The WBC has given David Benavidez an additional one-week extension to decide on which of the two mandatory spots he wants to keep: 168 or 175.
The Futility of Staying at 168
The 27-year-old Benavidez had already requested a two-week extension from the WBC to decide on his mandatory spots, but now he wants another week. It’s unclear what will change for Benavidez with an additional week.
Is he hoping Canelo Alvarez will pick him for his next fight in September? That’s unrealistic and suggests that Benavidez or his team don’t fully grasp reality.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) has been the WBC mandatory at super middleweight for Canelo’s title with that organization for two years, yet the organization hasn’t attempted to order the fight.
Given the World Boxing Council’s reluctance to order that fight, it would be pointless for Benavidez to keep his mandatory spot at 168. Even if the WBC ordered Canelo to fight Benavidez, he wouldn’t do it unless he wanted to.
Sanctioning bodies can’t force a superstar like Canelo to fight anybody, and they’d be crazy to try. He brings a lot of money, whereas Benavidez is an undercard fighter who isn’t a PPV attraction.
Recently, Benavidez moved up to 175 and defeated Oleksandr Usyk on June 15th to become the WBC mandatory and interim champion at light heavyweight. Benavidez is the mandatory WBC light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and would be the next in line to face the winner of the Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol clash for the undisputed championship at 175.
The much more attainable goal for Benavidez would be to fight the winner of the Beterbiev vs. Bivol fight in 2025, and he can make a lot of money from that match in Saudi Arabia. However, the main drawback of Benavidez fighting at 175 is that he doesn’t possess the power or technical ability to defeat Bivol or Beterbiev.
The Fish Out of Water Problem
Benavidez is like a fish out of water at 175. Although he’s a true 175 and always has been, he lacks the power or skill set to exist in the light heavyweight division. We saw that clearly in Benavidez’s fight against past his best 37-year-old Gvozdyk, with him falling apart after six rounds and winning a unanimous round decision much closer than the lopsided scores the judges handed in.
If Benavidez stays at 175, he’s likely to be exposed by the Bivol-Beterbiev winner, and he’ll continue to lose against the top contenders in the division. Once that happens, Benavidez will need to return to 168 and figure out how to continue making weight for this weight class.
It’s getting harder for Benavidez to drain down to 168 because he’s rumored to be in the 190s, which is what light heavyweights weigh after they rehydrate for their fights at 175.
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