RENOWNED TRAINER PREDICTS DAVID BENAVIDEZ COULD DETHRONE OLEKSANDR USYK IN FUTURE SHOWDOWN

Respected boxing trainer Robert Garcia believes David Benavidez could eventually defeat Oleksandr Usyk if the two fighters meet in the coming years.

Benavidez has continued receiving major praise following his successful move up to cruiserweight, where he defeated Gilberto Ramirez to capture WBA and WBO world titles on May 2 at T-Mobile Arena and strengthen his reputation as one of boxing’s elite fighters.

The victory has already sparked discussions about how far Benavidez could go in higher weight divisions, including the possibility of eventually moving up to heavyweight.

Garcia pointed specifically toward Usyk’s age as one of the major reasons he believes the matchup could eventually favor Benavidez.

“Usyk is nearly 40 already,” Garcia explained.

“So imagine two years from now, Benavidez beats him.”

Benavidez’s recent performances have significantly increased conversations surrounding his long-term future in heavier divisions.

Still unbeaten, the American star has already established himself across multiple weight classes. He became the first boxer to hold major titles at 168, 175, and 200 pounds.

What’s next for Benavidez and Usyk?

Agit Kabayel remains Usyk’s mandatory challenger, with the undefeated heavyweight reportedly expected to receive a world title opportunity later this year.

Before retirement, Usyk has already outlined a potential three-fight plan that includes a showdown against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, followed by a mandatory defense against Kabayel and a possible trilogy fight against Tyson Fury.

Recently, Fury responded to Oleksandr Usyk’s calls for a trilogy fight and admitted that he is interested in running it back for a third time. However, Fury also stated that his main focus right now is his reportedly signed showdown against Anthony Joshua later this year.

As for Benavidez, the unbeaten American appears more focused on other major opportunities in the near future. The cruiserweight champion has shown a strong interest in moving back down to 175 pounds for a potential clash against Dmitry Bivol or a catchweight bout. Benavidez has also continued expressing interest in long-discussed fights against Canelo Alvarez and Jai Opetaia.

A fight between Benavidez and Usyk remains purely hypothetical for now, but Turki Alalshikh seems interested in making this fight a reality, as he expressed on his X account, his desire to see them go head-to-head in the ring.

Meanwhile, Garcia’s comments add to the growing speculation surrounding how Benavidez’s career could evolve over the next few years.

- Ryan Fletcher

MONSTER KNOCKOU! | BENAVIDEZ VS. ZURDO 🔥

 

DAVID BENAVIDEZ VS. GILBERTO ZURDO RANIREZ | FULL FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

 

BENAVIDEZ VS. ZURDO | TALE OF THE TAPE

 

PBC BOXING: DAVID MORRELL VS. DAVID BENAVIDEZ | FULL FIGHT 🥊

BENAVIDEZ VS. MORRELL FIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

 

I KNOW I CAN BEAT HIM - WHAT DAVID AND DAVID MORRELL HAD TO SAY AFTER THEIR LAS VEGAS CLASSIC

David Benavidez is in pole position to challenge for a world title at 175lbs after a grueling points win over David Morrell in Las Vegas . 

The Arizona man had to climb off the canvas in round 11 to secure his win, but his superior work in the previous stages were enough to give him the nod on all three scorecards. 

Benavidez will now turn his attention to Feb 22 when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol clash for a second time with Benavidez likely to declare his interest in facing the winner. 

Here’s what both fighters had to say after the bout.

David Benavidez 

"This is 'El Monstro's' world. Shout out to Morrell, I knew he'd be tough and that's why I prepared so hard for this. I'm happy we were able to give the fans a great show tonight.” 

"I wasn't surprised by anything he did because I knew he was a great fighter and that I had to prepare for everything. I knew my defense had to be good. I actually thought he'd hit harder once we were in here. He was easier to hit than I expected. Every opportunity that I saw, I went for it. 

