Tony Bellew has assessed whether David Benavidez has the power and relentlessness to beat, or even knock out, any of the world’s leading heavyweights.
The Mexican-American made his cruiserweight debut in May, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez with a vicious sixth-round finish for the WBO and WBA titles.
In doing so, he became a three-division world champion and proved that, even at 200lbs, he possesses the speed and power to ruthlessly dispatch a top-level operator.
Talk has therefore progressed beyond the confines of a cruiserweight title reign, with Benavidez having promised an eventual appearance in the land of the giants.
Already, the 29-year-old has mentioned Oleksandr Usyk as a potential opponent while, according to his father, Jose Benavidez Sr, a clash with Andy Ruiz Jr could also be explored down the line.
Either way, ‘The Mexican Monster’ would join an exclusive group, including Roy Jones Jr and James Toney, of super-middleweight champions that moved up to heavyweight.
And according to Bellew, who campaigned at 175lbs before joining the big boys, Benavidez could cause many heavyweights problems with his work rate alone.
He may not have the power or strength to stop them, but Bellew has told Fight Your Corner that Benavidez could certainly find success across the 12-round distance.
“I don’t think David’s ever going to stop any of the heavyweights, but he’s going to outwork an awful lot of them.”
As for his immediate future, Benavidez is expected to enter a unification match with WBC champion Michal Cieslak in December, before targeting a Jai Opetaia fight for Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2027.
