Canelo Alvarez has surprisingly not booked Cinco de Mayo as his next fight in 2026. It leaves the holiday to ‘The Mexican Monster’ David Benavidez to take it. He already revealed that he’ll be fighting WBA and WBO cruiserweight champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez on May 2, 2026.
Is This PPV-Worthy?
Benavidez-Ramirez isn’t a big enough fight to match what Canelo would bring to the Cinco de Mayo date. It’s a decent fight, but not interesting enough to get fans eager to purchase it on PPV. Without Canelo, the Cinco de Mayo date in 2026 will be drab.
Benavidez Needs a Star
Benavidez (31-0, 25 KOs) needs someone more interesting as his opponent for Cinco de Mayo to attract fans throughout the U.S on May 2, 2026. Zurdo Ramirez (48-1, 30 KOs) has failed to become a crossover star in the United States, primarily due to the weak matchmaking that his various promoters have done throughout his 16-year pro career.
The perception is that Gilberto has been protected all along, shielded from the wolves to build a plastic record to make him a pseudo-star for money-making purposes. While it’s worked to a lesser extent, it’s hurt his popularity in the long run because he never fought the big names.
The Real Cinco de Mayo Options
- Dmitry Bivol
- Terence Crawford
- Artur Beterbiev
- Jai Opetaia
- Canelo Alvarez
Crawford: The Dream — But Won’t Happen
Crawford would be the ideal opponent for ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez to fight on Cinco de Mayo. There’s very little chance that Bud would agree to fight him.
Although Crawford says he wants to be among the all-time greats on the Mount Rushmore of boxing, he’s not shown the same risk-taking courage that greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Henry Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, and Joe Louis did. He should say yes to a fight against Benavidez for Cinco de Mayo in 2026, but he’s not going to do it. He’s protecting that O.
Why Canelo Isn’t Fighting
Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) has fought on Cinco de Mayo in five of the last six years. So for him not to have already booked the holiday in 2026, it’s a surprise. There’s more attention for him to receive and money. He’s coming off a crushing defeat against Terence Crawford on September 13th and has been dealing with an elbow injury.
Canelo’s earnings for the ‘Fight of the Century’ against Crawford were over $100 million. So, perhaps the need for him to fight on Cinco de Mayo is less critical. It’s believed the two are in negotiations for a rematch, which could come in September 2026. That would be another gigantic payday for Alvarez, especially if Turki Alalshikh is the one financing it.
“The million-dollar question: Who fights on CINCO DE MAYO? With Canelo Álvarez without anything official, no one knows yet who will end up with this date, so important for Mexican boxing. For now, two promoters have already reserved Las Vegas for that date,” said Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout on X.
Last Updated on 12/10/2025
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