"I just want to be the best of my era. Whoever I need to fight next, I'll be ready for them. I want to unify all four titles, so if that's next, then that's next.” 

David Morrell

"It was a good fight. This is boxing, some days you win and some days you lose. Tonight was my turn. I'm young and I'll keep pushing for another opportunity. 

"It was never bad blood for me. This moment feels great because we were able to give everyone a good show. I'm going to work my way back. We'll watch this fight and learn from what I didn't do well. We'll practice more and train harder and earn another fight against Benavidez. I know I can beat him.”

- Christopher Walker

'THE REF CHEATING ': COMBAT SPORT WORLD REACTS TO DAVID BENAVIDEZ AND DAVID MORRELL'S FIGHT OF THE YEAR CONTENDER

David Benavidez showed David Morrell exactly what “The Mexican Monster” is all about.

David Benavidez Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

On Saturday, Benavidez successfully defended his interim WBA light heavyweight title and claimed the WBC light heavyweight title, winning a unanimous decision over Morrell in their battle in Las Vegas.

Though the bout was competitive, Benavidez won a majority of the rounds with his trademark pressure and pace, hammering Morrell repeatedly to the body and out-working him for most of the fight. There were a few dodgy moments for Benavidez though as Morrell badly hurt him early in the fight and then scored a knockdown in the 11th round. However, at the end of that very round, Morrell had a point controversially deducted after landing a punch well after the bell sounded, functionally negating his knockdown advantage.

In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered as Benavidez won a clear-cut decision, but the bout and the controversy drew a variety of responses from the combat sports world who were all tuned in to this Fight of the Year contender.

- Jed Meshew

DAVID BENAVIDES VS.BDAVID MORRELL

 

DAVID BENAVIDEZ GETS DAVID MORRELL NEXT ON 175-POUND BOUT

David Benavidez will meet David Morrell in a high-stakes light heavyweight bout, Benavidez announced Tuesday on Instagram.

The 175-pound bout will headline a PBC pay-per-view card and is expected to take place Jan. 25 in Las Vegas, sources tell ESPN.

Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) was in talks to fight fringe contender Jesse Hart on Dec. 14 on the undercard of the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach title bout, according to sources, but he secured a far more compelling bout.

Benavidez has chased boxing's top star, Canelo Álvarez, for years. Álvarez hasn't shown any interest in such a matchup, so Benavidez made the jump from 168 to 175 pounds this summer with a decision win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk.

Benavidez, 27, who fights out of Miami, is a former two-time titleholder at 168 pounds. He's rated No. 3 at 175 pounds.

Now, Benavidez is prepared for the toughest test of his career. Cuba's Morrell (11-0, 9 KOs) also made the move to light heavyweight this summer. He encountered the most-challenging fight of his career with a unanimous decision over Radivoje Kalajdzic in August.

Morrell, 26, is ESPN's No. 4 light heavyweight. ESPN's top two 175-pounders, Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, fight Saturday on ESPN+ for the undisputed light heavyweight championship.

The winner of Benavidez-Morrell will be positioned for a fight with the winner.

- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider

TURKI ALALSHIKH BLASTS CANELO ALVAREZ FOR ONLY TAKING 'EASY FIGHTS'

Canelo Alvarez Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

Canelo Alvarez’s latest fight booking has drawn the ire of some of combat sports’ most influential names.

The superstar boxer recently ruffled the feathers of UFC CEO Dana White and Conor McGregor recently, with White criticizing MGM for booking Alvarez’s upcoming Sept. 14 fight with Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas on the same night as UFC 306 at the nearby Sphere, and McGregor targeting Alvarez himself, calling him “a cornflake.”

Saudi Arabian adviser and fight promoter Turki Alalshikh also appears to have beef with Alvarez as he recently announced that he is not pursuing a dream fight between Alvarez and Terence Crawford.

On Wednesday, Alalshikh elaborated on his reason for not wanting to work with Alvarez or his team via a social media post.

