David Benavidez has been invited to defend his WBC world title against a fighter who may eclipse his ferocious finishes.
The 28-year-old successfully retained his light-heavyweight strap against Anthony Yarde last month, stopping the plucky Brit with a fierce onslaught in the seventh round.
This was Benavidez’s first world title defence at 175lbs, which he made several months after being elevated from ‘interim’ to ‘full’ WBC champion.
Prior to Dmitry Bivol vacating his green and gold belt, Benavidez, a former super-middleweight world champion, had amassed impressive points victories over David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
It was the American’s dominant performance against Yarde, however, that reminded fans not only of his blistering hand speed and tremendous gas tank, but also his potent repertoire of attacks.
Since then, Benavidez has flirted with the idea of moving up to cruiserweight, targeting a potential clash with unified world champion Gilberto Ramirez in May.
If he is to remain at light-heavyweight, though, then former undisputed king Artur Beterbiev would only be too eager for a shot at reclaiming his old title.
After stopping every one of his previous 20 opponents, the prolific knockout artist claimed his undisputed crown with a points victory over Bivol last year.
It was then in February of this year that Beterbiev lost their rematch via the same margin on the judges’ scorecards, with both combatants having remained out of the ring since their second encounter.
Speaking in a media huddle last week, Beterbiev, 40, insisted that, while chasing a trilogy showdown with Bivol, who still holds three of the four major titles, he is also keen to explore a potential tussle against Benavidez.
“I watched some highlights. [Benavidez] did a good job [against Yarde]. Of course I want to fight with Benavidez. It’s very important for me to win my titles back.”
