Perhaps the grass on the other side is indeed greener. 

David Benavidez might have sensed that a fight with either Artur Beterbiev or Dmitry Bivol makes more sense than the prolonged wait for long-time divisional rival Canelo Alvarez. ‘The Mexican Monster’s callout of the Mexican icon has now entered boxing folklore. With Alvarez showing no signs of interest in fighting the 168-pound interim champion, it seemed more prudent for Benavidez to test the waters elsewhere.

So, on to the 175-pound division. To announce his arrival, a quick dispatch of Oleksandr Gvozdyk followed. It was time to wait and watch. Either go back home and wait for Canelo Alvarez to accept the mandatory challenge, or face the division’s other big names, such as his namesake David Morrell or Edgar Berlanga. Otherwise, stay back at light middleweight. The division is set for its biggest upheaval when champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol finally clash for the undisputed title. So, why not become a mandatory challenger here rather than face a protracted delay at super middleweight, where Canelo Alvarez shows no sign of abdicating his throne anytime soon?

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The landscape of the super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions seems to be settling down, at least for the time being. According to an update posted by talkSPORT’s Michael Benson, David Benavidez has seemingly decided to stay at 175 pounds.

‼️ David Benavidez has decided to stay at light-heavyweight meaning he will be mandatory for the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol winner but vacate his WBC 'interim' belt at super-middleweight and no longer be mandatory for Canelo, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has confirmed.

— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) July 23, 2024

So, he will become the mandatory challenger to the winner of the October 21 Riyadh Season showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. However, the move comes at a price. Currently the WBC’s ‘interim’ super middleweight champion, he will have to relinquish the belt, rendering his status as Canelo Alvarez’s mandatory challenger redundant.

Needless to say, the news has drawn a myriad of reactions from fans and followers. The overall vibe and theme raked of Canelo Alvarez ‘ducking’ Benavidez, thus resulting in such a move from the latter. One fan wrote, “Benavidez vs. Dmitry Bivol would be a good fight! Since it seems we’ll never get Benavidez vs. ducker Canelo.”

But in hindsight, one must consider whether it is a prudent move from ‘The Mexican Monster’.

From what it appears, Canelo Alvarez’s second fight of the year may take place around the Mexican Independence Day weekend. According to available reports, Edgar Berlanga, the WBA’s mandatory challenger, appears the strongest candidate to stand opposite him. So what if the undisputed champ decides to consider a fight with Benavidez? Chances are it may not happen until September 2025. One must consider the ongoing talks about a potential matchup with Terence Crawford under Riyadh Season’s auspices.

No waiting: David Benavidez ⁦@Benavidez300⁩ to face Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol winner https://t.co/RLoyNzfZBz

— Lance Pugmire (@pugboxing) July 24, 2024

So, does it make any sense to stay put and wait for his next payday, risking possible ring rust? Now, as a light heavyweight challenger, he will have to await the outcome of the October 21 clash in Riyadh. Artur Beterbiev is nearing forty. Hence, if he wins, there are chances he might pursue another high-profile fight against a big name such as David Benavidez. That might well be his swan song.

If Dmitry Bivol wins, then, thanks to their sparring sessions, as he stated before, Benavidez knows the fighting style of the Russian-Kyrgyz boxer. Given the confidence he expressed in knocking out Bivol if ever there was a fight, his dream of becoming an undisputed champion could be close enough. The die has been cast. The light heavyweight division is going to witness some high-class, edge-of-the-seat action in the coming months. Perhaps fans might as well be happy with ‘The Mexican Monster’s decision.

Terence Crawford could still have his biggest fight ahead of him.

Forty fights into his undefeated boxing career, Crawford doesn’t have much left to prove. This Saturday at a Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles, he moves up to the super welterweight division to fight Israil Madrimov for a vacant WBA title — and after that, he may just move up a couple more weight classes for the right opponent.

That opponent? The great Canelo Alvarez.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Crawford was asked what weight class he’d be willing to take on the larger Canelo at, and he didn’t hesitate to give a number.

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“One hundred sixty-eight [pounds],” Crawford said. “If that’s the fight in front of me, then yes.”

Crawford, 36, has spent the majority of his career competing anywhere from 135 to 147 pounds, capturing titles in three divisions along the way, and he targets another with his move to 154 pounds against Madrimov. Jumping up to 168 pounds for a bout with Canelo, 34, would be the heaviest Crawford has ever weighed for a fight, by far.

Undefeated welterweight Jaron “Boots” Ennis also looms as a potential opponent after recently defeating David Avanesyan to retain his IBF title, which was promoted from interim status due to Crawford (since stripped of his share of the IBF title) being expected to rematch Errol Spence Jr. at some point in the future rather than face Ennis.

Unfortunately for Ennis, Crawford would prefer a matchup with Canelo, with the understanding that it would likely require the involvement of Riyadh Season promoter Turki Alalshikh.

