David Benavidez is already eyeing up future prospective opponents as he continues his preparations to face Demetrius Andrade later this month in Las Vegas.
It is public knowledge that Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) wants to step through the ropes and face undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39KOs), in a match-up that is one of the most called for in boxing by spectators.
Benavidez has been targeting Canelo recently and has called for a fight on multiple occasions, considering that the 26-year-old Benavidez is the WBC’s interim champion at 168lbs. Benavidez also strengthened his argument to face Canelo with a career-best victory over former IBF world super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant in March of this year.
However, Canelo has been unwilling to entertain Benavidez and has so far in 2023 faced John Ryder in his native Mexico before joining the PBC banner and dominated Jermell Charlo back in September at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to claim a very comfortable unanimous decision win.
A victory over Andrade would strengthen Benavidez’s argument to face the undisputed champion Canelo, with Benavidez recently speaking to FightHype.com that, “My end goal is really to get all four belts at this weight class before I leave.”
If a contest with Canelo does not transpire, Benavidez already has another divisional rival on his mind in WBA title holder David Morrell.
Cuban Morrell, lacking in professional experience, is already a major player in the 168lb division with his style and results to match. Unbeaten in nine fights as a professional, with eight wins coming inside the distance, has held a lesser version of the WBA title as far back as August of 2020 before claiming the WBA’s regular title the following year.
Benavidez-Morrell had been discussed earlier this year, and preliminary talks between the two camps had taken place, as confirmed by Benavidez’s manager, Sampson Lewkowicz.
Ultimately, Benavidez decided to take a different route but like him versus Canelo, himself versus Morrell is one of the more exciting fights in the super-middleweight division.
Benavidez confirmed that if he could, “If that fight doesn’t happen (with Canelo), I’ll fight David Morrell. That’ll be a great fight.”
