David Benavidez, the unbeaten WBC light-heavyweight champion, has thrown down the gauntlet to Canelo Alvarez. The 28-year-old from Phoenix vows to "destroy" the Mexican superstar and take his belts if they ever step into the ring together.
Canelo, 34, from Guadalajara, Mexico, has been a pro since he was 15. He's fought nearly 70 times and won world titles in four weight classes. Now, he's the undisputed super-middleweight champion with big wins over Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Sergey Kovalev, and Jermell Charlo.
Alvarez will face Terence Crawford on Saturday, September 13, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. But Benavidez wants a piece of him too.
In a recent interview with Seconds Out, Benavidez didn't mince words:
"I wouldn't go down to 168 but it's possible, now that all promoters are working together it's possible, but at the end of the day it's just like what does he want? Turki might give him what he wants you know what I mean? And then I'm gonna get what I want after I beat the s**t out of him and take his belts."
Benavidez got the WBC light-heavyweight title when Dmitry Bivol gave it up to chase a third fight with Artur Beterbiev. Now, he's set to defend that belt for the first time. He'll face Anthony Yarde on Saturday, November 22, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The landscape of boxing is changing. Promoters are working together more than ever. And there's a hint that Saudi figures like Turki might help make big fights happen.
Benavidez says he won't drop to 168 pounds for Canelo. But with all these changes in boxing, who knows? We might see these two warriors clash sooner rather than later.
