David Benavidez claims he respects Canelo Alvarez - "He's beat a lot of champions"

David Benavidez has heaped praise on Canelo Alvarez.

'El Bandera Roja' was recently interviewed by FightHype.com. During the interview, Benavidez was asked to give his thoughts on Alvarez. Despite the two men having verbally clashed in the past, he showed respect towards the undisputed Middleweight Champion, saying:

"The person I do respect a lot is Canelo. He's beat a lot of champions, he's beat a lot of good fighters. That's why when other people say s*** like that, like [Jermall] Charlo saying he's the best, this and that. I feel like, the same s*** they say about me, they gotta say about him."

Watch David Benavidez's interview with FightHype below:

Despite Benavidez having kind words for Alvarez, it doesn't mean he's not interested in fighting him. He has previously called out the Mexican superstar on multiple occasions.

Most notably, Benavidez called out the unified Super Middleweight Champion after his most recent win over Kyrone Davis. However, Alvarez decided not to take him up on his offer.

Instead, Alvarez has targeted bouts against everyone from Ilunga Makabu to Jemall Charlo.

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Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next?

Following Canelo Alvarez's win over Caleb Plant in November last year, he quickly decided to look upwards. Just weeks after his victory, he was named the challenger to WBC Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Makabu. Had Alvarez won, he would've become a five-division Champion.

However, it appears that plans have changed. Makabu was given a mandatory challenger in Thabiso Mchunu and as a result, Alvarez has looked at other avenues. A variety of names have since come up for the Mexican superstar to face next.

The frontrunner to face Canelo Alvarez next is the undefeated Jermall Charlo. 'Hitman' is the current WBC Middleweight Champion and has called out the 31-year-old on numerous occasions. However, the deal with Charlo is far from finalized.

Alvarez has been offered a two-fight deal by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing to face WBA Light Heavyweight Champion Dmitry Bivol next. Following that, he would fight Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy bout. The Mexican won a controversial split decision in their second fight after a contentious majority draw in their first matchup.

As of this writing, Alvarez's next bout is yet to be confirmed. However, fans of the Mexican superstar can expect details of his return to be announced in the weeks to come.