Benavidez-Morrell, Opetaia-Ramirez, Buatsi-Smith, Anthony Joshua, Donald Curry

In this week’s mailbag, we tackle a pair of upcoming light heavyweight fights (David Benavidez vs. David Morrell on February 1, Joshua Buatsi vs. Callum Smith on February 22), the individual participants of a desired fight at cruiserweight (Jai Opetaia and Gilberto Ramirez), and your thoughts on Donald Curry’s struggles in retirement with his physical health and finances.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.

DAVID BENAVIDEZ’S DEFENSE IS UNDERRATED 

I recall David Benavidez has some of the highest defensive numbers on CompuBox. Currently fifth-highest plus/minus, in the company of Shakur Stevenson, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Dmitry Bivol, and fourth in terms of holding opponents to a low connect percentage on their power punches. That’s not to mention his frequent appearances on the offensive side. I hope David Morrell isn’t overlooking Benavidez’s skill, because he’s actually pretty hard to hit, especially with power shots.

Lance Pugmire’s response: While there’s no doubt that the unbeaten former super middleweight titleholder is a diligent student who tends to his defensive requirements, a great deal of this success falls under the axiom that “the best defense is a great offense.” Benavidez’s destructive power creates a tentative interest in his foes from daring to stray inside for their best blows or to engage in firefights. 

Morrell’s schooling in Cuba gives him a leg up on other Benavidez opponents and heightens the expectation that Morrell will seek to out-box Benavidez and win on points rather than match Benavidez’s interest in pursuing a stoppage. Can Morrell land enough and avoid the Benavidez hammers while doing so? That question will fuel the pay-per-view buys.

DAVID BENAVIDEZ’S RESUME IS BETTER THAN DAVID MORRELL’S

Why are people trying to tear down David Benavidez’s record? Always saying he “looked [bad] against ‘old’ Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Yes, Gvozdyk is past his prime, but he is a top-level opponent with tons of relevant experience and he was thoroughly dominated. One of these fighters clearly has a better resume, and his name is David. I’ll let you guess which one. Morrell might still rise to the occasion, but rise he must. He hasn’t faced anyone near this level as a pro.

Owen Lewis’ response: I don’t know that people are trying to tear Benavidez’s record down. Anybody willing to fight Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell consecutively surely deserves plaudits for his bravery. I think most regard Benavidez as a very good fighter and one of the more entertaining boxers in the sport. You’d also have to be pretty hostile not to admire him for how he’s handled not getting the Canelo fight.

I have seen some criticism of Benavidez for his performance against Gvozdyk, and I even engaged in it myself for a column on a different website. But there were still things to like. I thought he looked brilliant early. The hand speed and body punching were on display, but so was some slick head movement, a wrinkle from Benavidez I hadn’t seen in the Andrade fight. Like you said, he looked wholly dominant – sure, he wasn’t hurting Gvozdyk with everything he threw, but he seemed unconcerned with anything that might be coming back.

And in the second half, Benavidez’s activity dropped dramatically enough that I’m inclined to believe his injured hands played a big role. Had he faded in the 10th rather than the sixth, I might buy the argument that the extra weight in his first venture at 175lbs was to blame. As it was, an injury seemed a likelier explanation than Benavidez’s stamina suddenly disappearing at age 27. I think it’s fair to criticize the performance, but using it as “proof” that Benavidez isn’t as good as his record suggests is silly.

So, yes, Benavidez has a clearly better resume than Morrell, and will surely be his fellow David’s most accomplished opponent to date. You’re right that he’ll have to rise to the occasion. At the same time, Morrell is a unique challenge for Benavidez. He is massively powerful in a way that Plant, Andrade and even Gvozdyk were decidedly not. This will be a fight, and it’s likely that Benavidez will have to navigate moments in which he’s hurt to get his hand raised.

Whether you think Benavidez is great or not, though, he’s willing to take on good enough opposition to show us one way or the other. And that alone is a credit to the sport.

DONALD CURRY’S PHYSICAL AND FINANCIAL STRUGGLES ARE HEARTBREAKING

This (“Donald Curry’s cry for help”) is so sad. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. This happens to just about every professional athlete, especially boxers. They live so fast. Many believe they will remain forever young and never have to worry about supporting themselves years after their careers are over. For a boxer to have earned millions of dollars in his career and to have nothing to show for it is just so heartbreaking. Hopefully, Curry’s son can find his father the type of help that he so desperately needs.

The fundamental nature of boxing is to inflict damage on your opponent, and we praise the ones who give and take the most; and yet, as some of the comments below Tris Dixon’s article about Curry highlight, when boxers’ careers are finished, we too frequently toss them aside. And we express bewilderment or contempt when it turns out a person born of extreme poverty who spends his life being punched in the head proves unable to manage his money in retirement.

It is great that WBC head Mauricio Sulaiman is helping Curry, the same way he is helping Gerald McClellan, but there needs to be a more systemic approach. Ticket and PPV prices should include a fee for a fighter care fund, and a chunk of sanctioning fees should be walled off for the same purpose. Until and unless we place fighter care front and center, cases like Donald Curry’s will, unfortunately, continue to be a frequent occurrence.

COUNTERPOINT: DONALD CURRY AND OTHER BOXERS SHOULD’VE KNOWN BETTER

How many examples do athletes, boxers in particular, need? Sorry, but grown-ass athletes who witness other athletes go broke should know how NOT to go broke. Boxers know boxing will not be there for them when it’s over. And what do they do? Blow their money on drugs, mansions, cars, jewelry and ignorance (shady get-rich-quick schemes). And he’s been incarcerated? When will boxers learn?