“I heard what Canelo said that he respects me but doesn’t like the way we do business. As for him respecting me, it doesn’t matter to me if he does or not.

“As for the way I do business, I know why he doesn’t like it, because I only target big fights at fair prices, so of course anyone who likes easy fights won’t like that. And I know how he feels after losing to Bivol, so he’s been looking for easier fights ever since. Also, I’m not the one who’s afraid of fighting [David] Benavidez or Crawford.

“Therefore, I knew he was wasting our time and making excuses with big amounts of money that can’t be paid. So I’m continuing my way to make big fights that serve the boxing world, and he’s on his way to making easy show-only fights.”

The gist of Alalshikh’s criticism is that he believes Alvarez is intentionally pricing himself out of marquee matchups to avoid difficult opponents. Alalshikh points specifically to Alvarez’s most recent loss, which came against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in May 2022. Alvarez has rebounded with four consecutive victories, knocking off the likes of Gennady Golovkin, Jermell Charlo, and most recently, Jaime Munguia.

Up next for Alvarez is another defense of his super middleweight titles against Berlanga on Sept. 14. In Alvarez’s 65-fight career, he has lost just twice and also has two draws on his record.

Alalshikh has been aggressive in promoting big-name boxing bouts over the past few years. This past weekend, his Riyadh Season promotion held an event at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, headlined by Crawford fighting Israil Madrimov. He was also a driving force behind former UFC champion and current PFL star Francis Ngannou’s fights with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and Fury’s recent championship bout with Oleksandr Usyk.

- Alexander K. Lee

HERE'S WHY CANELO VS. CRAWFORD JUST TOOK A BLOW

Israil Madrimov, left, landed 10 more power punches (65) than Terence Crawford (55) over the 12-round fight. Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

LOS ANGELES -- The secret to solving Terence Crawford, said Joel Diaz, who trains now-former WBA junior middleweight champion Israil Madrimov, was the body.

"Nobody ever tests him to the body," Diaz told ESPN the other night. "But we're going there every chance we get. Crawford throws that southpaw jab, we're throwing a right to the body. He throws it orthodox, Israil's going down there with a straight right."

And as it began, Madrimov -- of Indio, California, by way of Uzbekistan -- was faithful to the trainer's counsel. But fighters as good as Madrimov and Crawford -- still one of the best in the world despite the toughest and closest night of his still undefeated career -- discern other openings as the fight evolves. So after a couple of rounds poking Crawford's body, Madrimov began to launch straight right hands -- and unlike pretty much any of Crawford's previous 40 opponents -- saw them land with great regularity. After that, Madrimov found a home for a long left hook that came around Crawford's guard. By the seventh round, you could notice swelling around Crawford's right eye.

None of this would be remarkable if it weren't Crawford -- a four-division champion now, undisputed at 140 and 147 pounds -- whose last outing ended the idea of Errol Spence Jr. as we knew him. Since 2016, Crawford knocked out everyone he's faced. You've seen Crawford's mean streak. You've seen his aptitude, justifiably regarded as the highest IQ in the game. But you've never really seen him vulnerable. Perhaps more remarkable, though, he began as an upstart in Omaha, Nebraska -- then regarded as the North Pole of the boxing world -- without an "A-side" rep or the blessing of a big promoter. I asked Crawford leading up to the fight who was the best fighter of the post-Floyd Mayweather age.

"Me," he said. "And I've been showing it for years. We always had the motto, keep winning and everything will fall in place."

True. No one's ever done Crawford any favors -- until, perhaps, Saturday night.

"I believe I did enough," Madrimov said moments after the judges delivered their unanimous verdict against him.

He wasn't alone, of course. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, argued that judge Fernando Villarreal's 116-112 card in favor of Crawford seemed as if it had been "filled out before the fight began." In fact, this wasn't a robbery. I had it six rounds a piece, but in a fight like this there's always at least a couple that could go either way. What's more, in his maiden voyage at 154 pounds, Crawford won the final two rounds on all three judges' scorecards, and did it, in large measure, by banging Madrimov to the body. If he was the smaller fighter, he was also the stronger one inside.

