Legendary Commentator Compares David Benavidez’s Power to Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis; Makes a Case for Him Moving Up in Weight

Published 04/09/2024, 1:02 PM EDT

By picking Jaime Mungia over David Benavidez as his opponent, did Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez pick an easier challenge? In an analytical response to this burning question, Jim Lampley, a veteran sportscaster and longtime boxing announcer for HBO, noted why Benavidez’s power would be too much for a much smaller Canelo to take.

The boxing world has been rallying for a clash between Canelo and Benavidez for a while now. The latter too has called on the boxing great on multiple occasions. However, when the opportunity presented itself, Canelo moved on to fight Munguia. If one were to go by what Lampley had to say about Benavidez’s prowess, it would solidify the assumption that Canelo is, in fact, dodging the Mexican-American fighter. In such a case, what should Benavidez do?

Will David Benavidez be the next big heavyweight contender?

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Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Lampley underscored the power of the ‘Mexican Monster’ who in his 28-undefeated career has given losses to the likes of Caleb Plant, Demetrius Andrade, and David Lemieux. He elucidated why the Munguia fight is not as challenging to Canelo as a clash against Benavidez.

He explained, “Most people who follow boxing don’t really think Canelo is risking anything against Jaime Munguia, because they don’t believe Munguia is skilled enough to… get that done. They do believe Benavidez is skilled enough to fight him. Benavidez would go into the ring and remind him that his chin doesn’t matter cause he has epic power.”

By citing Benavidez’s last fight against Demetrius, he placed him in the category of the greats. “I walked out of the arena that night thinking where have I seen that kind of power that David Benavidez just showed me? Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson. Those are the kind of fighters that demonstrated that kind of power,” he noted.

It is interesting that the critic places Benavidez in comparison with Lewis and Tyson, the two heavyweights whose hard-hitting punches are still touted as one of the best. While the super middleweight division today is as competitive as it could get, he envisions Benavidez to eventually become a great heavyweight contender. He said, “I think that there’s a strong chance that David Benavidez will eventually in his career be fighting as a heavyweight. He will become the first serious and great heavyweight championship contender among Mexican-Americans.”

Benavidez is a knockout machine with 24 of his 28 wins coming by way of KOs. Is this the reason why Canelo Alvarez is not giving David Benavidez a shot at his title?

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Is Canelo Alvarez fearing a loss?

Touted as one of the best today, Canelo cannot afford a loss. If he does incur a third loss on his record, at this stage of his career, his legacy would be tainted. Perhaps that is why he remains hesitant about facing David Benavidez.

Explaining why Canelo could be afraid of him, the 27-year-old fighter told The Fresh and Fit Podcast, “With Canelo, it’s that bulls**t, ‘Oh, he needs to be respectful’. I won’t bow my knee to anybody because I’ve earned my shot. This fight isn’t happening because he wants $150million. That’s telling me he’s scared. I don’t think that Canelo fight is going to happen, so I’ve gotta move on. These guys at 175 pounds are some killers. Now my mind is one hundred percent focused on them.”

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Do you think Canelo should fight Benavidez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Watch: Training Footage Shows David Benavidez Sparring Ahead of Light Heavyweight Clash

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Written by:

Mohammed Shafiulla is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master’s degree in Journalism from a reputed institute, Shafi has cemented his position as one of the astute observers of boxing at ES. One of the early supporters of Naoya Inoue, Shafi has covered his transition from a Japanese boxer with a niche fan following to a power-punching global boxing star.

Edited by:

Gokul Pillai

Legendary Commentator Compares David Benavidez’s Power to Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis; Makes a Case for Him Moving Up in Weight

Will David Benavidez be the next big heavyweight contender?

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Is Canelo Alvarez fearing a loss?