“Being where I’m at right now, I’m looking at the fight that makes the most sense. and that’s not ‘Boots,’” Crawford said. “Canelo’s going to bring way more to my legacy, way more to my bank account, because at the end of the day when boxing is done with, what will we have? I want to have a legacy that’s something that people talk about for the ages, and not only that, I want to have a bank account that lasts as well.”

“I think it would be everybody’s choice. Canelo would have to agree, I would have to agree, Turki would have to agree because he’s the one that’s dishing out the money, so a lot of moving parts got to be involved in that fight.”

As for Spence, who Crawford defeated by ninth-round TKO in July 2023, Crawford is still waiting for the call to make their rematch official.

“I didn’t hear anything from Team Spence or his handlers after the fight, so everything just kind of went cold turkey,” Crawford said.

Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis returned to the ring on Saturday night with a dominant fifth-round stoppage of veteran David Avanesyan and immediately set his sights on “big names” including Terence Crawford.

Ending more than one year of inactivity and fighting in his hometown of Philadelphia for the first time in almost six years, Ennis (32-0-0 29 KO) expectedly proved levels above Avanesyan (30-5-1 18 KO), although it was a far from flawless performance. Boots admitted himself that his timing was off on occasion and his defense was breached too often by the Armenian.

Still, it was a display that did enough to feed into the hype that claims Ennis is the next man to take over the welterweight division. That the IBF world champion defeated Avanesyan a round earlier than Crawford has not gone unnoticed, either.

With Ennis’ stock on the rise and Crawford considered by many boxing’s pound-for-pound best, clamor for a mega-fight between the pair continues to increase. It has quickly become the new fight all fans want to see.

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As Canelo Alvarez continues to show little interest in fighting David Benavidez, and a catchweight fight between Canelo and Crawford always feeling fanciful, attention has now turned to a showdown between the former undisputed welterweight champion and the division’s hottest new star.

However, boxing fans have been in this position too many times before; the biggest fights everyone wants to see simply don’t get made as often as they should, leaving fans frustrated and ultimately damaging the sport’s standing.

Thankfully, there is one man who has set about changing all that in recent years and will no doubt be instrumental to ensuring Crawford v Ennis doesn’t become another super-fight that ends up on the scrap heap.

Saudi Arabian boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh has transformed boxing. Backed up near unlimited financial resources as Saudi Arabia engineers itself to become a global fight capital, Alalshikh has done more than any individual to make sure the biggest fights are being made over the past two or three years.

Now Alalshikh has taken a proactive role in Crawford’s career, we can expect to see ‘Bud’ back in the ring fighting the best more frequently following a spell of frustrating inactivity. It’s been more than one year since his masterful victory over Errol Spence Jr to become the undisputed welterweight champion.

Crawford returns on August 3 in the headline bout of Alalshikh and Riyadh Season’s first international card as the two-weight undisputed champion goes for a world title in a third division against WBA super-welterweight title holder Israil Madrimov in Los Angeles.

However, the wheels are seemingly already in motion for a showdown with Ennis at 154lbs once Crawford gets past Madrimov.

I just reached out to boxer Jaron Ennis and Eddie Hearn to congratulate him on his win and I'd love to see Ennis in fight with Crawford at weight 154 soon🤷🏻‍♂️🥊🔥

— TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) July 14, 2024

“I just reached out to boxer Jaron Ennis and [his promoter] Eddie Hearn to congratulate him on his win and I’d love to see Ennis in fight with Crawford at weight 154 soon,” Alalshikh posted on social media after Boots’ win over Avanesyan.

Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn, who has a close working relationship with Alalshikh having held numerous fights in Saudi Arabia, responded by insisting Ennis is very much interested in the bout.

“His Excellency [Alalshikh] watched the fight, and he wanted to have a quick word with Boots. He said if there’s no Canelo fight, he wants to make Boots vs. Crawford. ‘Would we do it?’ The answer is, of course,” said Hearn to iFL TV.

Hearn had earlier said in the ring that he would back Ennis against any welterweight, describing his fighter as “the future of boxing … I think he beats everyone … [Ennis] is a special fighter that needs to be tested against the best in the world.”

World class fighter now hun? 🤣🤣🤣 my the double standards be crazy!!! @EddieHearn you talk good.

— Terence Crawford (@terencecrawford) July 14, 2024

That prompted a response on social media from Crawford, who wrote: “World class fighter now hun? My the double standards be crazy!!! @EddieHearn you talk good.”

While still early days, the momentum certainly appears to be building, and with Alalshikh determined to make this fight happen, boxing fans should be cautiously optimistic that we should see Ennis and Crawford go toe-to-toe.

Additionally, now that Riyadh Season has gone overseas – first to Los Angeles next month and then to London for Daniel Dubois v Anthony Joshua on September 21 – any potential obstacle limiting the fight to Riyadh no longer exists.

