Canelo Alvarez-David Benavidez: It’s Time.

By: Sean Crose

Anyone who saw David Benavidez’ brilliant performance against Demetrius Andrade Saturday night couldn’t help but walk away impressed. Yes, he broke Andrade down in nearly disturbing fashion, but what was even more telling was the way Benavidez got through what must have been a frustrating first few rounds before he was able to change the course of the fight. Make no mistake about it, Andrade is an excellent fighter, and it showed early on in the bout, as he spit off combos while moving about the ring in a nearly dazzling display of footwork. It ultimately didn’t matter.

Benavidez kept his focus and eventually was able to land on his polished opponent – and it was all over soon after that, with Andrade’s corner mercifully sparing their fighter more punishment by stopping the match after the sixth round. In a sense, the explosively hard hitting Benavidez’ performance was reminiscent of another highly regraded fighter – one Canelo Alvarez. Like Canelo, Benavidez doesn’t get overwhelmed when things aren’t going his way. He simply trusts his ability, his talent, and his power. Sooner or later, he’s going to land…and when Benavidez lands, things have a way of going downhill for his opponent.

Just like Canelo.

The truth is that being in possession of every major super middleweight title means Canelo must indeed face Benavidez sooner rather than later. It’s time. With that being said, it’s hard to imagine Canelo ducking Benavidez. Not that it will stop people from accusing Canelo of doing just that. Boxing fans are a tough breed, after all. Canelo, however, has battled a whose who of major competition throughout the course of his career. He’s a brilliant fighter and the thought of he and Benavidez squaring off in the ring is an enticing one – perhaps the most enticing in the sport right now.

Times change, after all, and though he’s a mere 33 years of age Canelo now stands as a member of boxing’s Old Guard. The 26 year old Benavidez, on the other hand, epitomizes the up and comer ready for his moment in the spotlight. Sure, Benavidez has already been a world titlist, but facing Canelo is another matter entirely…like seeing if you can climb the sport’s Mount Everest. Only two fighters have recorded wins over Canelo, after all. One is dominant light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol and the other is the legendary Floyd Mayweather. Even if he’s a bit past his prime, Canelo remains the best in the business – at least until Benavidez gets a shot at him. Can Benavidez actually best Canelo, however? The answer to that question could captivate the fight world and possibly beyond.