David Benavidez is calling for a clash between Canelo Alvarez and Janibek Alimkhanuly, even while admitting it probably never materializes. The logic behind his skepticism is obvious: Janibek carries serious danger with almost none of the mainstream appeal needed to entice Canelo into the ring.

If the rumors of Canelo returning in February are accurate, Janibek is effectively out of the running. He is scheduled to face Jacob Bank for the vacant WBO super middleweight title on January 23, leaving little time to recover and prepare for Canelo. Janibek needs to beat Bank before a meeting with the Mexican star becomes a serious possibility.

“The only fight that I would love to see him against, which would be a great fight, was with Janibek,” Benavidez said on Fight Hub TV. “But I don’t think that would ever happen.”

Benavidez left his reasoning unsaid, but the tactical matchup explains plenty. Janibek presents a nightmare style for a version of Canelo that spent long periods waiting on Christian Mbilli to create counterpunching lanes.

Mbilli let Canelo disrupt his offense with stiff jabs and the constant threat of return fire. Janibek operates with far sharper craft. Backed by an elite amateur pedigree, he builds attacks with patience, using a southpaw jab to control real estate rather than walking straight into range unprotected.

That skill set tilts the tactical edge toward Janibek. His reach advantage forces Canelo to work much harder just to touch him, while his outside boxing creates a clear path to bank rounds without reckless exchanges.

Canelo would certainly find moments to rip to the body and test his opponent with counters. Janibek would need total composure whenever clean shots land, an assignment far easier planned than executed under fire.

Judges present an entirely separate obstacle. Gennadiy Golovkin pumped his jab into Canelo all night in their first meeting and walked away with a draw. Janibek could box brilliantly and still discover that merely outlanding Canelo will not guarantee victory on the cards.

Taking on Janibek offers Canelo a massive tactical headache with minimal commercial payoff. Benavidez pointed out a fascinating matchup, but convincing organizers to stage it remains a completely different challenge.

00:47

David Benavidez CRITIQUES Canelo win over Mbilli!

Fight Hub · 7 hours ago

00:30

When Canelo knocked out Kovalev to become a four-weight world champion 🇲🇽

DAZN Boxing · 1 day ago

00:48

Those Canelo right uppercuts & hooks around the guard 😮‍💨

DAZN Boxing · 3 days ago