Lionel Thompson says David Benavidez “isn't the monster at 175” that he was at 168. That's why Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) will be moving back down to 168 after a tough fight against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his 175-pound debut on June 15.
Not elite at this weight
Thompson, a super middleweight contender, feels that Benavidez is “just a decent, good boxer” at 175 pounds but would “get beaten” if he were to face unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez lost steam in the second half of the Gvozdyk fight, but Thompson believes that was because Benavidez was getting hit hard and was forced to fight harder than usual.
“The Mexican Monster” Benavidez wasn't able to tire Gvozdyk out in the first half of the fight like he usually does against smaller opponents at 168 pounds, so he wasn't expected to perform well in the second half after Oleksandr exerted so much pressure on him early on that he was forced to expend a lot of energy.
Benavidez will move back to the 168-pound class, but has stated that he plans to return to the 175-pound class. His Excellency Turki Ararsik wants Benavidez to fight the winner of the undefeated light heavyweight championship bout between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol on October 12th.
The payout that Benavidez would receive for fighting the winner of that bout would be too great to turn down, so he’ll likely return and face his fate.
Artur Beterbiev: A true monster
“He started getting hit back and David wasn't able to finish the fight as strong,” Lionel Thompson told FightHype, speaking about David Benavidez's light heavyweight debut against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
“Someone like Arthur [Beterbiev]Benavidez dominates David every second of every round, dominating his opponent and landing very hard punches. Benavidez has dropped back down to 168 pounds. I think he knows it's not the same.
“Now David realizes, 'I'm not a monster. I'm a monster at lightweight and I can beat little guys, but when it comes to fighting bigger guys, I'm just a good fighter. I'm not a monster.'”
“Arthur is a real monster. So he [Benavidez] “I was like, 'I'm going back to 168. I'm a monster at this weight. All these big guys, guys my size? No, I'm not elite at this weight,'” Thompson said.
If Benavidez faces IBF/WBC/WBO light heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), there's a good chance he'll get beaten up similarly to how Callum Smith was defeated on January 13 of this year.
Beterbiev dominated the former WBA super middleweight champion Smith, using non-stop pressure to knock him down and stop him in round 7. Smith has better punching power than Benavidez, but despite his hard punches, he was unable to contain Beterbiev.
Beterbiev dodged punches and continued to batter the stork-like 6-foot-4 fighter until he was pulled apart by trainer James “Buddy” McGirt in the seventh round.
Benavidez's future
“he [Benavidez] In the second half, he will be stronger against smaller opponents, but now his opponent is [Gvozdyk] “He's got the ability to fight back, he can take hits and fight back,” Thompson said. “He's declining. At light heavyweight, he's just a good boxer.”
Benavidez struggled to beat Caleb Plant, defending his title against Plant last year by unanimous decision after a hard-fought 12 rounds.
Benavidez will move down to 168 pounds after making weight at 175, but he may not perform as well as he did before because it's not easy for a fighter like him to return to a lower weight class after making weight.
“If he really wants to impress me he’ll fight Arthur, yeah,” Thompson said when asked if Benavidez could beat Canelo Alvarez. “David took a hard punch from the big guy. [Gvozdyk]I don't think David is that strong.
Benavidez will not fight Beterbiev if Arthur loses against Bivol on October 12th. If that happens, he will be cleared and face Bivol, which will be a similarly tough fight, but in a different way. Bivol's punching and boxing combination skills will be a challenge for Benavidez.
“That man [Gvozdyk] “Canelo has a big punch. Adonis Stevenson was put on life support. I don't think Canelo can keep David in check. I think he's too small for David,” Thompson said.
