Three retired world champions believe that David Benavidez should resist the temptation to move up to cruiserweight.
Benavidez is scheduled to fight David Morrell at light heavyweight at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on February 1, but according to his father, Jose Benavidez Snr, Benavidez could then pursue a fight with the WBA cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez.
His move to light heavyweight followed his growing frustration at his inability to secure a fight with the then-undisputed super-middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. That Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, the world’s leading light heavyweights, are on course to fight for a second time in 2025 could contribute to Benavidez moving up in weight again.
When they remained active fighters Paulie Malignaggi, Timothy Bradley and Chris Algieri also each moved up in weight, after having won their first titles. In retirement they are among the world’s most respected authorities on their sport, and for all of their admiration for the 27-year-old Benavidez’s abilities, they have cautioned him against “risking” another move up in weight.
Benavidez is a natural super middleweight, and according to all three pundits, at a time when the cruiserweight division is so competitive, he could not only struggle to compete there, but undermine a potential future at 168 or 175lbs.
“Benavidez is a very big super middleweight,” Malignaggi told BoxingScene’s Top Stories. “The move up to light heavyweight was sort of expected, especially as he couldn’t get a title shot, so it felt like a natural formation and a natural move. But he is a big guy, and being that big, you can possibly even see him thinking about the cruiserweight division.
“But here’s why I don’t like this discussion right now. You’ve got David Morrell in front of you, and that’s not a guaranteed win. Morrell is a very good opponent; very good fighter. Maybe this comment is made on answering a question that had him looking ahead.
“Benavidez fits that mould where he’s big enough to glide into the cruiserweight division and possibly steal something. But then you realise cruiserweight’s actually good right now, so it’s not just a freebie weight class.
“Right now you have a weight class that’s very, very difficult; you’ve got ‘Zurdo’; you’ve got [Jai] Opetaia; even somebody like [Chris] Billam-Smith is no gimme, when you get up there. Unless Benavidez is walking right into a title fight, I think he would be moving to cruiserweight and possibly even risking getting defeated by some of these big cruiserweights that can fight.
“Benavidez is always gonna be exciting. I don’t think anybody goes in with Benavidez and blows him out of the water. But at the same time, it starts to get really, really risky.”
“David Benavidez is willing to step up, even to cruiserweight, to show his greatness,” said Bradley. “I appreciate and respect what Benavidez Snr is saying. This ain’t David talking. David’s focused on what he’s got in front of him; this is dad just talking. ‘If we have to, we willing to do that.’
“[But] I didn’t like the way David looked at 175lbs. He wasn’t as fluid as he was at 168lbs, and his punching power is somewhat depleted at 175lbs. He looked flabby. Now, imagine him at cruiserweight – my god. We’re talking about a mini Tyson Fury, for sure. But I respect where his mind is at – he’s willing to challenge the best out there. That man got heart, and he also got skills.”
Algieri, similarly, cited the example of the great Roy Jones Jnr’s struggles at light heavyweight after his move to heavyweight, which precipitated his dramatic and dangerous decline from his status as the world’s finest fighter.
“You gotta put on lean tissue,” said Algieri, incidentally also a certified nutritionist who wrote the cooking book The Fighter’s Kitchen. “Getting rid of lean tissue is not easy, once you’ve packed on that muscle. Roy Jones Jnr at heavyweight, when he fought John Ruiz – good god. The amount of muscle that he put on his body – he created a suit of armour. He tried to peel that off in that very first Antonio Tarver fight, and he just was not the same guy. He was never the same again after that.
“David Benavidez, if he goes to cruiserweight, I don’t see him going back down to 175 anymore. David’s a big guy. He’s tall; he gets heavy between fights. I can actually see him fighting at cruiserweight, but once he makes that jump to cruiser, I don’t see him going back down to 175. That’s 25lbs. This is not a five-pound weight jump. If he’s to make that jump, I don’t see him going back down to 175 – definitely not 168lbs. There’s a lot of work for him to do at 175.”
“I understand the frustration,” continued Malignaggi. “You can’t get title fights at 168 when you’ve been the mandatory. At 175 Beterbiev and Bivol might end up having a rematch – maybe even a possible trilogy – so you end up on the outside looking in there, too. I get it – it’s not fair. I understand where he’s coming from. But I say now the time is just to think of David Morrell. David Morrell is no gimme.”
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