Jose Benavidez Sr. Names Artur Beterbiev as the Man to Beat at 175
As two-time WBC 168-pound champion David “Red Flag” Benavidez (26-0, 23KOs) continues to seek the big fights, a move up to the light heavyweight division is not out of the question. The unbeaten 25-year old has let the entire division know he wants smoke! However, the callouts have fallen on the deaf ears of undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez, former IBF champion Caleb Plant, WBA Regular champion David Morrell, and WBC 160-pound champion Jermall Charlo, who’ve only engaged verbally with the Phoenix, Arizona native.
David, who’s trained by his father, Jose Benavidez Sr., is right there with his son in trying to materialize a marquee fight. He’s even gone so far as to call Plant, Charlo, and Morrell out of their given names. Still, nothing has worked. So what’s the next best thing? A possible move up in weight.
While the light heavyweight division isn’t as deep as the super middleweight division, it’s still a quality division. The names there include unified champion Artur Beterbiev (18-0, 18KOs) as well as WBA champion Dmitry Bivol (20-0, 11KOs), who’s coming off a major upset win over Alvarez back in May. Gilberto Ramirez and Anthony Yarde are two hard-hitting contenders besides the two champions.
In an exclusive interview with 3Kings Boxing, Jose Benavidez named who he thinks would be the toughest challenge at 175.
“Beterbiev! That motherfucker is a monster,! He looked good in his last fight. Fucking guy is super powerful, he hits very hard, you know. I think he’s the most dangerous fighter right now at 175.”
A Future Super Fight?
A fight between Benavidez and Beterbiev would be extremely explosive. Both guys have thunderous power, come-forward fighting styles, and a will to win no matter what the circumstances. If Red Flag can’t get the fights he’s seeking at 168, then maybe a move up to a bigger weight class is the move to make.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
