David Benavidez has cemented his place as one of the most formidable fighters in boxing’s current era.
The 28-year-old is unbeaten in 29 professional outings, winning 24 of those inside the distance, giving him one of the highest knockout percentages in the sport.
‘The Monster’ is a two-time WBC super middleweight champion, winning & holding the title on two occasions between 2017 and 2020. He also held the WBC ‘interim’ strap at 168lbs for over a year during 2022 & 2023. before making the decision to move up to light heavyweight last year.
Benavidez was the mandatory challenger to Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s WBC title at 168lbs for a period of time, but due to a fight not materialising between the pair, the 28-year-old entered the 175lb bracket where he currently holds the WBC ‘interim’ title.
Speaking to FightHype recently, Benavidez was asked if he would considering moving up even further to the cruiserweight division, as he was asked his thoughts on a potential showdown with unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, where he admits he does not yet have the experience to be able to defeat the Ukrainian superstar.
“To be honest with you I have to deal with these monsters in this weight class first.
Usyk? I don’t think I have enough experience to go up against Usyk. I’m just being 100% honest, but like you say never say never!”
Usyk defeated Tyson Fury for the second time on December 21, retaining his WBC, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles in an all-action affair in Riyadh. The 37-year-old has opened the door at a potential return to cruiserweight in 2025.
‘The Monster’ returns to the ring on February 1 where he is set to challenge WBA ‘regular’ light heavyweight champion David Morrell in an intriguing match-up at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
