Not often would questions of age be requested of a 27-year-old fighter seemingly in his prime. Nonetheless, in Boxing, age is a way more difficult components than merely the quantity by itself. Elements equivalent to mileage, physiology, psychological fortitude, aggressive spirit, career-span, ego, defensive abilities, coaching habits, way of life, and even funds can play a serious position in a fighter’s shelf-life.
First, let’s check out the constructive elements in favor of the Phoenix, AZ native. Benavidez had a really brief newbie profession, going undefeated in 15 fights earlier than turning professional at age 16. In his 11 years as a professional, he has taken little or no punishment attributable to cautious matchmaking in opposition to principally under-sized and all the time inexperienced opponents. His head can also be giant, and his facial options present proof of a thick cranium.
Many thick-skulled fighters have loved lengthy careers absorbing punishment with little or no impact within the ring or later in life. Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez are prime examples of this. David has additionally proven nice coaching self-discipline whereas within the gymnasium, usually shedding dozens of kilos within the remaining weeks of camp. A restricted stage of competitors thought-about, David has nonetheless displayed a warrior’s spirit contained in the ring.
The Weighting Sport
Sadly, Benavidez has a number of unfavorable elements that would level to an abbreviated profession that appears to only be getting began to casual-level followers. To start with, David has a weight problem. At simply over 6’0 tall, David has been identified to weigh as a lot as 250 kilos. At 16 years outdated, not even absolutely developed, he was combating as knowledgeable Cruiserweight (200).
David has been capable of flip this unfavorable into a brief constructive thus far by utilizing excessive coaching and weight loss plan measures to squeeze all the best way all the way down to the Tremendous Middleweight (168) division for the weigh-in, then hydrating again to Cruiserweight in time for the ring stroll. This short-sighted methodology of gaining a bonus carries an enormous deficit on the again finish. This isn’t solely one of the crucial career-shortening strategies utilized by predatory fighters in current occasions, however it is usually probably the most harmful to each combatants within the ring.
For casual-level followers who don’t perceive Boxing and examine this as a chess transfer inside the guidelines of the game, there’s a failure to understand that that is nothing in need of an exploitation of a rule put into place to stop the probability of ring tragedies. Weigh-ins had been as soon as held on the day of the combat, which prevents fighters who wrestle to make weight from rehydrating correctly earlier than receiving blows to the top later that night.
This creates an especially harmful scenario the place the protecting cerebrospinal fluids surrounding the mind and spinal wire are depleted attributable to excessive dehydration. That is the explanation that almost all Boxing tragedies happen exterior of the Heavyweight division, the place there isn’t any have to dehydrate one’s self to fulfill a contracted weight restrict.
To subvert this probably deadly hazard, Weigh-ins had been moved to the day earlier than, generally even two days earlier than, with a purpose to defend not solely the combatants however the sport itself, which has lengthy suffered scrutiny for its barbarism and tragic historical past. David shouldn’t be the primary, though positively one of many extra excessive circumstances, of fighters who’ve turned this security measure into a possibility to use their opponents and create a wholly new harmful scenario the place one combatant enjoys a twenty to thirty-pound measurement benefit over their opponent contained in the ring.
One solely has to have a look at once-beaten Devin Haney, probably the most excessive safety-measure-exploiter in trendy Boxing, to see how shortly your profession will be fully derailed as soon as your physique has had an excessive amount of of this predatory apply and you’re pressured to face an opponent of near-equal measurement.
The Canelo State of affairs
Benavidez has already proven a number of indicators that his physique can not take the abuse of those excessive weight fluctuations. David made a reputation for himself solely by attaching himself to the profession of Canelo Alvarez. So efficient has this advertising and marketing ploy been that one can not often hear one identify talked about with out the opposite identify following quickly after.
Curiously, many casual-level followers and agenda-pushing pundits have failed to understand that David Benavidez has already had three alternatives to face Canelo Alvarez, having blown all three of them both foolishly or, as most consider, deliberately.
In July 2018, whereas on the promotional tour for his rematch in opposition to Gennady Golovkin, Canelo Alvarez proclaimed his intention to make the transfer to the Tremendous Middleweight (168) division ought to he defeat Golovkin. Canelo, being a Mexican nationwide the place the WBC belt is held within the highest regard of all titles, would first search the WBC belt held by David Benavidez.
Lower than a month later, on August twenty seventh, 2018, VADA collected a scheduled urine pattern from Benavidez. On September 18th, 2018, the day earlier than Canelo vs Golovkin, Benavidez’s August urinalysis outcomes revealed a constructive hit for cocaine. David was stripped of the title and suspended, robbing Canelo of the chance to vie for the coveted WBC Tremendous Middleweight (168) title.
Quite than combating for the newly vacated belt, which the WBC was virtually throwing at him attributable to his excessive earnings that convert into disproportionately excessive sanctioning charges, Canelo as an alternative challenged WBA Champion Rocky Fielding whereas the beltless Benavidez served out his suspension. Quite than gathering the WBC belt in an unsavory manner, Canelo, in flip, collected extra belts at 160 and even 175 whereas permitting Benavidez to get his profession again on monitor, finally regaining the WBC 168 title one yr later in September of 2019.
