David Benavidez is fresh out of ideas. After grabbing the WBC interim super middleweight title in 2020, the 27-year-old was convinced that Canelo Alvarez would have no choice but to fight him. That valuable trinket, nevertheless, has done nothing to place Benavidez in the position he wanted.
So, despite being the WBC’s number-one contender, Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) figured that it made more sense to knock off a few top names. Still, even with wins over David Lemieux, Caleb Plant, and Demetrius Andrade, Alvarez has been lukewarm on the idea of facing him.
Andy Ruiz, from a distance, has watched as Benavidez’s callouts have fallen on extraneous ears. From his point of view, the former two-time super middleweight champ has earned his stripes.
“I think Benavidez deserves a shot,” Ruiz told a group of reporters recently.
If he wanted, Benavidez could have continued to play the waiting game. Instead, he decided that it was in his best interest to put Alvarez in the rearview and move forward, both literally and physically.
Just a few short months ago, Benavidez kissed the super middleweight division goodbye and officially made his light heavyweight debut, picking a wide decision win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk. He’ll now have to decide whether or not he’ll continue his career in his newfound home or make a return to familiar territory.
While he continues to weigh his options, Ruiz (35-2, 22 KOs) believes that Benavidez will eventually stomp through not only the light heavyweight division but also the cruiser and heavyweight battlegrounds.
It might be a while before that actually takes place, but Ruiz isn’t being myopic. If and when Benavidez does make the move, the former unified heavyweight champ is hoping that they’ll get it on.
“I think David can do anything because he’s big, he’s strong. He’s super young, he’s super, super young. If he does go to heavyweight, hopefully, he gives me the opportunity to fight too.”
First things first, however, Ruiz is putting the finishing touches on an arduous training camp. In just a few short weeks, he’ll stand across the ring from good friend Jarrell Miller, and attempt to do his best to pull off the win.
A matchup with Benavidez isn’t one that Ruiz is totally fixated on. He knows that the 27-year-old still has work to do in the lower-weight classes. But, in terms of the so-called size advantage that Ruiz, or any heavyweight for that matter, would enjoy over Benavidez, that assumption might be a bit overblown.
“Yeah, he can,” explained Ruiz when asked if Benavidez could put on enough weight. “If he’s walking around, he’s probably at 200 pounds anyway. I’m pretty sure he feels strong. He’s a really talented kid.”
Read the full article here
