Jose Benavidez Sr. has shouted from the mountaintops that no one, absolutely no one, will defeat his son, David Benavidez. Thus far, Benavidez Sr.’s bravado has been proven true as the current WBC interim super middleweight title holder has sliced through his competition.
Most recently, despite making it look relatively easy in the ring, the 26-year-old knockout artist was given a firm test. On March 25th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Caleb Plant bemused Benavidez with a bevy of angles and tricks during their 168-pound clash. But while the former IBF crown holder had the edge early on, a second-half rally pushed Benavidez over the winning finish line.
Outside of his ambitions to face Canelo Alvarez, Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) has flirted with the idea of moving up in weight. Amongst a long list of options he would have at his disposal, a showdown against current unified light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, would be an interesting one. Although Benavidez Sr. acknowledges that the Russian star is one of the deadliest punchers around, he points to the driver’s license of the unified champion and circles his date of birth.
“He’s a f—— animal,” said Benavidez Sr. to BoxingScene.com. “But you gotta understand, he’s almost 40 years old bro.”
While he isn’t getting any younger, at the age of 38, Beterbiev (19-0, 19 KOs) hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. The exact same confidence shared by team Benavidez was also shared by Anthony Yarde. With the hulking Brit firmly believing that he has what it takes to usurp Beterbiev, the two clashed in the center of the ring on January 28th, earlier this year.
Though he enjoyed moments of success, Yarde’s normally granite chin eventually cracked under pressure, resulting in an eighth-round stoppage defeat. Benavidez Sr., of course, reveres Beterbiev’s punching power and the subtle boxing tricks he has up his sleeves.
Nevertheless, with his son possessing a ubiquitous offensive attack, Benavidez Sr. is more than willing to throw him into the line of fire.
“He’s a very dangerous fighter but David is ready to take this challenge and make history in both weights.”