"I ain't gonna lie," said Crawford. "He's strong ... he got me to Round 12. ...This guy is big."

Though not as big as the fighter touted -- or, perhaps, merely hoped for -- as Crawford's next opponent. That would be the undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez. While both Crawford and Canelo are nearing the end of illustrious careers and speak fondly of their legacies, Crawford took a real risk on Saturday, moving up in weight to fight a high-risk opponent who is decidedly not a household name. Yes, his decision was subsidized by the largesse of boxing's would-be savior, Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. Still, whatever your scorecard, it was the kind of fight often spoken of, but rarely seen: the best fighting the best.

Canelo, on the other hand, will fight Edgar Berlanga next month, who has yet to win a fight that merits either Canelo or the corresponding payday. I like Edgar. But his main talent for earning the date is not being David Benavidez, whom Canelo has avoided for years

Perhaps that's the real loss here. Turki Alalshikh wanted Canelo-Crawford. It seemed like an inspired idea -- until Saturday night. An ambiguous victory over Madrimov potentiality takes the steam out of the Canelo-Crawford.

Rather, what's left seems to be a battle for boxing supremacy between Canelo and Alalshikh, who is promoting a UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas the same night as Canelo-Berlanga a couple of miles away at T-Mobile Arena.

"We will eat him," Alalshikh told ESPN's Mike Coppinger, last month.

Last night, however, Alalshikh struck a different note. "I give him the offer," he said of Canelo. "If he's smart, he will accept it."

If not, figure on Crawford vs. Vergil Ortiz Jr.

Either way, Canelo-Crawford just took a body blow.

- Mark Kriegel, ESPN

CARLOS ALCARAZ MAKES MAJOR U-TURN TERENCE CRAWFORD FIGHT AS BENAVIDEZ DECIDES TO STAY AT 175

 Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez has seemingly had a change of heart about a possible fight against Terence Crawford.

Crawford set his sights on the super-middleweight champion after he dominated Errol Spence Jr last year to become undisputed champion at welterweight.

In reaction, Canelo, when speaking with Box Azteca, completely ruled out facing the naturally smaller man,

“No [I will never fight Crawford].

People criticised me fighting Charlo because he was coming up in weight so now imagine Crawford going from welterweight to 168lbs, I have everything to lose and nothing to gain because if I win, they’ll say, ‘Oh, he was too small, and everything!”

However, in a more recent interview with Supreme Boxing, the Mexican said he is now willing to fight ‘Bud’ if the money is right.

“It depends on the money but why not?

“In the end, he is a great fighter, Crawford, obviously 3 divisions lower, but as I have said to you, I have fought with people bigger than me, the same categories as me, shorter than me, older than me, younger than me. In the end, I was born to fight, I am here to fight with whoever, obviously with the terms that most suit me, at this point in my career I am always going to do the best fights and those that suit me.”

If money is the main determining factor in making it happen then fans might just get their wish, as the man behind boxing in Saudi Arabia Turki Alalshikh has told ESPN he intends to make the clash and will be offering Canelo a ‘fair price’ very soon.

“I will give Canelo what I think is a fair price. If he accepts it, he deals directly with me to finish the deal. I don’t want anyone in the middle. I guaranteed Crawford a big fight, I want Canelo for Crawford and Crawford wants Canelo. But if Canelo is crazy [with his financial demands] I will still guarantee Crawford any fight he wants.”

With David Benavidez deciding to stay at at light-heavyweight to face the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rather than continue to chase a Canelo showdown, the four weight world champions options for the huge payday he’s looking for are starting to look slim without Crawford.

- Toby Morgan 

DAVID BENAVIDEZ TO REMAIN AT 175, TARGETS WORLD TITLE SHOT

 

Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman reports that David Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, has informed him that his fighter has chosen to stay at 175 and keep his WBC interim and mandatory position.

