Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is understandably in high demand, as the unified super-middleweight champion and one of, if not the, most lucrative opponent in boxing today.
Next up for the WBA (Super), WBC and The Ring 168lbs titleholder is WBO kingpin Billy Joe Saunders on May 8, but with Canelo plotting to fight a total of four times this calendar year, undefeated 24-year-old David Benavidez has his sights set on the Mexican.
Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) was the previous holder of the WBC crown until he missed weight for his last fight in August against Roamer Alexis Angulo. Nonetheless, he took the win in 10 of the 12 scheduled rounds to keep his perfect record intact and will next step between the ropes on Mar. 13 against Ronald Ellis in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Speaking to TMZ over the weekend, the American outlined his plan for super-middleweight supremacy this year, cuminating in the fight everybody wants at the weight.
“I’ll knock [Canelo] out! I'll stop him! It takes a lot of balls to say that but the reason why I'm saying that is because I really fully, truly believe I'm the one that can beat and stop Canelo.
"The dream scenario is fight with [Jermall] Charlo right after and then Caleb Plant and then Canelo. That's the dream scenario but the reality of making that happen, is very hard.
"The top people [Canelo's] fought, they just look like they're scared of him and they just respect him too much, but me, I feel like I'm a young, hungry lion! I need that fight because I wanna show the fans how good I really am," Benavidez said.
"He's gonna try avoid me as long as possible, but I feel like at the end of the day, this fight is gonna be demanded. Not by just me, but by everybody. Everybody's gonna wanna see it because after he beats Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant, who else is there left for him to fight besides David Benavidez?"
Whether Benavidez will be targeting Canelo or Billy Joe Saunders will be decided on May 8 in a blockbuster unification bout that airs live on DAZN in the majority of the world.