JOSE Benavidez Sr, the father of newly-crowned WBC world light-heavyweight titlist David Benavidez, has welcomed potential matchups against Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde.
Benavidez, 30-0 (24 KOs), was elevated from interim to full WBC champion after 175lb king Dmitry Bivol vacated his strap to pursue a trilogy showdown with Artur Beterbiev.
But still, while ‘The Monster Bandera Roja’ has been denied a shot at Bivol, he nonetheless looks set to defend his green and gold belt against a worthy challenger.
Having amassed notable victories over the likes of Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade at super-middleweight, the 28-year-old has since made his mark on the division above after outpointing Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.
Smith, 31-2 (22 KOs), meanwhile, emerged as an appealing dance partner for Benavidez following his mightily impressive unanimous decision victory over Joshua Buatsi in February.
The 34-year-old had, like Benavidez, reached world honours down at 168lbs, but a devastating seventh-round stoppage defeat to Beterbiev last year ultimately kept him from becoming a two-division champion.
As for Yarde, 26-3 (24 KOs), a trilogy with Lyndon Arthur on April 26 is all that stands in his way, with the 33-year-old looking to return to the world level scene sooner rather than later.
But while the two Brits have established themselves as formidable contenders at 175lbs, Benavidez could equally make the jump up to cruiserweight in the not too distant future.
The two-weight champion’s dad has revealed that a clash with unified titlist Gilberto Ramirez is firmly on the table while, at the same time, a defence of Benavidez’s WBC title appears the more likely option at this stage.
“We were trying to fight ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez,” Benavidez Sr told Fight Hub TV. “They wanted the fight, we wanted the fight, so that was an easy fight to make.
“[But] now, I think we’ve got to defend [the WBC belt] at least once or twice. We’re thinking Anthony Yarde [or] Callum Smith [as potential opponents].”