Benavidez will vacate his WBC interim 168-lb title, which was useless given that the World Boxing Council wasn’t showing signs of ordering a fight between him and WBC champion Canelo Alvarez.

The unbeaten Benavidez is the mandatory challenger to face the winner of the October 12th fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Those two will meet for the undisputed 175-lb championship at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Benavidez’s decision to give up his WBC interim and mandatory spot at 168 comes after today’s news of undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez defending against Edgar Berlanga next on September 14th in a dual network broadcast at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Berlanga recently became WBA 168-lb mandatory earlier this year on February 24th, defeating Padraig McCrory. Benavidez had already been waiting for a title shot as Canelo’s WBC mandatory for two years since his win over David Lemieux on May 21, 2022.

With Terence Crawford’s name repeatedly mentioned as a potential opponent for Canelo’s fight in the first quarter of 2025, it was evident that Benavidez would be passed over again and would continue to be indefinitely.

Financial Rewards At 175

Benavidez can make a lot of money fighting the Bivol vs. Beterbiev winner in 2025. The only uncertain thing is whether those two champions will choose to fight a rematch, which would likely happen in the second happen in the first half of next year.

- Sean Jones

DAVIS VS. LOMACHENKO? WILL BENAVIDEZ GET CANELO NEXT? WHAT CAN MATIAS DO AFTER LOSS?

Gervonta Davis, right, defended his WBA lightweight world title with a KO victory over Frank Martin Saturday night in Las Vegas. Steve Marcus/Getty Images

 Gervonta Davis cemented his status Saturday as one of the sport's best fighters with another highlight-reel KO.

One of Davis' patented left uppercuts dazed Frank Martin before a left cross sent the defenseless challenger crashing to the mat for the count of 10 in Round 8. Davis, ESPN's No. 7 pound-for-pound boxer, could face Vasiliy Lomachenko later this year in a lightweight summit meeting.

"Tank" Davis' successful WBA lightweight title defense was billed as the 100th championship fight at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena. The bout was Davis' first in 14 months -- a seventh-round TKO of Ryan Garcia last April -- and first since a 44-day jail stint last summer.

David Benavidez made his light heavyweight debut in the PBC PPV co-feature with a comfortable unanimous-decision victory over former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. While Benavidez didn't secure the stoppage, he did impress as he looks toward far bigger fights at 175 pounds.

Elsewhere Saturday, Australia's Liam Paro scored a major upset with a decision win over Subriel Matias to capture the IBF junior welterweight title.

Here's what we learned from each of those three fights, along with the title implications following the results:

Davis explosive in return; could Lomachenko be next?

Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) reminded everyone he's one of the sport's most-electrifying fighters with another spectacular KO victory. Martin was game and banked some early rounds with a sharp jab. All three judges gave Martin the first three rounds.

Fighting in his first title bout, Martin was able to mark up Davis' right eye with left hands as he boxed off the back foot, but "Tank" is usually a slow starter. This night was no different.

Davis' educated pressure began to wear Martin down behind his southpaw jab and followed with explosive left hands. It was a matter of time until one of those shots landed flush, and when it did, Martin couldn't absorb it. He had never been knocked down before, but this was his first fight on the elite level.

With another opponent out of the way, calls will resume for Baltimore's Davis to fight in a title unification bout for the first time at age 29. Preliminary talks have been held to match Davis against IBF lightweight champion Lomachenko. Ukraine's Lomachenko, ESPN's No. 1 lightweight, is a future Hall of Famer.

Davis, ESPN's No. 2 lightweight, could also look to a fall fight with Shakur Stevenson. Stevenson defends his WBC 135-pound title vs. Artem Harutyunyan on July 6, and will be a promotional free agent afterward, clearing an easier path for a fight with Davis.

