Benavidez, No Monster At 175, Returns To 168

Lionell Thompson says David Benavidez is “not a monster at 175” as he was at 168. That’s why Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is moving back to 168 following his brutal fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his debut at 175 on June 15th.

Not an Elite Guy at This Weight

Thompson, a super middleweight contender, feels that Benavidez is “just another decent good boxer” at 175, but he would be “destroyed” going up against unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.

Benavidez faded in the second half of his win over Gvozdyk, and Thompson thinks that happened because he was being hit back hard and forced to fight harder than he normally does.

The ‘Mexican Monster’ Benavidez failed to wear Gvozdyk down in the first half of the fight the way he does to his smaller opposition at 168, so he couldn’t depend on coming on in the second half because he was forced to expend so much energy with the pressure he was being put on him by Oleksandr early on.

Benavidez says he’s returning to the 168-lb division but intends to return to 175. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants Benavidez to fight thie winner of the October 12th undisputed light heavyweight championship between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.

The money Benavidez will receive fighting the winner of that fight will be too good for him to turn down, so he’ll return and face his destiny.

Artur Beterbiev: The Real Monster

“He started getting hit back, and David didn’t finish the fight so strong,” said Lionell Thompson to Fighthype, talking about David Benavidez’s debut at light heavyweight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th.

“Someone like Artur [Beterbiev], who is going to be on your every second of every round, who punches extremely hard, David gets destroyed. Benavidez is moving back down to 168. I think he knows, ‘This ain’t the same.’

“Now David realizes, ‘I’m not a monster. I’m a monster at the lower weight beating up on small guys. But when it comes to those big guys, I’m just another good fighter. I’m not a monster.’

“Artur is real monster. So, I think, he’s [Benavidez] like, ‘I’m going to go back down to 168. I’m a monster at that weight. These big guys, these guys my size? No, I’m not an elite guy at this weight,’” said Thompson.

If Benavidez does face IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20KOs), he’ll likely be chopped up the same way Callum Smith was earlier this year on January 13th.

Beterbiev destroyed the former WBA super middleweight champion Smith, breaking him down with nonstop pressure before stopping him in the seventh round. Smith is a bigger puncher than Benavidez, but he couldn’t keep Beterbiev off despite landing some huge shots.

Beterbiev walked through the punches and kept pounding away on the stork-like 6’4″fighter until he was pulled out by his trainer, James ‘Buddy’ McGirt, in the seventh.

Benavidez’s Future

“He [Benavidez] gets stronger in the second half against a smaller body, but now he’s in there with a guy [Gvozdyk] that punches back that is big and can take the punishment and give some,” said Thompson. “We see him fade. At light heavyweight, he’s just another decent good boxer.”

Benavidez had a difficult time beating Caleb Plant, defending him by a hard-fought 12-round unanimous decision last year.

Now that Benavidez is turning to the 168-lb division after carrying more weight at 175, he might not be as good as he was in the past because it’s not easy for fighters to return to a division once they’ve gone up in weight the way he has.

“If he really wanted to impress me, he would fight Artur. Yes,” said Thompson when asked if Benavidez can beat Canelo Alvarez. “David took some big shots from a big guy [Gvozdyk]. I can’t see David being that strong.

Benavidez won’t fight Beterbiev if Artur loses his fight against Bivol on October 12th. He’ll be off the hook if that happens and would face Bivol. That would be an equally tough fight but in a different way. Bivol’s combination punching and boxing skills will be too much for Benavidez.

“That guy [Gvozdyk] can punch. He put Adonis Stevenson on life support. I can’t see Canelo keeping David off him. I think he’s too small for David,” said Thompson.