at in my career, I'm happy with the opportunities I'm getting and it's now [about] proving myself as the best fighter in the world at whatever weight class I'm at."
While Benavidez looks ahead at 175lbs, Canelo Alvarez remains the WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight champion at 168lbs. There's talk of Canelo potentially facing Terence Crawford, but Benavidez didn't offer a prediction for that matchup.
For now, all eyes are on Benavidez's February clash with Morrell as he aims to cement his place in the light-heavyweight division.
