They call him “The Mexican Monster,” and unbeaten light heavyweight warrior David Benavidez, arguably the most avoided fighter out there right now, has been referred to by Max Kellerman as “the closest thing I have ever seen to a big Julio Cesar Chavez.” Now, Chavez, as we know, is THE king of Mexican boxing; that’s just a fact, the way it is. Nobody argues.
Today, Benavidez — who wants all the smoke, be it fights with Canelo, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, Zurdo Ramirez, and Jai Opetaia — is not only an absolute terror in the ring, but he is also consistently exciting to watch. A guest on Inside The Ring, Benavidez, who will face Britain’s Anthony Yarde next, this in November on a Riyadh card, said he is tired of fighters “taking the easiest fights.” Benavidez wants to give the fans the massive fights they want.
Max Kellerman Says Benavidez Is Closest Thing To A Big Julio Cesar Chavez
Kellerman paid Benavidez quite the compliment in comparing him to the one and only “J.C Superstar.”
“Ever see Julio Cesar Chavez in his prime? I’m talking about ‘the daddy,’ I’m talking about one of the greatest fighters ever,” Kellerman said. “This guy [Benavidez] is the closest thing I have seen to a big Julio Cesar Chavez!”
Benavidez, 30-0(24) and the reigning WBC champ at 175 pounds, was, of course, pleased with the comparison.
“Thank you so much for the compliment,” Benavidez said. “Julio Cesar Chavez is somebody we look up to a lot. He was a great fighter. He’s one of the greatest Mexican fighters of all-time, and I’m honored to be even put in the same category.”
Benavidez Targets Beterbiev, Bivol, And Even Heavyweight
Benavidez is a superb fighting machine, even if you may feel that he has some ways to go still before he can be compared to Chavez. But Benavidez made it clear when speaking on The Ring podcast that he wants the big fights, the career-defining fights.
“I’m chasing Beterbiev, I’m chasing Bivol, you know, I’m chasing Zurdo Ramirez at cruiserweight,” Benavidez said. “You’re looking at the one who’s gonna chase all of them. Those guys are monsters, but this is a monster’s world. I’m not gonna run from anything. I’m sick of seeing fighters get the easiest fights just because they’re getting the biggest paychecks. At the end of the day, it ain’t even about money – it’s about giving the fans the great fights that they deserve. They’re paying the money, so let’s go to war.”
How can we not love Benavidez’s attitude? The fight with Yarde, 27-3(24) promises to be fun, while it lasts, but next year, will Benavidez get those massive fights with Bivol, Beterbiev, Zurdo, maybe even Opetaia? We sure hope so.
Also, Mike Coppinger, who was a member of the panel that spoke with Benavidez, stated that Benavidez might one day go up to heavyweight! Now, that would be something to see.