David Benavidez is already a fan-favourite due to his fighting style, but to become the ‘face of boxing’, Benavidez has named the three fighters which he believes he must overcome back-to-back.
‘The Mexican Monster’ is a two-division world champion, having become the youngest super-middleweight world champion in boxing history (20) when he trumped Ronald Gavril in 2017 and then being upgraded to WBC light-heavyweight champion last year.
Now, after just three outings in the light-heavyweight division, Benavidez moves up once again as he challenges Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez for the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight world titles on Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Speaking to The Danza Project, Benavidez revealed plans to return to 175lbs after his showdown with Ramirez, and then next face Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in back-to-back-to-back blockbuster bouts to assert himself as the ‘face of boxing’.
“I’m going to fight Zurdo Ramirez, then I’m going to make that fight with [Dmitry] Bivol, after that we are fighting [Artur] Beterbiev.
“Those are the three big fights. I’m not going to shy away from no fight. I could go fight Zurdo Ramirez and then go fight another person, then fight Bivol, then fight this person and that person, then Beterbiev, but I just want to go straight into them.
“I feel like I am in the prime of my career, I have a lot of confidence right now. I’m 29 years old, I feel like I have the world in my hands, so I am going to take these challenges.
“Right now, I feel like I am on the cusp of being the face of boxing. The only way that I am going to make that happen is with these big fights, that is why I am trying to get myself the biggest fights possible.
“I don’t want there to be any doubt that I am the face of boxing when that time comes.”
One key absentee from Benavidez’s hitlist is IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia, who continues to demand unification contests in the 200lb division and had hoped Benavidez would provide him with such an opportunity, if he manages to dethrone Ramirez.