Shawn Porter predicts David Benavidez vs prime Andre Ward: “He’s different”

Oscar Pick

Shawn Porter predicts David Benavidez vs prime Andre Ward: “He’s different”
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Shawn Porter believes the psychological strength of Andre Ward would play a significant factor in his fantasy showdown with David Benavidez.

The Hall of Famer retired with a 32-0 (16 KOs) record in 2017, having become a world champion at 175lbs after cementing himself as an all-time super-middleweight great.

His last two outings came against Sergey Kovalev who, at the time, was considered one of the sport’s most destructive punchers, ending seven of his previous nine world title fights inside the distance.

Their first encounter in 2016, however, ended in controversial fashion, with Ward claiming a unanimous decision that many felt should have swung in favour of his opponent.

This then meditated an immediate rematch for the IBF, WBO and WBA world titles, which Ward defended with a far more emphatic eighth-round finish.

The American’s performances against Kovalev therefore makes it difficult to back against him in a hypothetical encounter with Benavidez, who defended his WBC world title with a seventh-round stoppage victory over Anthony Yarde last November.

This followed his only other two light-heavyweight outings, which resulted in points victories over David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk, with the 29-year-old now gearing up to face unified world cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez on May 2.

Speaking on his podcast, former world champion Porter suggested that his fellow Hall of Famer would ultimately have the mental edge over Benavidez in a fantasy matchup.

“[Ward’s] mind’s just different. You’re getting a Floyd Mayweather at 175lbs. What I mean by that is you’re getting a mind that is concrete to any adversity; a mind that is able to just simply move with the water, make the adjustments – see them when they come – and execute.

“It might be the only one that can beat a Benavidez … I don’t see anyone with that kind of mind now.”

While Benavidez is no slouch when it comes to doggedness and ring IQ, it could be said that Ward is in a class of his own with regards to those two facets.

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