Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez was in David Benavidez's sights after his one-sided win against Caleb Plant on Saturday.

Benavidez claimed a unanimous decision victory in Las Vegas with scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.

This was only Plant's second defeat, with the first coming against Alvarez in November 2021.

And that is the man Benavidez hopes to face next, believing he has earned a shot at the undisputed super middleweight champion.

"I have a lot of respect for Canelo Alvarez, but he has to give me that shot now," Benavidez said. "That's what everybody wants to see in September.

"I don't think he's trying to avoid me; I just believe he has a lot of options."

Alvarez is due to defend his belts against John Ryder on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Meanwhile, Benavidez also paid tribute to Plant, saying: "We fought like warriors in the ring, and this guy's a f***ing hell of a fighter.

"I showed defense, head movement and cut the ring really good. I hit him with a lot of hard shots."

Lionel Messi says he did not disrespect Mexico during post-match celebrations following Argentina's World Cup victory last week after incurring the wrath of Canelo Alvarez.

Messi helped Argentina bounce back from a shock opening defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia in Qatar with a 2-0 win at Lusail Stadium on Saturday.

Video footage appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot in the dressing room after that win, prompting a furious response from Canelo, though the boxing superstar later apologised for his comments.

Messi does not believe he did anything wrong and has nothing to apologise for.

"It was a misunderstanding," he stated. "Those who know me know that I don't disrespect anyone. These are things that happen in the locker room after the game.

"I don't have to ask for forgiveness because I didn't disrespect the people of Mexico or the jersey."

Argentina wrapped up their Group C campaign with a 2-0 victory over Poland, with Mexico crashing out despite a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia.

Lionel Scaloni's side will face Australia in the round of 16 on Saturday.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has issued an apology to Lionel Messi after he accused the Argentina forward of disrespecting the Mexico flag in the World Cup.

The boxing superstar reacted furiously after a video from the dressing room following Argentina's 2-0 victory over Mexico appeared to show Messi catching a Mexico shirt with his foot during the celebrations, which was on the floor.

Canelo declared "I ask God that I don't find him" but, having attracted criticism following his comments, has now backtracked and issued an apology to the Argentina captain.

"These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place for which I want to apologise to Messi and the people of Argentina," he posted on Twitter. "Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn.

"I wish both teams much success in their matches today and here we will continue supporting Mexico until the end."

Both sides went into the final round of matches in Group C with hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the competition, with Argentina tackling Poland and Mexico taking on Saudi Arabia.

Canelo Alvarez has issued a warning to Lionel Messi as he accused the Argentina forward of disrespecting the Mexico flag following Saturday's World Cup clash.

Argentina kept their hopes of being crowned champions alive with a 2-0 victory over Mexico, Messi scoring the opening goal with a sublime finish from outside the penalty area.

Messi has incurred the wrath of boxing superstar Canelo after footage emerged of the Argentina captain with either a Mexico shirt in front of him on the floor in the dressing room during the post-match celebrations.

As  Messi pulled off his boot, he appeared to have caught the shirt with his foot and Canelo was not impressed.

"Did you see Messi cleaning the floor with our shirt and flag ???? I ask God that I don't find [him]!!" he posted on Twitter.

The Mexican fighter added: "Just as I respect Argentina, you have to respect Mexico!! I'm not talking about the country [Argentina] I’m talking about Messi because of the b******* he did.

Canelo wrote in another social media post: "Since the Mexico shirt is on the ground, it's already an insult. Stop b*******ing about what was or wasn't."

Argentina go into their final Group C game against leaders Poland knowing a win will put them into the round of 16, while a draw will be sufficient if Mexico draw with Saudi Arabia.

Mexico need a win to have any chance of progressing, while they also need a helping hand from Poland. 

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

Oleksandr Usyk plans to have "three more fights at the very most" before retiring, including a heavyweight unification bout with Tyson Fury.

The 35-year-old holds the WBA Super, IBF, WBO, IBO and The Ring heavyweight belts after defeating Anthony Joshua for a second time in last month's rematch.

Usyk's split-decision victory over Joshua in Saudi Arabia was supposed to clear the way for a unification bout with Fury for all the belts in the sport’s blue-riband division.

However, with Usyk ruling out a return to the ring this year, Fury is now in advanced talks with Joshua over a 'Battle of Britain' showdown in December.

