While David Benavidez warms up for his own fight Saturday night, he’ll keep one eye on the television in his locker room.

The former WBC super middleweight champion is almost looking forward to his older brother’s fight as much as his subsequent bout. Jose Benavidez Jr. hasn’t fought in three years, not since the night Terence Crawford stopped him in the 12th round of their October 2018 fight for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title in Omaha, Nebraska.

Assuming the older Benavidez brother beats Argentina’s Emanuel Torres, David Benavidez envisions 2022 as a big year for him in the 154-pound division. Benavidez (27-1, 18 KOs) and Torres (17-3, 5 KOs) will meet in a 10-round middleweight match, but Benavidez considers himself a junior middleweight.

“You know, 154 is a hot weight class,” David Benavidez told BoxingScene.com. “There’s a lot of fighters in that division that me, myself, I would wanna see him fight. I’m excited just to see him come back. First of all, we’ve gotta get past this fight. He has to get that ring rust off a little bit. But then, there’s a lot of big fights for him. I’m excited, too, because I’ll be willing to fight on whatever card he’s on. And I’ll be willing to accept less money, just to make the card bigger.

“You know, I love my brother. I love being in camp with him and I love fighting on the same card with him, especially if he fights another A-lister or B-lister at 154. I’m excited for what the future holds for us. We’re working extremely hard. And like I said, he still has a lot left in the tank, so I can’t wait to see what he does in the future.”

The Benavidez brothers sparred against each to get ready for the fights Showtime will televise Saturday night from Footprint Center in their hometown of Phoenix, starting at 9 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. PT. David Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) will encounter Kyrone Davis (16-2-1, 6 KOs) in the main event, a 12-round super middleweight bout.

Jose Benavidez Jr. spent plenty of time with his wife and two daughters during his long layoff. David Benavidez tried all along to encourage his 29-year-old brother to resume his career while he is still in his physical prime.

Jose Benavidez Jr. acknowledged during a recent interview with BoxingScene.com, though, that he’ll always favor a right leg that was damaged when he was shot by an unknown assailant in August 2016.

“It was really tough seeing him go through situations like that,” David Benavidez said. “I was just trying to motivate him to come back to the gym after he lost his last fight because I know he’s a special fighter. You know, obviously, he’s my brother and I know how much he has left in the tank. So, you know, I just try to motivate him a little bit. But it just makes me very happy that he’s back and he’s gonna fight on my card, probably one of the biggest cards in Phoenix, Arizona, that we’ve had in a long time.

“It’s been a long process. You know, sometimes somebody is not ready to come back until they’re ready to come back. Now I see the hunger in his eyes. He has his own family, he has his daughters and he has his wife. So, he’s not only fighting for himself now – he’s fighting for his family. So, he’s very motivated now. I’m sure that he’s gonna come back strong. And like I said, he still has a lot in the tank. You know, I feel like he’s still one of the best fighters. He just has to prove it and bring it out of himself, so I’m very excited to see that.”

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.