Even though his career is still very much ongoing, it would take a brave man to call into question the legacy of four-weight world champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Alvarez boasts wins over potential Hall of Famers to be in Gennadiy Golovkin and Sergey Kovalev, has near cleaned out the super-middleweight division and is still seen by many as the biggest star in the sport.
Most observers believe the Mexican’s next big test will come against WBC interim belt holder David Benavidez – and Benavidez claims the Guadalajara favourite’s legacy depends on it.
In a recent interview with Showtime Sports, Benavidez admits he believes Alvarez will accept the fight because he “takes challenges.”
“I think it would definitely affect his legacy, I don’t think he [Alvarez] retires without fighting me. ‘Canelo’ is a warrior and he takes challenges. You can say whatever you want about him, but he takes challenges.”
“I think he moves when he wants to move, at his time. So I feel like the fight is going to happen whenever he wants it to happen.”
Though getting distracted by the possibility of a money spinning clash with ‘Canelo’ is likely impossible to avoid, Benavidez must do his best to keep his attention focused on two-weight world champion Demetrius Andrade, with whom he will lock horns with on November 25.
Should he get past ‘Boo Boo,’ a golden opportunity against Alvarez seems all but guaranteed to happen at some point in 2024, with both men now promotionally aligned under the PBC banner with Al Haymon and the WBC ordering the mandatory fight to take place next.