Usyk is hopeful of facing Fury down the line, with super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez also on his list of targets before ending his career on home soil in Kyiv.

"I can have three more fights at the very most," Usyk said in an interview posted on his YouTube page. 

"It is the most realistic to be in my top form. With Fury, Canelo and a farewell fight at Olympiyskiy.

"With Canelo he said that he wanted to fight me. It would be a freak fight just for the sake of earning money.

"I only need to beat Fury and then it is time to retire for me. The unification of all the belts is much more important than just a fight or another defence.

"I want to outbox Fury and I don't want to work that much just for another defence. There is much more that I can achieve."

Canelo is the undisputed super-middleweight champion after claiming victory in the final fight in his trilogy with Gennady Golovkin in Las Vegas last weekend.

The weight disparity between Usyk and Canelo makes any bout difficult to arrange, but the latter confirmed last month he is interested in facing the Ukrainian.

"It's difficult but I don't care," he said. "I like that type of challenge. I don't care. It's going to be difficult I know, but I love boxing. I love being in that type of situation."

A commanding win over Gennady Golovkin has seen Canelo Alvarez finally put that rivalry to rest five years after the first bout.

The Mexican has achieved plenty during that five-year period, but the discussions around a trilogy bout with GGG were always present, and it was pretty clear that fight remained on the agenda.

Now, though, for the first time in half a decade, Canelo's future can be written without the inclusion of Golovkin. While the Kazakh was open to a fourth clash, Canelo's attention will be focused elsewhere.

With the chapter with Golovkin ending, however, there is some uncertainty. Avenging his defeat against Dmitry Bivol is top of Canelo's agenda, which he made clear after Saturday's triumph in Las Vegas.

"Of course, everybody knows. We'll see, we'll see what happens in that fight," he said post-fight.

"It's very important for my legacy, for me, for my country, for my family, for everything. I will beat him."

A rematch with the Russian may be a way off, however, with Bivol set to face Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi on November 5 and potentially having further opponents lined up beyond that fight, as Eddie Hearn explained.

"The fact is, to fight Canelo Alvarez, Bivol might have to fight [Joshua] Buatsi and Zurdo [Ramirez]," Hearn said, via DAZN. "That fight's not a definite because we can't just wait until May. It's impossible, and there's so much risk in those fights."

WBC, IBF and WBO light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev is also a possibility, with a unification bout likely to be appealing to Bivol if he can successfully defend his belts in November.

This may play into Canelo's hands, though, as he revealed after victory against Golovkin that he entered the fight with a wrist injury and could now take a year out to recover, with surgery on the cards.

"I need surgery. It was really bad, really bad. It's not broken, it's a meniscus, it's a wrist injury, not broken. It's ligaments, like a knee injury or something like that," he explained.

"I'm going to take the time my body needs. Last year I fought four times in 11 months, so that's why. But I need to take my time a little bit, maybe May, September, I need to take my time."

Canelo's absence may open the door for a rematch with Bivol late in 2023, while also having the potential to allow the middleweight division to develop, as there are few who could pose a meaningful challenge right now.

David Benavidez stands as the most likely challenger for Canelo's middleweight titles, unbeaten with 23 knockouts from 26 wins, while Jermall Charlo could be another contender – though he hasn't fought since 2021 and holds a title at 160 pounds.

Neither would be as appealing for Canelo as a rematch with Bivol, however, as he seeks revenge against only the second man to have beaten him in his professional career – the first being Floyd Mayweather in September 2013.

The growing trend of exhibition and celebrity boxing, where the likes of Jake Paul have made a wave, cannot be ruled out entirely for Canelo, but the 31-year-old would be unlikely to make such a move until he has had his shot at revenge against Bivol.

Canelo Alvarez confirmed he has his sights set on a rematch with Dmitry Bivol after convincingly handling the third fight of his trilogy against Gennadiy Golovkin on Saturday.

Alvarez took a unanimous decision on the scorecards, although two judges had things much closer than it looked to the naked eye, scoring it seven rounds to five for the Mexican, while the third judge had it eight-to-four.

In one of the most highly anticipated trilogies of this generation, the 40-year-old Golovkin had noticeably lost a step compared to the version of himself that arguably won both of the first two fights, although the first was scored as a draw and he lost a controversial majority decision in the second.