Benavidez dominates in 175-pound debut

David Benavidez center, celebrates his victory over Oleksandr Gvozdyk to win the interim WBC light heavyweight title. Steve Marcus/Getty Images

One of the sport's fastest-rising stars, David Benavidez has long lobbied for a shot at Canelo Alvarez, but when that wasn't successful, he moved up to light heavyweight.

That first 175-pound bout came vs. Gvozdyk, the former lineal champion who once TKOed Adonis Stevenson but was sent into retirement by Artur Beterbiev in 2019.

After 3½ years out of the ring, Gvozdyk returned last year with three bouts against lower-tier opposition. He performed well against Benavidez to last the distance, but Gvozdyk never threatened to win the fight.

At his new weight, Benavidez didn't unload with his usual volume, but showed improved defense. He slipped many of Gvozdyk's shots while he applied pressure and caught many punches on his arms.

Benavidez battered Gvozdyk's body and prevailed via scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Next up could be a fall fight with David Morrell, a super middleweight contender who's also moving up to 175 pounds. The Cuban will make his light heavyweight debut Aug. 3 vs. Radivoje Kalajdzic.

The marquee fight for Benavidez -- outside of an Alvarez meeting -- is the winner of the Oct. 12 Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light heavyweight championship bout.

The concern now rests on Benavidez's power at his new weight. Despite all the damage he dealt Gvozdyk, he never had the Ukrainian in serious trouble. Against a better fighter such us Beterbiev or Bivol, Benavidez will likely need to be better.

"I was trying to get the feel for the light heavyweight division," said Benavidez, 27. "These guys, they hit a little bit harder up here. ... Two weeks ago I suffered a cut in my eye. ... I had a torn tendon on my right hand, and I didn't think I was going to make it tonight, but we pushed through it."

Paro upset over Matias shakes up 140-pound division

Liam Paro, left, defeated Subriel Matias by unanimous decision to win the IBF junior welterweight title. Amanda Westcott/Matchroom

For the second time in three months, there's a major upset in a junior welterweight title fight. First it was Ryan Garcia, who floored Devin Haney three times in a decision win in April, though the result stands to be overturned after Garcia's positive test for the banned substance ostarine.

Now it's Paro who defied the odds in a 140-pound title fight with a victory over Matias in enemy territory.

Paro (24-0, 15 KOs) stood his ground in the face of Matias' relentless pressure and exchanged with the power-puncher. The win appeared far from fluky as the 28-year-old made adjustments and showed off a versatile arsenal in a career-best performance.

It was yet another road victory for Paro, who traveled to the U.S. in December for a sixth-round TKO win over Montana Love. After the pair of wins -- this one over ESPN's No. 2 140-pounder -- the newly minted champion could find himself in the division's top five when ESPN's rankings are updated next week.

The division is hot. Jack Catterall rose to No. 4 in the rankings after he defeated Josh Taylor in the rematch last month. Teofimo Lopez, the lineal champion, defends his IBF title against Steve Claggett on June 29 in Miami.

There's now plenty of attractive matchups for Paro. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said he'd like to deliver a title defense for him in Australia, where Tim Tszyu and George Kambosos Jr. have competed in front of sizable crowds.

The most appetizing of all is a rematch with Matias, especially Down Under. The fight was a slugfest, and a return bout would be welcomed by fans.

Matias is with Matchroom, and so, too, are Catterall and Richardson Hitchins.

- Mike Coppinger, ESPN Boxing Insider

DAVIS VS. MARTIN | BENAVIDEZ VS. GVOZDYK

 

BOXING ROUNDTABLE: IS CANELO ALVAREZ REALLY AVOIDING A MASSIVE SHOWDOWN WITH DAVID BENAVIDEZ?

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has risen to a position as the face of boxing and the best fighter of his era through a career that saw him constantly challenging himself. From chasing big fights to moving up through weight classes, the current undisputed super middleweight champion could rarely be accused of avoiding a challenge.

That is why Alvarez's recent behavior has been so jarring for many in the boxing world.

