David Benavidez failed to shine in his win over Oleksandr Usyk last Saturday night in his debut at light heavyweight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
(Photo credit: Esther Lin/Premier Boxing Champions)
Power Deficit Exposed
Never a big puncher at 168, Benavidez’s power, or lack thereof, was even less against former WBC light heavyweight champion Gvozyk (20-2, 16 KOs).
He was forced to grind out a tough twelve-round decision in a fight far closer than the wide scores the judges turned in. They scored it for Benavidez 116-112, 117-111, and 119-109.
It’s fair to say the judges might have had blinders on because the fight wasn’t lopsided in a real sense. Benavidez barely one, and he showed no power to speak of.
Social media fans saw it razor close, with many viewing it as a draw, which isn’t a good sign for Benavidez, who envisions fighting for the undisputed championship at 175 against the winner of the October 12th fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Potential Showdown with Morrell
According to ESPN, Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) could face David Morrell in the fall, provided the Cuban talent successfully defeats Radivoje Kalajdzic in their fight on August 3rd at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.
Morrell (10-0, 9 KOs) is making his debut at 175 against light heavyweight Kalajdzic in a ten-round fight on the undercard of the Terence Crawford vs. Ismail Madrimov fight,
With Morrell’s power, which is close to the same level as light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, Benavidez could be biting off more than he can chew. Benavidez needs a real test at 175 to have any chance against Beterbiev or Bivol because those guys are on another level than what he showed against the shopworn Gvozdyk.
Benavidez is going to need to think hard before he takes the fight with Morrell, as the 26-year-old Cuban hits a lot harder than anyone he’s faced, including the 37-year-old Gvozdyk, and he’s capable of knocking him out or ending his hype train dead in its tracks.
If Benavidez gets weeded out by Morrell, it’s better for the fans because they need to see the best fighting for the undisputed at 175, and right now, the Mexican Monster doesn’t look near capable of beating either of these champions.
Benavidez is undeserving of fighting for the undisputed without going through Morrell, which, at this point, doesn’t seem likely.
The only thing that kept Gvozdyk from winning last Saturday night against Benavidez was his lack of power punching.
Although Gvozdyk used to be a big puncher, the four years he was out of the ring due to his retirement in 2019 had taken away his power. He’s now just a boxer with a good engine, and that was almost enough for him to defeat Benavidez.
Benavidez has been obsessing about fighting Canelo Alvarez at 168, but that’s not happening. The fight that Benavidez, 27, can make now is against the Beterbiev-Bivol winner, but he will have to make huge improvements in his power and gas tank to win that fight.
Benavidez Acknowledges His Situation
“I was trying to get a feel for the light heavyweight division,” said Benavidez after his win over Gvozdyk. “These guys, they hit a little bit harder up here. Two weeks ago, I suffered a cut in my eye. I had a torn tendon on my right hand, and I didn’t think I was going to make it tonight, but we pushed through it.”
Benavidez’s power was similar to his fights at super middleweight, and it was just not enough for him to dominate at light heavyweight like he’d been doing against the guys he’d been wiping out at 168.
It would be better if Benavidez admitted that he doesn’t have the pop in his shots at 175 rather than making injury excuses.
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