Alvarez is still very much in his prime at 32 years old, and he was physically dominant, boasting a clear speed advantage with his hands and his footwork as he seemingly took each of the first eight rounds without much trouble.

From that point on Alvarez took his foot off the pedal, coasting through the championship rounds while avoiding any dangerous exchanges as he was convinced he had already done enough to bank the decision.

Speaking after his win, Alvarez thanked Golovkin for his part in what will go down as some of the richest fights since the end of the Floyd Mayweather era, with the two competitors splitting a guaranteed $65million for Saturday's outing, and that is before adding in their pay-per-view cuts.

"Thank you so much my friend, thank you Golovkin," he said. "We gave the fans three good fights – thank you for everything.

"Thank you all so much for your support. I've gone through some very difficult things in my life, and the only thing you can do is try to continue moving forward.

"I've gone through difficult times recently with my defeat, and I've actually shown that defeats are great, because it enables you to come back and show humility.

"[Golovkin] is a really good fighter – he's a great fighter, and that's why we're here. I'm glad to share the ring with him, and I'm going to keep moving forward to keep my legacy going strong."

His recent defeat against Bivol was the only loss of Alvarez's career other than his defeat against Floyd Mayweather when he was just 23 years old back in 2013.

After starting his championship-level career at super welterweight (154lbs), Alvarez has continued to rise through the weight classes in search of more world titles.

He jumped up to middleweight (160lbs) in 2015 to defeat Miguel Cotto, before going up again to super middleweight (168lbs) – where he remains now – to dethrone Rocky Fielding in 2018.

In 2019 he made the decision to push things even further, challenging Sergey Kovalev for the light heavyweight title (175lbs), where he struggled with the significant size disadvantage, but came from behind to score a knockout win in the 11th round.

Bivol was his second crack at light heavyweight, and it went very similar to his first try, except this time he could not find a fight-changing blow through 12 rounds of impressive action from the bigger, longer, stronger Bivol.

Despite what was a surprisingly convincing loss, Alvarez made it clear he is determined to avenge the defeat, putting emphasis on the legacy he hopes to leave.

"It's very important for my legacy, for me," he said. "For my pride, for my country, for my family, for everything.

"It's very important... I will beat him."

The final fight of the trilogy between Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin failed to live up to the hype as the Mexican star controlled the contest from bell-to-bell for a convincing unanimous decision triumph.

After a draw in their first matchup – which most fight fans feel should have been a win for Golovkin – and another controversial majority decision win for Alvarez in the rematch, this was a decisive end to the rivalry even if the scorecards ended up close.

Two of the three judges scored the bout 115-113 for Alvarez, meaning they had him winning seven rounds to five, although there was a strong argument that Alvarez comfortably won the first eight rounds of the fight before coasting to the finish.

It was a disappointing showing for the 40-year-old Golovkin, who was once one of the most feared power punchers in the sport and arguably the better boxer for the first two fights of the trilogy, but he failed to ever threaten the 32-year-old Alvarez, who was noticeably faster with both his hands and his feet.

The loss moves Golovkin's record to 42-2-1 – with both of his losses and his draw coming against Alvarez – having entered the rivalry at a perfect 37-0.

For Alvarez, he is now 58-2-2, bouncing back from his second career loss in his last fight when he tried to jump up multiple weight classes and collect another world title, ultimately being outpointed by the much larger Dmitry Bivol.

Alvarez made a guaranteed $45million for Saturday's finale to the trilogy, and that will likely climb over $60m once his cut of the pay-per-views are factored in. Golovkin, on the 'B-side' of the draw, will pocket $20m guaranteed plus a smaller share of the pay-per-view buys.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez declared his mission for Saturday's trilogy fight with bitter rival Gennady Golovkin is to "finish him off" inside the distance.

After a split draw in their first fight five years ago, Canelo was declared the winner of their September 2018 rematch by a majority decision.

He edged a tight contest 115-113 on two of the judges' cards, with the other judge unable to split the fighters, while many observers thought Golovkin had been the superior fighter.

It means there is unfinished business heading into the long-awaited third fight, which, like the first two, will play out at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Golovkin, now 40 years of age, is a big underdog this time, while 32-year-old Canelo must handle the pressure of being the man expected to reign in the ring.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Canelo said: "I feel great, I'm ready for this weekend, so I can't wait. I'm very excited.

