For years, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez headlined huge fights during Cinco de Mayo weekend and Mexican Independence Day weekend in September. Those dates became closely tied to his career and massive pay-per-view events. However, things changed this year.
David Benavidez stepped into the spotlight during Cinco de Mayo weekend. He delivered a dominant performance against Gilberto Ramirez and captured the unified cruiserweight championship, and plenty of attention from boxing fans.
That did not sit well with Canelo. Because of that, the competition for those iconic weekends may only intensify in the coming years.
Canelo wants to reclaim that major part of Mexican boxing tradition for himself. The former undisputed super middleweight champion recently took to social media to address the situation.
“El #CincoDeMayo will always be an important date for me and my career. This year there was no fight, but we’ll see each other at the next one in September.”
Last September, Canelo suffered a loss to Terence Crawford in one of the biggest fights of the year. Despite the defeat, he appears eager to rebuild momentum.
Reports now point toward a September return against Christian Mbilli. The matchup could place Canelo back on one of boxing’s biggest stages. Though the size of that stage could be blunted by the potential Riyadh location.
At the same time, Benavidez has continued building his own reputation. His impressive win over Ramirez gave him a strong hold on the Cinco de Mayo spotlight. Benavidez reportedly has his sights set on Mexican Independence weekend, and an undisputed showdown with Dmitry Bivol.
Still, Canelo’s latest comments suggest he views that control as temporary.
Fans have followed the rivalry between Canelo and Benavidez for years. Although the two stars have never met in the ring, tension between them continues growing. Their battle for boxing’s biggest Mexican holiday dates now adds another layer to the feud.
If Canelo returns successfully in September, he could quickly restore his place at the center of those celebrations. Yet Benavidez has already shown he can thrive under that pressure as well.
