David Benavidez has, in his own words, ‘sparred with everybody’. In fact, the only notable exception is the man he wants to fight more than any other – Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez.
Benavidez has worked his way back to the top table in the super-middleweight division and is relentlessly chasing down the bout with undisputed champion Alvarez. He’s a fighter completely focused on getting better and challenging himself both in the gym and in the ring, and it shows with each performance.
Having trained with notable names like undefeated light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, the 27-year-old has plenty of stories from the gym.
In a recent interview with Cigar Talk, he recalled his first time sparring three-time Canelo opponent Gennady Golovkin.
“I got a good story about Triple G. When I first sparred him, this is before he made his US debut, I literally turned 15 like two weeks before. I go in there, we’re out in Big Bear, and my dad asks Abel Sanchez do you got any sparring? He said yeah he’s got this guy, Gennady Golovkin. I didn’t know who the f**k he was. Nobody knew anything about him. I’m like let’s spar. I remember I’m putting my gloves on and look over at him, bro he gives me the coldest stare ever. I’m already all the way in, I can’t back out.
We’re in there and I know I’m surprising him cause I’m hitting him with some good s**t. There was this moment, we both threw a left hook to the body, we catch each other… He hurt me but I know I hurt him too. We both go hmm and we kinda stepped back.”
The session prompted Golovkin – a two-time unified middleweight champion and likely future Hall of Famer – to make him his main sparring partner going forward. Asked if it’s the hardest work he’s had in the gym, Benavidez had no doubt.
“Yeah. Even to this day it’s still my hardest sparring.”