"I was very happy when I won the second fight because I knew I won the first fight, too, so I was really happy."

There is a real dislike between the fighters on a personal basis, with Mexican Canelo open about his disdain for Kazakh Golovkin.

"As a fighter, he's a great fighter, but as a person I don't like him," Canelo said.

The boxing website Boxrec rates Canelo as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet, placing Golovkin ninth on that list.

Nothing would give Canelo more pleasure than being able to settle fight three against 'Triple G' without the need for judges this time.

By channelling his personal feelings towards Golovkin into his punching, Canelo is confident of getting the job done.

"It gives you that extra motivation of wanting to win, to go and finish him off basically," Canelo said. "That's what I've been training for and that's what I'm hoping to do on Saturday."

Golovkin carries a 42-1-1 pro career record into the fight, while Canelo is 57-2-2 after slipping up in a light-heavyweight clash with Dmitry Bivol in May, also at T-Mobile Arena.

He narrowly lost on points to his Russian opponent that day, after going up a weight, and is adamant the recent experience of defeat will not hinder him come bell time on Saturday.

"It gives me extra motivation to come back," Canelo said. "Sometimes in boxing you win or lose, but I'm going to come back stronger than ever.

"I did something that I didn't need to do, going up a division, I have no right to go up there, but that's what happens. I lost this, and I need to accept it like a man and come back stronger than ever, and that's what I'll be doing."

For the third, and presumably, the last time, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will share a ring on Saturday as they fight it out for super-middleweight glory in Las Vegas.

The trilogy tussle at the T-Mobile Arena has a lot to live up to after the previous battles between the pair, in 2017 and 2018.

Alvarez goes into this one as the firm favourite, with few giving the 40-year-old Golovkin much hope, but the tight nature of their previous fights could stir something in the Kazakh.

Ahead of the keenly anticipated showdown, Stats Perform has looked at the state of play in one of boxing's greatest modern-day rivalries.

The trilogy so far

If history is a guide, nobody should be surprised if fight three between these warriors goes the distance.

Both previous clashes, which were contested at middleweight, went all the way. The first ended in a split-decision draw, and the second went down as an Alvarez points win, albeit one that many called into question. Two of three judges gave him the win by a sliver, the other scoring it a draw.

So expect a sense of deja vu this weekend, not least because the fight is being held at the same venue that put on their first two clashes.

Alvarez was given a bizarrely lopsided 118-110 victory by one of the first fight's judges, while another scored it narrowly in Golovkin's favour, and the third as a draw, so perhaps this time the fighters will be eager to avoid any possible lottery on the scorecards.

A victory inside the distance for either man might be the most fitting way of bringing their rivalry to its conclusion.

What's happened since the rematch?

There was inevitably talk of a trilogy fight after Canelo got the better of Golovkin four years ago, but it took until May of this year for confirmation to come through.

Canelo has danced between the divisions, winning title fights at middleweight, super-middleweight and light heavyweight since he last encountered Golovkin in the ring.

Golovkin has fought just four times, and will hope that is sufficient preparation.

Unlike Canelo, he has a 100 per cent record from his fights in the last four years. Canelo was beaten on his last outing, losing to Dmitry Bivol on a unanimous, albeit tight verdict (115-113 with all three judges), when contesting the WBA light heavyweight belt.

Has anything changed in four years?

Ask yourself the same question. Of course, things change. We get older; past a certain point, perhaps we slow down a little; the pandemic put the brakes on most aspects of our lives, for a while at least.

It took a heavy toll on boxing, too, but Canelo and Golovkin have got the buzz back, and one thing that has not changed appears to be the enmity between them.

As Eddie Hearn, chairman of Matchroom Boxing, said on announcing the fight: "These are two men that bitterly dislike each other and want to end this incredible series with a blistering KO."

Canelo is still a young man, at 32, and he carries a 57-2-2 record into the fight, putting his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts on the line.

Golovkin boasts a 42-1-1 career as he steps up to super-middleweight for the first time, but he is very much the veteran, the man that time is most likely to have caught up on since part two of this series.

According to Canelo, Golovkin has been taking on third-rate opponents to extend his career for this payday.

"A knockout, that's what I see," said a confident Canelo in June.

