There has been widespread calls for a fight between Benavidez and Canelo after the former’s win over Caleb Plant last month, who Alvarez defeated back in 2021 to become undisputed champion at 168lb.
Speaking on his podcast Hotboxin‘, Tyson however said he felt the fight would never happen, and instead said he’d like to see Benavidez take on the man who defeated Canelo last year, Dmitriy Bivol.
“See he’s never going to fight Canelo. I want to see him fight the light heavyweight who beat Canelo, Bivol.”
“You know what they do to guys like Benavidez? They wait until he’s not in his prime anymore, and then they fight him.”
“They keep these guys waiting for a long time.”
Despite Tyson’s view, it is Canelo who looks set to take on Bivol again later in the year, provided he gets through mandatory challenger John Ryder on May 6.
Canelo puts his undisputed super middleweight crown on the line against WBO interim belt holder, Ryder, at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, his first time he will have fought in his native Mexico in over a decade.
If, as is expected, he gets past Ryder, a second shot at WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol is expected to be finalised for September.
Bivol overturned the betting odds to defeat Canelo last May to keep hold of his strap at 175lbs, though is now reportedly demanding that any rematch takes place at 168lbs for all four of Canelo’s world titles.