Alvarez is set to fight Jaime Munguia in May, once again choosing to face an opponent other than top super middleweight contender, current WBC interim champion and two-time former world champion David Benavidez.

Alvarez has suggested that a fight with Munguia is "more important" to him than facing Benavidez, while also saying he would need upwards of $200 million to be enticed into taking the fight.

With that in mind, the CBS Sports boxing experts sat down for a conversation on whether or not Alvarez is "ducking" a fight with the best challenger in his weight class.

Brent Brookhouse: While we both have a lot of respect for Alvarez and the risks he's consistently taken during his career in the pursuit of greatness, I have to ask you, Brian, can we officially declare that Canelo is ducking Benavidez?

Brian Campbell: Typically, we try to give fighters the benefit of the doubt who prioritize consistently making the biggest and most difficult fights, regardless of the leverage they have acquired due to their superstar or celebrity status. In Alvarez's case, he has years worth of goodwill attained throughout his legendary career, with very few missteps worth criticizing along the way. But it's one thing for fans or media members, straight off their couch, to question the motives or bravery of a fighter. It's another thing, however, when a star fighter's peers begin to question things. And the recent criticism from Hall of Famer Mike Tyson asking whether Alvarez is afraid of Benavidez now seems appropriate.

 Even with Benavidez's history of twice being stripped of his WBC title, which understandably prevented him from fighting Alvarez during the Mexican icon's march toward the undisputed title in 2021, it's now three years later. The fighters are also competing on the same television network and, up to this point, mostly in the same division. There are no more excuses for Alvarez, especially not when he's holding up the division by openly preventing one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in the sport from getting his hard-earned opportunity to prove himself. Oh yeah, and one more thing: the fight is among the biggest that could be made, right now, in the entire sport. What other excuses could there be against the idea that this is a duck?

Brookhouse: To be fair to Alvarez, if you look back at the time in February when he and PBC split -- before ultimately coming back together for the Munguia fight -- his own promoters seemingly weren't discussing the Benavidez fight as the next step. There were reports from Dan Rafael that Jermall Charlo and Munguia were two names being pushed for May, with PBC's Al Haymon supposedly willing to go along with the Charlo bout if Alvarez was willing to face Benavidez in September. You could say that Alvarez leaving PBC after that deal was placed in front of him could be a sort of extended duck, but it's worth noting that a fight with Benavidez was seemingly never on the table for May. With that in mind, maybe it's fair to look at September as the date for Alvarez to face Benavidez or possibly suffer a permanent stain on an otherwise mostly spotless legacy.

Barring injury, Alvarez is expected to fight in September. Can you think of any fight that would be deemed "acceptable" other than Benavidez for a September date? Charlo isn't going to be seen as an appealing option. And, while a fight with Terence Crawford may set the imagination racing, after Alvarez cited Benavidez putting on significant weight between the weigh-in and fight night, fighting someone who hasn't yet fought above 147 pounds would seem a bit hypocritical.

Campbell: Hold up, you just identified the issue right there: the weight. While I understand the realities of boxing business and the fact that Alvarez's three-fight PBC deal somehow didn't contain language about a Benavidez fight, it's Alvarez's own comments of late that have stirred the pot so negatively toward the direction of this being a duck. If you want to say a Terence Crawford fight is not possible because of the perceived lack of credit Alvarez would get for defeating someone three weight classes smaller, that's fine. But Benavidez is actually in Alvarez's division. And even though Benavidez did rehydrate to upwards of 25 pounds for his demolition of unbeaten Demetrius Andrade last November, how could Alvarez possibly justify his stance that Benavidez is too big?

The last time I checked, Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev to win a light heavyweight title in 2019, returned to the division in a 2022 loss to Dmitry Bivol and once publicly teased a move up to cruiserweight to chase more history by adding to his legacy. Oh, and he also once fought Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a 164-pound catchweight back in 2017 against one of the biggest "weight bully" abusers in modern boxing history.

