David Benavidez faces tough challenges in the light heavyweight division

By Mohamed Bahaa

David Benavidez, who has long been chasing a fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, is now setting his sights on the light heavyweight division. He was the mandatory challenger for Canelo at 168 pounds, as a former two-time super middleweight champion, he moved up to 175 pounds earlier this year after growing tired of waiting for his chance.

Benavidez won the Interim WBC Championship in June via unanimous decision over previous champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, thus entering the light heavyweight class. After the victory, he told the sanctioning body that he wanted to confirm his spot in the category. Scheduled for October 12, he has a chance to face the winner of the upcoming undisputed bout between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

Noted boxing trainer and analyst Teddy Atlas has expressed doubts about Benavidez’s prospects in the light heavyweight division. Atlas drew comparisons between Benavidez’s current situation and that of Bob Foster, a former light heavyweight champion who suffered knockout losses to both Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali when he moved up to heavyweight.

“Benavidez didn’t hurt himself in any way. He just showed that he fits perfectly in the light heavyweight division. I don’t think he’ll have any problem acclimating to that weight class,” Atlas said. However, he noted, “The problem is going to be the quality of guys in that weight class. Not that he can’t make the weight, can’t handle the weight or can’t beat guys in that weight class.”

Atlas reiterated that Benavidez’s biggest hurdle would be competing with the caliber of fighters already dominating the division, rather than adapting to the new weight class. “His problem is the same problem Bob Foster had – the great light heavyweight from years ago. If he was in the right era, he might beat a heavyweight. He was in an era where he decided to move up to heavyweight, where there was a guy named Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. It was the wrong time to decide to move up to heavyweight,” Atlas explained.

The seasoned analyst concluded: “That would be the only thing stopping Benavidez – two of the great fighters (Beterbiev and Bivol) just happen to be up there waiting for him.”

Benavidez is already focused on securing a match against the winner of the Beterbiev-Bivol bout when he plans his comeback later this year, perhaps setting him up for a big fight in early 2025.