David Benavidez has shared his reaction to Canelo Alvarez’s fight with Christian Mbilli, believing that the former undisputed king should fight an alternative opponent.

This was announced on Thursday the pair agreed to fight for Mbilla’s WBC super middleweight belt in Riyad, Saudi Arabia, on September 12.

This fight would give Canelo a chance to regain one of his four world titles, which he lost last September via unanimous decision against Terence Crawford.

Alvarez had previously become a two-time undisputed 168-pound champion, but was ultimately unable to thwart “Bud’s” speed and technical brilliance.

Meanwhile, Mbilli rose from “interim” to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement, but may not have fully established himself at the world level yet.

In his last outing, the Frenchman was on Canelo-Crawford’s undercard and worked to a 10-round draw with Lester Martinez, but he hasn’t fought since being promoted to full champion.

Regardless of the title, however, Benavidez does not consider Mbilli a worthy opponent for Canelo, whom he has long accused of avoiding him.

Instead, the WBC lightweight heavyweight champion has it he told Fight Hub TV that he would rather see Mexican super middleweight Diego Pacheco.

“No one wants to see this shit [Mbilli vs Canelo]. I think so [it] it would be better if he [was fighting] Diego Pacheco. Diego Pacheco is a much bigger name than Mbilli.

Having previously trained with Pacheco, it is no surprise that Benavidez, who is bidding to become a three-weight world champion this Saturday, suggested his former stablemate would be a more suitable dance partner for Canelo.

Naoya Inoue defended his titles and undefeated record with a 12-round unanimous decision over Junto Nakatani in front of a huge crowd at the Tokyo Dome. The scores were 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113. The fight turned out to be more technical and disciplined than the explosive war many expected from two fistfighting talents.

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Last update: 2026/05/02 at 10:51

Naoya Inoue defeated Junto Nakatani by unanimous decision to retain his super bantamweight world titles in a high-profile fight at the Tokyo Dome, but not before more pressure had been placed on him in years.

Inoue went through a tactical and at times dramatic fight to hand Nakatani the first defeat of his career, retiring at the end of a fight that saw the momentum shift throughout twelve rounds.

The judges scored the fight 116-112 twice AND 115-113which reflects the level of competition in the competition before Inoue closed the show. WBN also scored 116-112, with Inoue doing enough to retain his undisputed crown and top spot in the pound-for-pound rankings.

The beginning of cat and mouse

The opening stages were cautious, almost cat and mouse, with Inoue taking more exact shots and Nakatani looking for range. Inoue’s hitting made the difference early in the match, picking its moments as Nakatani struggled to connect with anything significant beyond the occasional single effort.

In the third quarter, Inoue began to assert more control, landing a solid right hand as Nakatani changed positions and looked for opportunities. Nakatani’s best route remained on the left side, and he started to show flashes of it in the fourth period, but Inoue continued to do more in response.

Nakatani finally found his rhythm in the fifth and sixth periods, landing some of his trademark lefts and following up with two of his best punches in the sixth set after Inoue’s mighty start. For the first time, the fight seemed to be changing.

Nakatani comes in mighty

Inoue responded in the seventh set, hitting a mighty shot and making several large shots that stopped Nakatani’s momentum. In the eighth race, Nakatani accelerated again, knowing he was behind, but Inoue took over most of the work and continued to respond with cleaner shots.

The ninth and tenth saw some of the best action of the fight. Nakatani applied constant pressure, firing steady shots as the pace increased, and in the tenth over he had his biggest moment, hurting Inoue in what was becoming one of the best rounds of the year before an accidental clash of heads left Nakatani with a cut above his eye.

The incident occurred after sustained pressure from Nakatani, which caused the lively of the match to change in Inoue’s favor.

From there, Inoue took it back and never let go.

Inoue closes the show

Inoue responded emphatically in the eleventh throw, ending his strongest round of the fight. A huge jab and a massive uppercut hurt Nakatani, who was now dealing with both the uppercut and the incoming pressure.

With the fight back in control, Inoue finished the final round without taking unnecessary risks, even glancing at the clock when he was close to winning.

For a long time, it looked like a fight that would finally push Inoue over the edge – until he got it back.

The result keeps Inoue at the top of the division, but after Nakatani pushed him through twelve rounds, a rematch now seems inevitable.

WBN released the full Inoue vs. Nakatani fight results and scorecard as Inoue’s brother Takuma defended his WBC bantamweight title against senior Japanese legend Kazuto Ioka.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Since 2010, he has been interviewing world champions, breaking down international titles exclusively and reporting from the ring. His work is distributed on major platforms including Apple News. Read the full biography.