Bernard Hopkins has had a change of heart when it comes to Canelo Alvarez vs. David Benavidez.
A potential showdown between Canelo and Benavidez has been spoken about for years, in what would be one of the biggest fights to be made in the sport.
The bout was already being talked about in 2022, when boxing legend Hopkins had previously told Fight Hub TV how easily he felt Alvarez would defeat Benavidez.
“He smashes him.”
Since then, Canelo has maintained his position as the top dog at 168lbs, claiming victories against Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga over the past year.
Benavidez has continued to prove himself as a serious threat though, defeating Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, David Lemieux, and most recently Oleksandr Gvozdyk when he stepped up to light heavyweight in June.
With that in mind, Hopkins has since made a U-turn on his thoughts, as he told Fighthype that it would be an extremely competitive battle and would establish just how good Benavidez is.
“No [I don’t know if he will win] but I didn’t say he’ll lose either. That would be a fight that would cement whether he goes towards being called greatness. Canelo has already proved to many he deserves that position, but that would be the biggest test to get all the respect that Benavidez is looking for.
“To beat a Canelo type figure in this time in 2024, this would shut the doubters up and it would make it a less argumentative conversation based on who is the top guy.”
Mike Tyson has also shared his thoughts on a Canelo vs Benavidez match-up, and didn’t hesitate to pick a winner.
