Not often would questions of age be requested of a 27-year-old fighter seemingly in his prime. Nevertheless, in Boxing, age is a way more sophisticated components than merely the quantity by itself. Elements comparable to mileage, physiology, psychological fortitude, aggressive spirit, career-span, ego, defensive expertise, coaching habits, way of life, and even funds can play a significant 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 quick beginner 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 massive, 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, typically shedding dozens of kilos within the ultimate weeks of camp. A restricted degree of competitors thought-about, David has nonetheless displayed a warrior’s spirit contained in the ring.
The Weighting Recreation
Sadly, Benavidez has a number of unfavourable 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 subject. 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 At 16 years outdated, not even absolutely developed, he was combating as an expert Cruiserweight (200).
David has been in a position to flip this unfavourable into a brief constructive to date through the use of excessive coaching and food plan measures to squeeze all the way in which 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 technique of gaining a bonus carries an enormous deficit on the again finish. This isn’t solely one of the crucial career-shortening methods utilized by predatory fighters in current occasions, however additionally it is essentially the most harmful to each combatants within the ring.
For casual-level followers who don’t perceive Boxing and consider this as a chess transfer inside the guidelines of the game, there’s a failure to appreciate that that is nothing in need of an exploitation of a rule put into place to forestall the probability of ring tragedies. Weigh-ins have been as soon as held on the day of the combat, which prevents fighters who battle to make weight from rehydrating correctly earlier than receiving blows to the pinnacle 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 rationale that almost all Boxing tragedies happen outdoors of the Heavyweight division, the place there isn’t a must dehydrate one’s self to satisfy a contracted weight restrict.
To subvert this doubtlessly deadly hazard, Weigh-ins have been moved to the day earlier than, typically even two days earlier than, in an effort to defend not solely the combatants however the sport itself, which has lengthy suffered scrutiny for its barbarism and tragic historical past. David isn’t the primary, though undoubtedly 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 take a look at once-beaten Devin Haney, essentially the most excessive safety-measure-exploiter in fashionable Boxing, to see how shortly your profession might be utterly derailed as soon as your physique has had an excessive amount of of this predatory follow and you might be compelled to face an opponent of near-equal measurement.
The Canelo ScenarioÂ
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 ploy been that one can hardly ever 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 appreciate that David Benavidez has already had three alternatives to face Canelo Alvarez, having blown all three of them both foolishly or, as most imagine, 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 amassing 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 12 months 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 dimensions of Benavidez. Nevertheless, along 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 compelled 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 subsequent 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 troublesome to take Benavidez severely 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 an expert and questionable valor. Nevertheless, in early 2024, the WBC publicly introduced that they’d be implementing 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 provide, and as soon as once more, the combat was on. Nevertheless, earlier than detailed negotiations may start, David shockingly introduced that he could be leaving the 168-pound division and difficult Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC Mild Heavyweight (175) interim reproduction 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 nearly day by day till critical 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 complete profession on being the ultimate problem of Canelo’s Corridor of Fame profession, which may solely imply certainly one of two issues. David both by no means really meant to face Canelo and simply wished to journey the coattails of the universally acknowledged Face of Boxing, or he’s merely not in a position to 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 target is shedding weight fairly than gaining power, method, and ability.
The Final Stand
Benavidez is now set to face David Morrell, a giant, younger, sturdy, and proficient but inexperienced 11-fight prospect at Mild Heavyweight (175). Morrell is thought for amassing third-place replicas of belts held by the Undisputed Champions of the Tremendous Middleweight (168) and Mild Heavyweight (175) divisions.
Benavidez, not a giant puncher at Tremendous Middleweight (168), carries below-average power and energy at Mild Heavyweight (175). In reality, one may 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 completely crushed of their first encounter, with one decide scoring the combat for Gavril by a dominating 116-111 rating and given an enormous reward by technically retaining his unbeaten file. To his credit score, David righted this improper 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 regarded smooth, 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 lifeless ends in nearly each path. 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 Mild Heavyweight (175).
Ought to he achieve success in opposition to Morrell, which is way from a assure, Undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev would doubtless break down and get rid of 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 powerful, 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 prime 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 Mild Heavyweight Champion of the World.
It’s not a really doubtless state of affairs contemplating the anomaly of all of those eventualities and their respective outcomes, however it’s clearly the trail David is banking on in his try at amassing replicas of Beterbiev’s belts and the accompanying obligatory challenger positions whereas on the similar time declining a number of affords to truly face Artur Beterbiev within the ring.
Some other state of affairs than this may completely lead to David Benavidez’s first loss occurring in 2025, accompanied by the inevitable downward spiral that historical past has confirmed to comply with 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.
