Canelo vs. \u201cThe Mexican Monster\u201d is never happening.<\/p>\n
Former WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, WBO and The Ring Super Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez returns to action later this year for the first time since losing all of his titles<\/a> to Terence Crawford.<\/p>\n Alvarez will face Christian Mbilli for the WBC Super Middleweight title on Oct. 31, 2026 \u2014 not Sept. 12<\/a> \u2014 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n But while in New York doing press for his upcoming boxing match, Alvarez was once again asked about the one fight that just will not go away:<\/p>\n Benavidez has been chasing the Canelo fight for years<\/a>, dating all the way back to November 2021, immediately after his seventh-round technical knockout win over Kyrone Davis. At the time, both fighters were still competing in the same division, but Benavidez was not nearly as big of a star as he is now.<\/p>\n So, Canelo brushed him off.<\/p>\n Benavidez kept winning anyway<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Mexican Monster\u201d continued stacking victories and defending his WBC interim Super Middleweight title, but the Canelo fight never came. Eventually, instead of waiting around for a money fight that clearly was not happening, Benavidez moved up in weight<\/a> to chase more titles.<\/p>\n And now, according to Canelo, that move is the exact reason the fight cannot happen.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been in that situation where [there\u2019s another guy to call me out], so it\u2019s nothing strange for me,\u201d Canelo told Ariel Helwani. \u201cWhen it was Cotto, Mayweather, they were talking about Callum, Triple G. … Right now, it\u2019s Benavidez. But he\u2019s a Heavyweigh<\/a>t. He\u2019s a Heavyweight fighting at 175, or, I don\u2019t know, Cruiserweight. But he\u2019s a Heavyweight. It\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n That is certainly one way to frame it.<\/p>\n Canelo also argued that the right time to make the fight has already passed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I turned undisputed champion, and if he was to be a champion at that point, then that was the correct time to do the fight, but he wasn\u2019t,\u201d Canelo said. \u201cHe was fighting at 168 at that point, but he wasn\u2019t a champion. I think that was the perfect moment to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Canelo then confirmed there were never any real discussions to make the fight.<\/p>\n Alvarez took an even bigger shot at Benavidez when asked if \u201cThe Mexican Monster\u201d could become the next Mexican superstar to replace him.<\/p>\n According to Canelo, that is not happening either.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not Mexican,\u201d Canelo said. \u201cIt\u2019s different. Mexican American, yeah.\u201d<\/p>\n