David Benavidez remains open to a showdown with Canelo Alvarez despite his defeat to Terence Crawford.
Canelo suffered the third defeat of his professional career, losing his undisputed super middleweight crown to Crawford on points in Las Vegas earlier this month, but is set to honour the two fights he has remaining with Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season.
Benavidez moved up from super middleweight to light heavyweight after a much-anticipated clash with Alvarez failed to materialise.
‘The Mexican Monster’ has since been elevated to full WBC 175 pound champion after now-unified titlist, Dmitry Bivol vacated the title.
The 28-year-old has his sights set on a future meeting with Bivol for the undisputed championship and has dared Alvarez to finally meet him should he overcome Bivol, who beat him three years ago.
“I wasn’t going to go down to 168,” Benavidez told Inside The Ring.
“But if Canelo wants to come up, I got the WBC world title at 175.
“After I beat Bivol, I’m going to have all the belts.
“So after that happens, now I’m the one who has the power.
“Canelo says he fights for greatness, he fights for titles.
“Well let me go pick up all the titles and let’s come back to the table and talk.”
The Phoenix man will make a first defence of his world title against former two-time challenger, Anthony Yarde in Riyadh on November 22.
Yarde has scored four wins in a row since an eighth round stoppage defeat to former undisputed champion, Artur Beterbiev and Benavidez is expecting an all-action fight with the Brit, who has 24 knockouts from his 27 professional victories.
“I definitely expect a big-action fight,” Benavidez added.
“Anthony Yarde is a fighter who’s been in there with the best of them.
“He’s felt hard shots and he’s been in there with two of the best Russian fighters of all-time, Sergey Kovalev and then Artur Beterbiev.
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“So I’m expecting this man to come 100% ready for this fight, but at the end of the day I’m not scared of nothing.
“I accept and I invite war.
“So if that’s what the people of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia want to see then let’s give it to them.”
