Just weeks separate David Benavidez from his 31st professional bout. Though Anthony Yarde presents a daunting challenge, Benavidez appears confident of securing yet another win. Fans and pundits echo similar sentiments. Still, despite the optimism, something seems to weigh him down. Benavidez might be stepping into the ring with a heavy heart since he’s not facing Canelo Alvarez, whom he has pursued for a long time. The glory of defeating the Mexican superstar could have been his. Only Terence Crawford claimed that honor.

After spending months as the mandatory challenger for Canelo Alvarez’s WBC title, David Benavidez finally decided to move on and, last year, joined the heavily stacked light heavyweight division. Considering his victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell, he has given a strong account of himself. He now looks forward to dream matchups against his former sparring partner Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Yet the absence of Canelo’s name on his resume continues to nag the Arizona-born fighter.

Canelo’s loss to Crawford opens old wounds for David Benavidez

In early October, David Benavidez spoke with Marco Villegas. The Fight Hub TV founder asked a question that resonated with many: “Was there because of the history between, you know, not being able to get the Canelo fight, was there a part of you that was, like, happy that he lost at all because of, you know, pretty much two years of you being mandatory and not getting that shot?” Benavidez was candid. He wasn’t happy simply because Canelo Alvarez lost.

“I kind of felt like that could have been me,” he admitted. “That was that was my moment. You mean if I would have gotten in there, I know I would have beat him.” To that end, he praised Terence Crawford for his victory. But deep down, the feeling still stings.

“That should have been me in there. That should have been my If I had gotten that fight, I would have been me. I would have been the one getting my hand raised,” David Benavidez said. According to him, it’s likely Canelo already had an intuition about what would have happened had he stepped in with Benavidez.

Only, he underestimated Terence Crawford.

Benavidez and the elusive path to Canelo Alvarez

David Benavidez’s hurt and dejection are understandable. He has always wanted a fight with Canelo Alvarez. It would have been the biggest all-Mexican clash in recent memory. He called out Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight king, right after defeating Caleb Plant.

To strengthen his claim, Benavidez even faced Demetrius Andrade, whose callout Canelo had brushed aside years earlier. The win secured Benavidez the mandatory challenger’s spot, but to no avail.

However, a fight with Canelo may not be completely off the table. There have been talks of a rematch with Crawford. Despite the loss, Canelo remains one of boxing’s biggest stars, with two more fights left to fulfill as part of the Riyadh Season deal.

So perhaps, after the rematch with Crawford, Canelo could regroup and finally grant David Benavidez the fight he has long been asking for. There are still many takers for the bout. In a clash between two of boxing’s biggest names, fans still want to see who will carry the torch for the years to come.

What are your thoughts? Is there still time for the Canelo–Benavidez fight, or has too much water flowed under the bridge?