Now it’s up to the respective fighters and their teams to agree terms and get it on.

Chris Eubank Jr. has signed a deal with BOXXER as he moves on to the next phase of his career. 

Eubank has not boxed since his victory over Liam Smith last year. He avenged his fourth-round stoppage loss by beating Smith in the rematch. It was the first fight he had since teaming up with Terence Crawford’s trainer, Brian McIntyre. The working relationship promised much, but Eubank’s career stalled when he could not get his next fight. He eventually parted ways with Wasserman Boxing. The Conor Bennfight is now unlikely, following Benn’s failed VADA tests for Clomiphene have resulted in him being suspended, as an investigation continues.

Meanwhile, Eubank has been linked with a fight against Canelo Alvarez. Current reports indicate he is the font runner ahead of Edgar Berlanga and Jermall Charlo. Alvarez has been ordered to face his IBF mandatory William Scull Chris Eubank Jr BOXXERnext. While a deal has been agreed upon, it appears to be a step-aside deal. That fight would sell in the UK, but Canelo is unlikely to target a fight there unless there is big money on the line.

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At 34 years of age, Eubank does not have too much time left in his career. He can chase the big money fight, including a rematch with Billy Joe Saunders. Alternatively, there is the chance to chase a world title, with plenty of names at 160, such as Carlos Adamas (WBC champion) or Janibek Alimkhanuly (WBO and IBF champion). Either way, Eubank is ready to take the next steps.

“I’m very excited to have signed with BOXXER and Ben Shalom. They fit the direction I want to go in. We have big plans over the next 12 to 24 months. There are big fights in the pipeline and these guys can make it happen. This is a partnership. I have the freedom and the leeway to work how I want to work, which is very rare. I’m in a position of power. I’m in a position to really control the direction that I want to go in so I’m excited.

“I’ve been in the game for 12 years now and I’m still hungry. I’m still excited. I’m still in love with the sport of boxing. [And] I’m in a blessed position right now where there are four or five different names out there that are mega fights that everybody wants to see. Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford, Conor Benn, Billy Joe Saunders – and that’s just off the top of my head. There are many more fights out there that can be made, even domestically, so I’m in an exciting position,” Eubank said

“He brings excitement and intrigue wherever he goes. BOXXER is his natural home and I’m incredibly excited to work with Chris to make sure we fully realise his huge potential and fierce ambition. We’ve had the privilege of working with Chris on some massive fight nights in the UK and there will be plenty more to come in the UK and worldwide. The hunger and ambition is there. We can’t wait to see him back in action and involved in some massive fights,” Ben Shalom BOXXER

Terence Crawford is no Floyd Mayweather.

When Floyd Mayweather fought Canelo Alvarez in 2013, the Mexican boxer had yet to become the face of the sport. However, with 0 losses and 42 wins, the boxing world knew that Alvarez was the next best thing! So, prudent Mayweather made it a point to face Canelo when the latter was 23 and deficient in the maturity he captured later in the sport. Of course, Mayweather understood a victory against Canelo would look impressive on his resume since the latter was bound for greatness following Floyd’s exit.

At the same time, following 2.2 million pay-per-view buys, Canelo Alvarez vs. Floyd Mayweather generated $150 million to be one of the most financially successful events in boxing. With this information in his head,  Teofimo Lopez feels by wanting to face Canelo Alvarez, Terence Crawford is actually trying to follow in the footsteps of ‘TBE.’ “Canelo is still the face of boxing, you can’t take that away. Crawford wouldn’t want Canelo if he wasn’t the face of boxing realistically,” said Lopez.

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“It’s a money grab, it’s a money fight. He wants to do what Floyd Mayweather did to Canelo. He’s just trying to copy and paste it,” added Teofimo Lopez, dwelling upon Crawford’s ambitions. However, can Crawford beat Canelo Alvarez the way Floyd Mayweather defeated the Mexican boxer?

“He can’t do that, ain’t nobody like Floyd,” replied ‘The Takeover.’ In addition, Teofimo Lopez explained why Alvarez would not be an easy opponent for Crawford to deal with.

When Terence Crawford expressed his desire to face Canelo Alvarez, Shane Mosley immediately pointed out that the Mexican fighter was “too big” for Crawford. In his words, going against Alvarez, ‘Bud’ would be “biting off more than he can chew.” Now, Lopez is in agreement with Mosley. So, although, out of respect, he branded Crawford vs. Canelo as a “great fight,” Lopez added, “I think Canelo is just too big for him though.”

“Too big realistically, too big for him, too strong, he’s used to that weight class. It is what it is,” he said. In his opinion, while Alvarez is the face of boxing, Crawford is just aiming for the former’s legacy in the sport. “People going to talk, people going to say what they want, we won’t know until they fight each other,” he concluded.