Some juicy shots are being thrown outside the ring, boiling up nicely for ring time.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez was in bullish mood as he outlined his confidence of a knockout victory in his trilogy bout with Gennady Golovkin.

Alvarez and Golovkin have shared a heated rivalry since 2017, when the first meeting between the pair ended in a controversial split draw.

The Mexican won the rematch in 2018, but the mutual dislike still feels fresh.

"A knockout, that’s what I see," Canelo (57-2-2, 39 KOs) said when asked in a news conference to predict the outcome at T-Mobile Arena.

The undisputed super middleweight champion is coming off a loss to Dmitry Bivol but insists he can handle Golovkin, whose record stands at 42-1-1, 37 KOs.

"I got tired as the fight went on, and as far as the loss, you take the loss and you move on," Canelo added.

"I'm more dangerous now than before. It's personal to me."

When asked if he wants to "punish" Golovkin in their third – and likely final – meeting, Canelo told Fighthype: "Yes, because he always talks about me, a lot of s*** about me."

Canelo also alleged that his opponent has been biding his time, focused only on another rematch and a final payday before the 40-year-old Golovkin retires.

"He's fighting a lot of C- and D-level fighters, and I'm staying busy fighting the best fighters out there. It doesn't make sense, right? I'm glad to be here," Canelo added.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez is set to announce a September trilogy fight against Gennadiy Golovkin, meaning his rematch with Dmitry Bivol must wait.

Alvarez suffered only the second defeat of his professional career against Bivol this month after stepping up to light heavyweight.

The Mexican has a rematch option, which he intends to activate, but first will face Golovkin for a third time at super middleweight, he told ESPN.

"We already had that contract [with Golovkin], that agreement, so we have to continue what we started," he said.

"I think those are the two biggest fights in boxing, the fight with Golovkin and the rematch with Bivol.

"Unfortunately, we lost [to Bivol], but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try again. The important thing here is perseverance and we're going to do it again.

"What is certain is that we are going to return in September. And in the coming days, we are going to announce the fight."

A controversial split draw between Alvarez and Golovkin in September 2017 was followed by a Canelo win a year later. That remains the sole defeat of Golovkin's career.

Floyd Mayweather was celebrating another Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez defeat in Las Vegas on Saturday after Dmitry Bivol's victory earned him $42,500.

Russian Bivol retained his WBA light heavyweight title at the T-Mobile Arena, claiming the scalp of the Mexican superstar with a unanimous decision victory.

Super-middleweight king Canelo suffered only the second loss of his illustrious career stepping up in weight, with all three judges scoring the bout at 115-113 in favour of Bivol.

Mayweather consigned Canelo, rated as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, to the only other defeat of his professional career at the T-Mobile Arena nine years ago.

The retired American legend cashed in on the 31-year-old's second defeat, placing a $10,000 bet on Bivol to come out on top for a return of $52,500.

Mayweather posted a picture of his winning betting slip on Instagram and wrote: "Easy pick up."

Alvarez confirmed he would exercise his rematch clause.

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez accepted the result of his unanimous decision defeat to Dmitry Bivol, hailing his opponent as a "great champion" after just the second loss of his career.

The Mexican came up short of claiming the WBA light heavyweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday against the Russian, who won 115-113 on all three scorecards after a 12-round bout.

His only other defeat in 61 fights coming against Floyd Mayweather Jr in 2013, Alvarez was left in an unfamiliar position.

But speaking afterwards, the 31-year-old was congratulatory of Bivol, while vowing to bounce back even stronger down the line.

"You have to accept it, it's boxing," Alvarez said. "He's a great champion. Sometimes in boxing you win and lose and I'm not giving excuses. I lost and he won."

On the possibility of whether he desired a rematch, he added: "Yeah, of course I do. "This doesn't end like this."

"This doesn't end in this way, I'm a very competitive person, I've got many years ahead of me, and I'm gonna come back stronger.

“We want the rematch, and we want to do much better in the rematch. I'm very proud and competitive. I've gone up and fought at 175lbs.

"I've gone out of my comfort zone to fight at a weight that's not mine, there's no shame in that. I'm looking for challenges that others would be scared to take on because they might lose.”

Alvarez's loss means he now moves to 57-2-2, while Bivol extends his unbeaten record to 20-0.