Following a world title winning campaign at super-middleweight, David Benavidez recently made his official debut at light-heavy.
It makes Benavidez mandatory for title shots with the sanctioning body in both divisions and he is expected to make a decision soon as to how he will move forward. Despite him likely dropping back down to continue to pursue Canelo, his impressive frame for the division has always convinced people that further moves are inevitable.
Cruiserweight would be next on the list, but Benavidez recently revealed on Instagram that he was currently walking around at around 230lbs. Without a cut that puts him comfortably in the heavyweight division, weighing more than recently undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk’s typical fight weight of 223.
Speaking to the media at a recent workout, former unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz Jr said he would like to welcome him to the division further down the line.
“I think David can do anything because he’s big, he’s strong. It was his first time fighting at that weight his last fight but it just takes time. He’s super, super young. If he does go to heavyweight hopefully he gives me the opportunity to fight.”
Ruiz was full of praise for the two-time super-middleweight champion and said he absolutely has the build to move up.
“Yeah he can. Walking around he’s probably like 200 pounds anyway, so pretty sure he feels strong. He’s a really talented kid.”
Benavidez recently requested some more time to make his decision with the WBC as to which division he will focus on now. As for Ruiz, he returns to the ring from a near two-year lay-off to face Jarrell Miller on August 3.
