Boxing

David Benavidez Calls Out Canelo Alvarez With Bold Beterbiev vs Bivol Pick

David Benavidez cited Canelo Alvarez when asked who he'd prefer to win the Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol rematch.
Grant Young|
Mar 25, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; David Benavidez celebrates after defeating Caleb Plant (not pictured) in their Interim WBC Super Middleweight Championship boxing bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; David Benavidez celebrates after defeating Caleb Plant (not pictured) in their Interim WBC Super Middleweight Championship boxing bout at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

David Benavidez (30-0, 24 KO's) showed the boxing world why he's one of the most feared pound-for-pound punchers on February 1, after he defeated David Morrell by unanimous decision.

With this win (in which the three judges scored 115-111, 115-111, and 118-108), Benavidez retained his WBC light heavyweight interim title and also won Morrell's WBA light heavyweight "regular" belt.

But perhaps most importantly for him, Benavidez solidified himself as the No. 1 contender for the undisputed light heavyweight title after Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol have their highly-anticipated rematch on February 22.

MORE: David Benavidez Talks Terence Crawford And Canelo Alvarez

Facing the winner of Beterbiev vs. Bivol II hasn't always been top of mind for Benavidez. For years, Benavidez claimed that he deserved to fight Canelo Alvarez at super middleweight. However, since Canelo has always shown little interest in this showdown, Benavidez eventually shifted his focus to light heavyweight.

But that doesn't mean Benavidez has forgotten about Canelo entirely. And this was proven during his February 3 appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show.

"To be honest with you, I would pick Bivol, because Bivol beat Canelo," Benavidez said when Helwani asked him his preference on who would win the Beterbiev vs. Bivol rematch. "So basically, when I beat Bivol, that would make my case that I'm better than Canelo."

He then added, 'I know Dmitry Bivol really well, I've sparred him a lot. He's a great fighter and we've had a lot of great sparring sessions. So I definitely would love to fight Bivol."

Perhaps if Benavidez did get a win over Bivol in the future, it would finally entice Canelo enough to face him.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.