Middleweight contender Shane Mosley Jr. believes David Benavidez's youthful advantage will give him the upper hand over Canelo Alvarez if the two fight this year.
The 27-year-old Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is seven years younger than Canelo Alvarez, 34, and has not fought as hard as he has against the likes of Gennadiy Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Jaime Munguia, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Dmitry Bivol and Sergey Kovalev.
Benaviez's career is relatively poor, and it's one of the reasons why he's so heavily criticized. He took the easy way to the top with someone known to his name, Caleb Plant, and Canelo had already knocked him out.
Considering how big Benavidez is, you can't call him a true super middleweight because he's moving up in weight from light heavyweight to compete with smaller fighters at 168.
Benavidez: A Modern Day Young Chavez?
You could argue that Benavidez is a heavyweight, and has been throughout his career. He's doing what Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. did early in his career, moving up in weight to compete at 154 and 160 and winning fights against notable opponents.
Benavidez is this era's version of Chavez Jr. in the way he struggles to take advantage of lesser opposition in a weight class he shouldn't be fighting due to his large, bulky frame. What Benavidez did is the same thing as Chavez Jr.
Young fans who have not been following this game for years do not know the success of Chavez Jr. at that time. They only know him for what he became later in his career after he was no longer able to compete at 154 and 160.
He was a very different fighter early on when he enjoyed a huge size advantage over his junior middleweight and middleweight opponents. He was doing what Benavidez is doing now, fighting well below his weight class.
Chavez Jr.'s Early Success
Chavez Jr. enjoyed great success by dropping down in weight to compete in those weight classes, defeating many top fighters, and capturing the middleweight world title in 2011. However, when he could no longer make weight at 160, his career quickly declined.
During Chavez Jr's prime from 2008 to 2014, he beat these great fighters:
– Andy Lee
– Brian Vera
– Sebastian Zbik
– Marco Antonio Rubio
– John Duddy
– Peter Manfredo Jr
I believe that the same thing will happen with David Benavidez if he is forced to fight at 175 for good. We've already gotten a glimpse of the challenges Benavidez will face in his light heavyweight debut against 37-year-old Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
Benavidez had major problems defeating Gvozdyk, and the fight was much closer than the three one-sided judges' scores. The fight showed that Benavidez is another Chavez Jr., and his career will sink if he can't make it to 168.
“I saved him years ago, and he's been a superstar ever since,” Shane Mosley Jr. said. talking to Pro Boxing fans, talking about Canelo Alvarez. “He has done everything. He has been a legend and probably one of the greatest careers in boxing.
“He fought with everyone. You've done everything you need to do. He doesn't really need to fight a guy like David Benavidez. David Benavidez needs to fight him. But it is clear that as long as he is in the game, everyone will point to that name and show him that fight because they want to see the best fight.”
Canelo is not a light heavyweight, and that's the problem he might have with Benavidez because this guy is not 168.
If there was a 10-lb rehydration clause, I don't think he would have made the second weight. Benavidez may have been drinking water to make 168, but he may not have been able to keep rehydrating into the 180s or 190s. Canelo shouldn't be expected to fight someone that big in a super middleweight match. No one should.
“I think it's a great fight. I would love to see it happen. “I don't think it should happen, but I'd like to see it happen,” Mosley Jr. said. “I think David Benavidez is probably too young, the way I think he's going to have a chance,” Mosley Jr. said. about his belief that Benavidez will be too young for Canelo.
If Canelo had fought at light heavyweight and rehydrated in the 190s, a fight with Benavidez wouldn't have been a problem, but that's not the case here. Benavidez should fight in his natural weight class at 175 and focus on facing killers like Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol instead of competing at 168.
“You have a new body. Both are explosive. Both throw a good combination. “They're both veterans, but because of the youth, I think Benavidez is probably too young and too young for him,” Shane Jr. said.
Benavidez is still young at 168, but he's an average fighter at 175, and I think it's going to be a problem for him if he can't make weight at 168 anymore. I think Benavidez will stay at 168 as long as possible because he knows. it is the only way if he is forced to fight at 175.
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