Alvarez can't have it both ways. You can't be the undisputed champion of a division only to pick and choose who you defend against. And you can't complain about being the smaller man when you have built your legend upon daring to be great. Alvarez can compare the public's demand to what he previously went through ahead of fighting Gennadiy Golovkin for the first time when critics felt he would avoid it. But if Alvarez is going to bring that back up, we also need to remember he made GGG wait two years until he was 35 for their first fight and failed a drug test ahead of their rematch.

If you don't want to defend the titles against the interim champion and No. 1 contender, drop the belts. It's as simple as that. Unless you think this is primarily about honor and not wanting to do what you are told. Does Alvarez deserve that luxury at this point? Or do you think he's simply stirring the pot for the fight to eventually be even bigger than it could have already been?

Brookhouse: It's also worth noting that Alvarez not only went up to fight Bivol at light heavyweight, but one of the reasons the rematch didn't happen as planned was that he wouldn't fold to Bivol's desire to cut to 168 to fight for Alvarez's undisputed crown because Alvarez wanted to return to light heavy for another bite at the WBA championship apple. And, before his time at super middleweight, Alvarez wasn't exactly hanging out at his weigh-in weight come fight night. It's a reality of modern boxing that guys are making big cuts and rehydrating in big ways in the 24 hours after stepping on the scale. And how are we glossing over Alvarez's most recent fight against a man (Jermell Charlo) coming up two divisions for his first fight in a year and a half?

I'd love to think Alvarez is trying to build hype for a Benavidez fight but he went undisputed in November 2021. While he was already the best super middleweight outside of Alvarez prior to doing so, Benavidez won the WBC interim title in May 2022, which added "mandatory" to his status as "best" challenger. There isn't much more hype to build. Frankly, Alvarez is being as dismissive of Benavidez as he was when he was laughing Andrade out of his attempts to crash Alvarez's post-fight press conferences.

Alvarez should dump at least a couple of his titles if he isn't committed to fighting the best in the division. Yes, it's Benavidez's fault he dropped the WBC title twice, once for testing positive for cocaine and once for missing weight, but he's the best challenger available, and if Alvarez isn't willing to give him his shot, room needs to be made for Benavidez to fight for a world title. Of course, when you've achieved the level of superstardom Alvarez has, it's easy to win a game of chicken against the sport's sanctioning bodies. It would be surprising if he jerked the wheel toward Benavidez now.

- Brent Brookhouse  & Brian Campbell

BOLD PREDICTION FOR '24: FURY'S NEXT CHALLENGE, NGANNOU'S RETURN AND NEW P4P KING

Will Tyson Fury finally sign up to fight Anthony Joshua or retire after the 2024 campaign? Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

It is hard to predict what can happen in a full year of boxing, given the nature of a sport which is divided by different promoters and networks. Add in the fact that more than ever, the sport's top stars are fighting internationally, gaining fame in regions where boxing had previously not been a major draw. Just look at ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings top 10, which includes fighters from six different countries, working with four different promotional companies.

Regardless of how the fighters line up, to start 2024 we are playing matchmaker and are here to predict some possible fights -- and the immediate future of one top fighter. Could we see Tyson Fury face Anthony Joshua in 2024... or retire from boxing? Will Naoya Inoue be the new P4P king, winning titles in a fifth division? Can two division champ Devin Haney win a welterweight title? Will the light heavyweight division crown its first undisputed champion in the four-belt era? And how about Francis Ngannou? Will he be back in the ring and actually won a boxing fight in 2024?

BENAVIDEZ SHOPS ANDRADE AFTER SIX ROUNDS, CALLS FOR FIGHT WITH SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP CANELO R

AP Photo 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — David Benavidez retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round Saturday night.

In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders, Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round.

Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career.

Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best super middleweight after Canelo Alvarez. Immediately after his win he called for a match against Alvarez to unify the super middleweight title as an annouced gathering of 9,585 fans roared their approval.

BENAVIDEZ VS. ANDRADE | BOXING