David Benavidez Sifting Possibilities, Not Waiting on Canelo

David Benavidez is taking a lesson from the Tim Tszyu handbook.

The unbeaten top super middleweight title contender won't wait on Canelo Alvarez to step up to the plate.

Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) is coming off an impressive 12-round unanimous decision win over Caleb Plant last month at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

David Benavidez has complete confidence in his offense and didn't worry about losing early rounds to Caleb Plant. Photo: Ryan Hafey, Premier Boxing Champions

Immediately following their competitive bout, the 26-year-old Benavidez called out Alvarez to fight him. The Mexican superstar knocked out Plant in 11 rounds in November 2021 to claim the undisputed 168-pound crown.

In reality, an Alvarez-Benavidez fight is probably not in the cards for this year, which is something the Benavidez team expected from the very beginning.

While an Alvarez fight remains their top choice, they want to remain active throughout 2023, which is something that was neglected a year ago. Benavidez fought just once, scoring a third-round TKO of former middleweight champ David Lemieux in May at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Team Benavidez is currently exploring possible fights with secondary 168-pound titleholder David Morrell, Demetrius Andrade, and even two-division titlist Jermall Charlo, who has been linked to a potential move up to super middleweight for about a year.

Jermall has been inactive, Benavidez shouldn’t expect that will change

“We already have a contract for three fights and that [consists of] Caleb Plant, David Morrell, Boo Boo (Andrade), and a possibility with Charlo,” Jose Benavidez, father and trainer of Benavidez, told FightHub.

“But If Charlo doesn’t get his act together—I mean, he hasn’t fought in two years, man. I’m not gonna wait here to see when he wants to fight. He’s fighting on social media and all that, but that sh!t isn’t making any money for him or for us.

“So you know, I mean, we’re gonna stay active and if we fight Canelo, good and if not, he’s gonna get stripped of his belts and I don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re going to continue with our era, our careers. We can’t be waiting for Canelo forever. We’re looking to fight in September and if it’s Canelo, good, if not, it’s gonna be somebody else.”

As for Alvarez, he's set to take on London's John Ryder on May 6 in a homecoming bout in Mexico. Should he win his mandatory fight, he is expected to exercise his contractual right to an immediate rematch to face Dmitry Bivol, the WBA light heavyweight champion. The unbeaten Russian schooled Alvarez in their bout last May 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, their bout came with a rematch clause, which Alvarez can trigger at any point.