Boxing commentator Jim Lampley believes David Benavidez could one day move up to heavyweight and become a world champion. Lampley says he spoke to Benavidez, who told him that he weighed 235 lbs at 12 and took the weight off to become an athlete.
Fans strongly believe that Benavidez is a classic weight bully, so maybe he should move up to heavyweight, where he belongs.
With the power and the speed that Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) has shown at 168, Lampley feels that it’s just a matter of him putting the weight on to get to heavyweight.
It’s believed that Benavidez rehydrates into the low 190s for his fights at 168. So, it would be a matter of him putting on 35 lbs or so for Benavidez to compete at heavyweight to become a global superstar, and Lampley feels he can do it.
Benavidez is only 27 now, so he has time to move up to heavyweight as long as he doesn’t stay at super middleweight for too much longer.
A Mexican-American Heavyweight Icon
“David Benavidez was a heavyweight when he was 12 years old, and then he went through a process of losing 85 lbs to build himself up to be a competitive athlete,” said Jim Lambley to Fight Hub TV.
“Somewhere out there on the horizon is the possibility of David Benavidez becoming a heavyweight. He told me, ‘I had that weight at one point in my life. Now, it’s a process of putting it back on in the right way.”
David might have to overcome resistance from his dad, Jose Benavidez Sr., who could hold him back from moving up. When he was asked about letting Benavidez fight Artur Beterbiev at 175, he seemed afraid to allow him to take that fight.
If Jose Sr. hesitates to let his son fight the top guy at 175, he’s not open to him moving to cruiserweight and then heavyweight. He’s not even eager to let Benavidez fight David Morrell Jr. at 168, which makes it clear that he’s holding him back.
“A 235-lb Benavidez, if he could retain his level of punching power to the competition that he has right now, could easily become the first meaningful Mexican American contender,” said Lampley.
“The first Mexican American heavyweight contender, the global heavyweight champion in waiting will be the biggest economic entity in the sport at that moment, and one of the biggest economic entities in the arc of competitive sports.”
It’s not going to be possible for Benavidez to become a heavyweight champion unless he moves up in weight soon. If he waits until he’s in his 30s before moving up, it’ll be too late.
Also, Benavidez will miss out on the big-money fights against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua by waiting years before moving up. Those guys will be retired, and their replacements will be less popular fighters.
Benavidez’s Ambition
“You don’t think David Benavidez doesn’t want that? Do you think David Benavidez doesn’t go to bed dreaming, ‘You know what? I could become the heavyweight champion.’ I bet you a dime to a dollar he does,” said Lampley.
Benavidez never said anything in any interviews about wanting to move up to heavyweight. The only thing he talks about is wanting to fight Canelo Alvarez, and never shuts up about that.
“If that’s the ambition and the arc, there’s time, and there’s a pathway out there. It could be fascinating to watch just as a possibility,” said Lampley.
