"It's going to be a very competitive fight" - Canelo Alvarez makes prediction for David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant

Canelo Alvarez believes David Benavidez will defeat Caleb Plant next year.

The Mexican superstar has been out of action since his victory over Gennadiy Golovkin in September. Following the super-middleweight title defense, Alvarez announced his intentions to take time off to get hand surgery.

He's currently aiming for a return in May. Depending on how things go, his next title challenger may already be determined. Earlier this month, the WBC ordered top contenders David Benavidez and Caleb Plant to fight, with the winner to face Alvarez.

'The Mexican Monster' is currently viewed as Alvarez's biggest challenge of 168-pounds. Meanwhile, 'Sweet Hands' just faced the Mexican superstar last year and lost by an 11th-round knockout. The loss was the first of Plant's career thus far.

There's currently no date set for the super-middleweight title eliminator. When it happens, Canelo Alvarez believes that David Benavidez will be victorious, as he revealed in an interview with Bet365.

The unified super-middleweight champion opined that the fight would be competitive, but he gave Benavidez the edge. He stated:

“It's going to be a very competitive fight, I personally believe that Benavidez wins. I am here to face the best and make the best fights, whatever leads me to make history, that is why I am here.”

Watch his comments below:

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Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next?

Despite talk of competing at super-middleweight, Canelo Alvarez is eyeing a move to light-heavyweight next.

The Mexican superstar last competed at 175-pounds in May, against the WBA (Super) light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol. Despite heading in as a massive favorite, Alvarez was easily outboxed en route to a decisive defeat.

Following the loss, the super-middleweight champion returned to 168-pounds to face Gennadiy Golovkin once again. Following the win, Alvarez announced he would need time off to get hand surgery but would face Bivol again on his return.

For his part, the Russian isn't interested in the rematch next. Bivol has instead lobbied for a showdown with fellow champion Artur Beterbiev in a light-heavyweight unification.

Due to all these factors, it's not known who Canelo Alvarez will face next. In an interview with Bet365, he noted that he still wants to face Dmitry Bivol. However, he knows it may not happen, stating:

“It is what we will look for, revenge. I lost trying to make history in another division...complicated. For me, he is number one in the 175-pound division... If he doesn’t want to fight, there are more things to do."