David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) fights on December 14th. This will be the soon-to-be 28-year-old Benavidez’s first defense of his WBC interim 175-lb belt, which he won against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, and he needs an impressive performance this time to show he is ready for the killers in the division.
Benavidez is playing it safe until the big fight
#12 WBC Jesse Hart is the rumored opponent for Benavidez in a clash that could take place in Arizona. It would not sit well with fans if the 35-year-old Hart (31-3, 25 KOs) is the opponent, as he would be the second older fighter Benavidez has fought since moving up to 175, giving the impression that he deliberately focuses on older guys.
Benavidez’s debut at 175 came against the 37-year-old Gvozdyk, and he looked awful against him in every sense of the word.
If Hart is the opponent for Benavidez, it suggests that his management will play it safe for him to keep him out until he gets the winner of the October 12th undisputed light heavyweight championship fight between WBA and IBF champion Dmitry Bivol , WBC and WBO champion Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez is the mandatory winner of that fight, and he’ll make a lot of money fighting whoever pops up when the smoke clears from the Bivol-Beterbiev clash. However, these two are expected to have an immediate rematch, so Benavidez needs to stay busy. Benavidez may have to fight a few times while he waits, depending on how long it takes for the rematch.
Canelo’s criticism: Benavidez is “nothing” at 175
Canelo pointed out in an interview yesterday that Benavidez is “nothing” at 175, the same size he fights, and he’s not the same fighter he was when he moved down to 168 to face smaller fighters .
Benavidez is not the same guy without the usual big advantage he enjoyed against his smaller super middleweight foes. He needs to increase his punching power and change his fighting style to 175 because he won’t last long against the top fighters in this division. Without the size advantage Benavidez enjoyed at 168, he is very average at 175.
His fight with Gvozdyk was essentially a 12-round draw, but the judges scored it wide for him. Some fans feel it was more about Benavidez’s reception A-side red carpet treatment. I scored the Benavidez-Gvozdyk fight as a draw as well, and there are no words to describe how poor Benavidez looked.
The fight showed that Benavidez is just an average, run-of-the-mill fighter at 175. He’s not going to do well in this weight division without colossal improvements in power, defense and stamina. I don’t see that happening. Benavidez is not designed to fight opponents his size at 175 or above, and his career will soon sink into the quagmire once his management puts him against a good light heavyweight.
At some point, Benavidez may have to find a way to return to 168 to save his career once he starts losing 24/7 to his opposition at 175 because he won’t want to be reduced to underdog status in the division . Things have been so good for Benavidez at 168, and it would be a shock to see it all go away at light heavyweight.
Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, told Boxingscene about the plans for ‘The Mexican Monster’ to fight on December 14th. Fans on social media are less excited about the news as they want to hear about an opponent, preferably a talented one like David Morrell, who Benavidez has shown no interest in fighting for obvious reasons.
The recently beaten Radivoje ‘Hot Rod’ Kalajdzic was reportedly interested in fighting Benavidez, and he would be an ideal test for him for comparison purposes. Kalajdzic gave Morrell a tough fight in a losing effort on August 3rd in Los Angeles in their battle for the vacant WBA ‘ordinary’ light heavyweight title.
 fights on December 14th. This will be the soon-to-be 28-year-old Benavidez's first defense of his WBC interim 175-lb strap that){kind=link}