Three rivals of Canelo Alvarez will feature on the same night, with one of them destined to face the Mexican superstar on Cinco de Mayo weekend 2024.
A super-middleweight clash of the year will headline the Michelob Arena at the Mandalay Bay on November 25. The main event sees Canelo’s rival, David Benavidez, battle the most avoided boxer in the world, Demetrius Andrade.
The co-feature sees Jermall Charlo returning against Benavidez’s brother, Jose Jr. It promises to be some night on the Las Vegas strip.
Benavidez is 27-0 and thought of as a future super-middleweight king. Andrade, for his part, finally gets his big break at 32-0.
Canelo Alvarez’s next opponent from Benavidez vs Andrade
Whoever comes out on top will likely be in the opposite corner to Canelo on May 4 of next year.
ESPN analyst and ex-world champion Timothy Bradley spoke to ProBox TV about why Andrade is so avoided.
“Benavidez, to me, is a fighter getting a lot of clout. Yes, we call him ‘The Monster,’ but as I watch him on film, I see a lot of opportunities where I think a guy with the smarts of Andrade can make him pay,” said Bradley.
“Andrade is also a left-hander. That brings much more than Benavidez has to deal with in the ring. We haven’t seen Benavidez with a whole lot of left-handers.
“Benavidez, his biggest issue in this fight will be his footwork. I feel that he has terrible footwork. He squares up often.
“I think a fighter with Andrade’s skill set and experience, he’s going to be able to expose that, come forward, pick his spots wisely, move, be elusive with his defense, make this guy miss.
“I think we’ll have to see a better version of Benavidez if he’s going to pull off this win. He’s going to have to be the best that he’s ever fought that we’ve ever seen him in the boxing ring.
“I’m telling you right now, don’t count out Andrade. He’s a sneaky fighter, a good, well-schooled boxer, and has what it takes to outbox Benavidez.”
Jermall Charlo
Charlo will also hold a claim if he can look good against Jose Benavidez. Canelo dominated his brother Jermell last month, giving PBC a solid angle to sell a revenge mission.
In the end, it will come down to Canelo. Benavidez, Andrade and Charlo all hold valid claims.