The stage was set as soon as once more for Canelo vs Benavidez for the WBC, WBA Common, and Ring Tremendous Middleweight (168) Championship of the World on Cinco De Mayo weekend in 2021. David would take a tune-up combat in August 2020 to organize for his career-defining shot at immortality and Canelo would problem 6’3 undefeated World Champion Callum Smith in December 2020 to organize himself for the scale of Benavidez. Nonetheless, together with his supposed dream combat on the desk, David inexplicably tipped the scales at over 170 kilos for the weigh-in of his protection in opposition to Angulo and was instantly stripped of the WBC title.
Canelo, now having given Benavidez two alternatives whereas ready for 2 years, was pressured to maneuver on with profession and the WBC belt was rightfully added to the pot within the battle for the Lineal Tremendous Middleweight Championship in opposition to undefeated World Champion Callum Smith.
For the following three years, Benavidez would hound Canelo and the media for a shot at Alvarez’s now undisputed Tremendous Middleweight (168) Championship. Canelo, discovering it more and more tough to take Benavidez significantly attributable to his forfeiture of two earlier alternatives to land the combat, refused to entertain the match as a result of unreliability of Benavidez as knowledgeable and questionable valor. Nonetheless, in early 2024, the WBC publicly introduced that they’d be imposing a compulsory protection of Canelo’s WBC championship in opposition to David Benavidez.
Quite than vacating, Canelo accepted the ruling and empowered his crew to ship a suggestion to Benavidez. David accepted the supply, and as soon as once more, the combat was on. Nonetheless, earlier than detailed negotiations might start, David shockingly introduced that he can be leaving the 168-pound division and difficult Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC Gentle Heavyweight (175) interim duplicate belt.
This transfer shocked the Boxing neighborhood, Boxing Pundits, The WBC, Group Canelo, and left jaws agape throughout the game and past. For months afterward, Benavidez hemmed and hawed about returning to face Canelo at Tremendous Middleweight (168), altering his thoughts virtually every day till severe curiosity within the match-up dwindled and the match grew to become unattainable from a promotional standpoint.
David Benavidez deliberately forfeited three alternatives to face Canelo after grandstanding and constructing his whole profession on being the ultimate problem of Canelo’s Corridor of Fame profession, which may solely imply one in every of two issues. David both by no means really meant to face Canelo and simply wished to experience the coattails of the universally acknowledged Face of Boxing, or he’s merely not capable of make the 168-pound weigh-in and stay aggressive.
Have the miles, partying, and weight-draining prematurely taken their toll on David’s physique and psyche? Coaching movies have proven David to be weighing someplace between 210 and 230 kilos, basically changing his coaching camps into fats camps the place the main focus is shedding weight reasonably than gaining power, method, and ability.
The Final Stand
Benavidez is now set to face David Morrell, a giant, younger, robust, and gifted but inexperienced 11-fight prospect at Gentle Heavyweight (175). Morrell is understood for gathering third-place replicas of belts held by the Undisputed Champions of the Tremendous Middleweight (168) and Gentle Heavyweight (175) divisions.
Benavidez, not a giant puncher at Tremendous Middleweight (168), carries below-average power and energy at Gentle Heavyweight (175). The truth is, one might argue that he has solely ever fought two fighters of equal measurement in his skilled profession. The primary was 6’2 Ronald Gavril.
Most specialists agree that Benavidez was totally overwhelmed of their first encounter, with one choose scoring the combat for Gavril by a dominating 116-111 rating and given an enormous present by technically retaining his unbeaten report. To his credit score, David righted this unsuitable by instantly re-matching Gavril and rightfully successful the combat, albeit unspectacularly.
The second is his most up-to-date opponent, Gvozdyk. David did earn the choice however seemed mushy, gradual, and weak in comparison with his earlier performances in opposition to woefully deprived opponents. Sadly for Benavidez, his profession has come to a degree of useless ends in virtually each route. He can clearly not compete in opposition to smaller fighters with out forfeiting the benefits he as soon as had by going through smaller fighters, but he doesn’t carry the power and energy to compete with the highest echelon at Gentle Heavyweight (175).
Ought to he achieve success in opposition to Morrell, which is much from a assure, Undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev would seemingly break down and eliminate Benavidez in 3 or 4 rounds. Probably injuring him completely. As soon as-beaten Dmitri Bivol would most likely be worse for David as a result of Bivol is a punishing fighter who lacks one-punch KO energy however is a robust, high-volume puncher who can dangerously extend a vicious beating on a bodily compromised fighter like David Benavidez.
David really solely has one path left to safe monetary safety for the remainder of his life: boxing immortality. That path, on high of defeating David Morrell, requires Canelo Alvarez to problem and defeat Artur Beterbiev, then belief Benavidez’s mettle and professionalism by providing him a fourth alternative to combat, Benavidez accepting the combat, then out-boxing Canelo and instantly retiring because the Undisputed Gentle Heavyweight Champion of the World.
It’s not a really seemingly state of affairs contemplating the anomaly of all of those situations and their respective outcomes, nevertheless it’s clearly the trail David is banking on in his try at gathering replicas of Beterbiev’s belts and the accompanying necessary challenger positions whereas on the identical time declining a number of presents to really face Artur Beterbiev within the ring.
Another state of affairs than this can completely end in David Benavidez’s first loss occurring in 2025, accompanied by the inevitable downward spiral that historical past has confirmed to observe time and time once more with numerous Boxing abilities who’ve come and gone in a flash all through the annals of the Loneliest Sport.
