“The way he talks, he thinks he’s Superman. He’s very disrespectful, not just with me, with everybody.” Canelo Alvarez didn’t mince words. And those aren’t just gripes. According to him, they’re the very reasons he swerved David Benavidez and circled Terence Crawford instead. After a snoozer with William Scull on May 3, Canelo Alvarez is now locked in for a September showdown with Bud. Meanwhile, the newly crowned WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez, fresh off his win over David Morrell in February, finally has his next dance partner.

And guess who it is? It’s Callum Smith. The fight that’s been brewing since 2019, when both men were in the 168 lbs division. Back then, it could’ve been a blockbuster, but title defenses and Canelo detours got in the way. Fast forward, and the script’s finally flipping. And Callum Smith’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is now confirming what fans have been waiting to hear: Callum Smith vs. David Benavidez is on.

The Monster and the Brit might finally dance

As Shakur Stevenson preps for William Zepeda on July 12th, the buzz wasn’t just ringside. It was in the interviews, too. At the Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Edgar Berlanga presser on Thursday, Eddie Hearn dropped a nugget on FightHype that got fans leaning in. In the interview, Hearn credited a smoother road with PBC, saying his growing rapport with Luis de Cubas Jr. was greasing the wheels. “When you look at it, I think that I’m doing more and more business with PBC. And my relationship with Luis de Cubas is really helping that. So much so that Callum Smith against [David] Benavidez is a fight that we’re openly negotiating now.” But that’s not the only fight he talked about.

“[Alberto] Puello, if he wins on this card, fight Dalton Smith, [Mark] Magsayo against [Eduardo] Hernandez. So many different fights. So look, and again with Golden Boy as well.” He even joked, pointing out that growth looks good in boxing gloves. He continued, “I think times have changed, and I’m enjoying having better relationships with people. Maybe it’s my age, just calming down a little bit or maturing.”

However, even before the David Benavidez fight was officially announced, Callum Smith didn’t play coy. “It’s a fight that I like. I think stylistically, it should be a good one,” the 31-2 boxer said. Paul Smith chimed in as well, and the elder Smith set the bias aside with measured insight and a cool-headed take.

David Benavidez keeps his sword sharp for the “Knight”

Last month, when Kugan Cassius asked the inevitable: who wins, Callum Smith or David Benavidez? Paul Smith didn’t waste a beat. “Fu–ing silly question it has to be now,” he snapped, half amused. “He’s going to pick his fu–ing brother, isn’t he?” Still, he gave David Benavidez his flowers, calling him a top-tier talent and saying the matchup speaks for itself. He stated, “It’s a good fight. A great fight. Obviously, Benavidez is a quality fighter. He’s in a great position. And I don’t need to speak for him [Benavidez]. Let’s see what fight comes. Whether it’s Benavidez or the others out there. It’s up to the team behind him [Callum Smith]… It doesn’t matter who he [Smith] fights; he’s very confident, obviously.”

To be fair, Smith’s take wasn’t just brotherly love. Both fighters are riding high with titles in hand, and the stakes couldn’t be sharper. “The [Joshua] Buatsi fight went to plan,” Paul added, nodding to the 35-year-old’s quiet confidence. “He’s the best knight ever in Britain. And we’ve always known and felt that. But, you’ve got to, obviously, prove that when it matters. And he did.”

But don’t confuse his balance for a lack of belief, though. Paul Smith’s been here before. Remember when he boldly predicted Callum Smith would knock out Canelo cold? He wasn’t pulling that from thin air, either. “I see Callum knocking Canelo out cold… which we know he’s capable of doing,” he told IFL TV back then. That confidence was real until reality hit with a unanimous decision loss in 2020.

So this time, Paul Smith’s more cautious. He’s not dismissing David Benavidez. And why should he? But you can feel it in his voice: he still backs Callum to deliver. The only question left? Who do you think walks away with the win?