On May 3, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will make a fresh attempt to claim the undisputed championship. Making his debut on a Riyadh Season card, Alvarez will face IBF super middleweight champion William Scull. It’s surprising. Over a month ago, the situation was unreservedly at odds with the ongoing narrative.

As the new year kicked in, talks for the much-anticipated showdown with Terence Crawford heated up. But just when it appeared the fight was in the bag, out of the blue, reports emerged that Canelo could be stepping in to face Jake Paul. But the update proved temporary. Confirming that he will fight only ‘real fighters,’ Alvarez inked a four-fight deal with the Riyadh Season. Understandably unhappy, Paul went on a diatribe against Canelo. Though it caved in, one often wonders how their fight would have unfolded. Pursuing a Canelo fight himself, David Benavidez joined a discussion and weighed in.

‘The Mexican Monster’ and entrepreneur-podcaster Zach Hirsch had picked the most apt of places – the boxing ring – for a tête-à-tête. The discussion followed the standard route. Benavidez narrated his boxing journey. Then vaulting over timelines, he spoke about the negotiations for the undisputed title fight with Dmitry Bivol. Obviously, a conversation with David Benavidez sans the Canelo fight doesn’t make any sense.

Benavidez highlighted his frustrations. Despite being the most dangerous contender, he was not included in Canelo’s 168-lb fight discussions. Speaking about Canelo vs. Crawford, he felt the Mexican superstar chose a smaller opponent over a true challenge. He still saw himself as the best fight for Canelo. The avoidance only validates his skill level.

Sensing a scope for comparison, Hirsch asked, “Some pundits didn’t suggest that the Crawford fight’s super competitive could go either way. Some people I talked to said, I think the Jake Paul fight would have been more competitive than the Crawford fight because of the size difference.”

David Benavidez on Jake Paul vs. Canelo: It’s hard to see it going any other way, but Paul has some weapons

“Yeah, it’s one of those things that you have to see how you’re going to have to watch it to see how it plays out, you know?” Benavidez promptly replied. But there are so many permutations and combinations; it’s difficult to predict so easily. “There are so many, uh, so many things that I feel like could happen in that fight, but I don’t know; we’re just gonna have to see how it plays out. It could be easy; it could be hard; I don’t know; we’re just gonna have to wait and see, yeah,” he added.

Hirsch continued, “How do you think a Jake Paul fight would go with a Canelo?” David Benavidez felt that it would be a ‘good fight’; the outcome, nevertheless, remained inevitable. “Obviously, I think Canelo would win; I’m not going to lie. You know, Jake Paul doesn’t have that experience, but could he do better than people think? Jake Paul, yeah, he has a good shot. He has a good right hand; he has good power, so I mean, I don’t know. We’re gonna – that’s some other fight we would have to watch and see how it plays out too,” he pointed out.

Benavidez later admired Paul’s impact on boxing. He felt influencer fights bring new fans to the sport. Rather than hating, Benavidez saw an opportunity to learn from influencers on how to market and sell fights better.

Do you agree with David Benavidez’s assessment of a potential Canelo vs. Jake Paul fight, if it ever came to fruition?