The WBC has reportedly granted David Benavidez a two-week extension to decide between his mandatory spots at 168 and 175.
Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) moved to 175 earlier this month and captured the WBC interim light heavyweight title with his win over Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15th. The fight was also a WBC 175-lb title eliminator, making Benavidez mandatory for champion Artur Beterbiev’s belt.
168 or 175: A Tough Choice for the Glutton
Not satisfied with being just the WBC 175-lb mandatory, Benavidez reportedly asked the WBC to allow him to keep his mandatory at 168 because he wants to challenge Canelo Alvarez for that belt.
If Benavidez has his way, he’ll occupy both mandatory positions and wait for the best-paying fight to fall into his lap. With that setup, Benavidez couldn’t help but get a massive fight and payday because even if one of the two weight classes didn’t work out, he’s got the other to fall back on.
The problem with Benavidez holding mandatory positions in two weight classes simultaneously is one of fairness. Benavidez is being a glutton by occupying both spots, taking a spot away from a contender who has worked hard to get to a high ranking to fight for a world title. It’s not fair to them.
While Benavidez is gorging on fillet mignon, filling his gullet, occupying two mandatory spots, the other contenders in one of those two weight classes are left with crumbs.
Benavidez needs to decide which of the ones he takes, and it’s a tough decision because neither is ideal. Canelo has already said he wants $200 million to fight Benavidez, and I don’t think he’s not kidding around. He wants that $200M, and you can’t blame him. Why should he be forced to fight a light heavyweight in disguise?
If Benavidez gives up his WBC 175-lb mandatory spot with the hope of getting a fight against Canelo at 168, he could be left empty-handed, with no fight, and being stuck facing regular contenders or secondary champions.
The Risk of Biting Off More Than He Can Chew
Assuming Benavidez decides to keep his WBC 175-lb mandatory, his career could be heading towards the dustbin because he lacks the power and technical ability to defeat the light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
Benavidez’s performance against 37-year-old Gvozdyk showed he’s not cut out for the 75-lb division, fighting guys his size. He’s only good at 168 because he’s much bigger than his opposition in that weight class. At 175, Benavidez has no size advantage and has to rely on his skills, which are inferior to the well-schooled Russian fighters Bivol and Beterbiev.
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