Lucas Ketelle’s response: Life is hard, and so is money management. The career of a pro boxer doesn’t always come with money management nor long-term planning. It’s easy to laugh at people’s misfortune, but a lot of people in boxing are coming from nothing – and go into warp speed upon having access to money.

Let’s also talk about how reckless spending – on designer clothes and cars that cost a lot, but serve little practical value – is normalized in boxing. Then you have the blows to the head, which can change a person’s ability to make decisions.

All in all, unless boxing puts safeguards in and tries to help the fighters – though I am not sure what that looks like, and I believe people have tried before – the temptation of overindulging in wealth will sadly continue.

My only note is to not judge too harshly, because boxing often is a three-year window of fame and money. Many chase that feeling for the rest of their life once it is done.

ANTHONY JOSHUA IS LESS ACCOMPLISHED THAN JOHN RUIZ

Eric Raskin’s response: It’s not amazing at all that AJ is still getting massive exposure and opportunity. In boxing, the market dictates what happens. It’s about who puts butts in seats, drives TV ratings or sells pay-per-views, and despite having lost four times, Joshua is still among the top three or four attractions in the sport.

Periodically in boxing, a fighter comes along for whom losses are not disqualifying. Arturo Gatti lost three fights in a row in 1998, and HBO welcomed him right back for his next one. Mike Tyson lost his last two pro fights and three of his last four between 2002-2005, and we all saw the audience he reeled in to take on Jake Paul in November. At some point, the losses will catch up with AJ’s marketability. But so far, they’ve been speed bumps, not roadblocks.

Meanwhile, you mention John Ruiz. I’m not sure that I would declare his resume better than Joshua’s, but I will say that Ruiz was much more successful than he ever got credit for. He went 1-1-1 against a not-completely-washed Evander Holyfield. As a sizable underdog, he got Kirk Johnson to break mentally and won by DQ. He beat Hasim Rahman, Fres Oquendo and Andrew Golota. Most of those fights were ugly as hell, but Ruiz put up some solid results while consistently facing top competition in a strong heavyweight era.

He’s one of the great overachievers the sport has ever known – blessed with few natural gifts, but endlessly tough and determined and skilled at dragging opponents into the muck with him. Joshua, conversely, is a mega-gifted heavyweight who will likely be remembered as an underachiever. That doesn’t mean Ruiz’s resume is better than AJ’s. But those resumes are not as far apart as they should be.

JOSHUA BUATSI VS. CALLUM SMITH IS A POINTLESS FIGHT

Tris Dixon’s response: We will have to see with Buatsi. I think there’s a good chance he loses to Smith, in which case he should have made his move sooner. That said, it’s so tough at the top that if you have plans of defeating the likes of Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol or David Benavidez, you need to come prepared. 

That means Buatsi probably needs fights further up the ladder than the ones he has been taking. It is a shame UK fans have not had Buatsi against Anthony Yarde. It’s just about the perfect “bridge” fight to world level for them that neither has had. Yarde has, of course, fallen short each time he has stepped up, but at least he’s accepted opportunities. 

Buatsi looked like a fine pro prospect when he turned over after Rio, but it’s been slow going and frustrating at times, with just one fight in 2022 and one in 2023, for instance. A clear win over Smith, however, and I reckon that puts him in the best position he’s been in to lead into a big fight. I see what you’re saying, but a good win over Smith is a good win in my book.

ZURDO RAMIREZ HAS SURPRISED POST-175

After Gilberto Ramirez got beat up by Dmitry Bivol, I thought that was the beginning of the end for him. Looks like he’s made a career at cruiserweight. Props to him.

Tris Dixon’s response: I couldn’t agree more. What a journey he has been on to become one of the best fighters of 2024. He looked good against Arsen Goulamirian, but I was so impressed with him against Chris Billam-Smith. He moves well, has great variety and a good engine, took some huge shots and kept marching forward against CBS, and not many have done that. He also really hurt CBS to the body. 

Talking of which, Zurdo doesn’t look all that with his physique, which just goes to show that you don’t have to be chiselled from marble to be an effective fighter. Allied to that, I could see him moving up if he wanted to. I think Ramirez against fellow cruiserweight titleholder Jai Opetaia is a really good fight. And I mentioned to CBS recently that I actually could see Ramirez winning rounds against Usyk – though not the fight – and he didn’t disagree. 

HOW IS JAI OPETAIA THE LINEAL CHAMPION?

How is Jai Opetaia the lineal champ? Oleksandr Usyk vacated and Opetaia has one belt. At least have a tournament or unify with another belt before you just up and call him the lineal champ. There is no lineal champ. Him and Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez should fight to determine the best in the division and then maybe call it lineal.

David Greisman’s response: They did have a tournament – it was the second World Boxing Super Series tournament — which ran from October 2018 to September 2020 and ended with Mairis Briedis crowned as the new lineal champion.

When Usyk left cruiserweight, Ring Magazine’s ratings read:

Gassiev was soon dropped from the ratings for inactivity and he ultimately moved up to heavyweight. That means the top three at cruiserweight were Briedis (#1), Dorticos (#2) and Glowacki (#3).

In the WBSS semifinals in July 2019, Dorticos (#2) beat Andrew Tabiti and Briedis (#1) beat Glowacki (#3). And in the finale, delayed by the pandemic, Briedis (#1) beat Dorticos (#2).

So the three top remaining fighters at cruiserweight faced each other, and the winner established a new lineal champion. This fits into how lineage has been defined by many of us observers for some time. And then when Opetaia defeated Briedis, the lineage passed along.

Want to be featured in the mailbag? Comment or ask a question in the comments section below. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. We also may select readers’ comments from other BoxingScene stories.