Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather offers advice to super middleweight David Benavidez, letting him know he needs to stay patient, keep winning, and eventually “be the man.”
Benavidez has been chasing Canelo Alvarez for a mega-fight and is coming up empty. Mayweather feels that Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) must focus on his career path to superstardom.
The problem that the 27-year-old Benavidez has is he’s too one-dimensional, relying on his massive size to win his fights at 168, and is seen as a fighter that should be at 175 or 200.
The Mayweather Blueprint
“If David Benavidez keeps beating fighter after fighter, and champion after champion, eventually he’ll be the man,” Mayweather to Fighthype.
Mayweather fought in an era where there was less avoidance between fighters. He was seen as the creator of avoidance, a marinating pattern used today by fighters, which some fans believe has led to boxing losing its popularity and the downfall of PBC. Floyd created the ugly alien pattern of nothingness that we see today, driving the sport to the bottom. It’s like boxing has caught a virus and needs a cure.
Benavidez has a weak resume, filled with many old guys like Demetrius Andrade, and he’s not taken the risky fights that would turn him into a star.
By now, He should have fought David Morrell, Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, and Jai Opetaia, but he hasn’t. He’s just been hanging around at 168, like a bat, hoping Canelo would eventually fight him.
Patience as a Strategy
Benavidez doesn’t have to stay patient if he were to take the available fights. Still, he’s too needy, wanting the Canelo payday instead of taking the matches that he should be against Morrell, Beterbiev, Opetaia, and Bivol. Why won’t Benavidez fight them? It could be because he wouldn’t have a huge size advantage and would be facing real talent.
“Just like me, you have to wait your turn,” said Mayweather. Floyd didn’t have to wait for big fights during his career, as it was a different era. Again, Floyd slowed the process down, not taking fights against Manny Pacquiao until after he’d been beaten twice and not facing guys like Kostya Tszyu, Keith Thurman, Errol Spence, and Paul Williams.
There wouldn’t be a problem if Benavidez fought the talented guys his own size, but he won’t do it. He just wants the Canelo fight, so he’s suffering for it.
