Fought Oleksandr Gvozdyk Despite Suffering Injuries, David Benavidez Makes No Excuses for Going Distance as He Eyes Canelo Next

After twelve rounds of battle where David Benavidez out-landed Oleksandr Gvozdyk, all three judges scored the contest in Benavidez’s favor making him the new WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight title in his debut at 175 lbs. However, many felt Benavidez was unable to perform at the pace he usually does in the ring. So, what held ‘Red Flag’ up from finishing the fight early?

Although Benavidez gave himself a score of “7/10,” the 27-year-old, ‘Red Flag’ greatly praised Gvozdyk too. In his opinion, he “had a great fight [against a] tough fighter” in Gvozdyk, a former champion and Olympic medalist. Added to this, ‘Red Flag’ fought despite two injuries he had suffered during the preparation for his Light-Heavyweight debut.

“I was trying to get a feel for the Light-Heavyweight division. They hit a little harder up there. So, I had to get a feel for it. But also, I’m just happy, I was able to make it tonight,” began David Benavidez. “Because two weeks ago, I suffered a cut in my eye, the one that I have right here, I had a torn tendon on my right hand. And I didn’t think I was going to make it tonight,” he added. Despite being bruised, ‘The Mexican Monster’ employed his mental tenacity to push through and emerge victorious.

“I’m just happy for this victory, I’m happy to be here to perform for all you people,” Benavidez stated as the WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight title glowed around his waist. By the by, the 27-year-old expressed his desire to face Canelo Alvarez and Dmitry Bivol.

David Benavidez proposes two possible names

So, when the Phoenix native announced he was moving up to face the Light-Heavyweights, fans thought he had given up on his dream to fight Canelo Alvarez, the undisputed Super-Middleweight champion. After all, ‘Cinnamon’ had demanded a figure as unthinkable as $150 Million – $200 Million. Not just team Benavidez, the entire boxing world was completely discouraged. And now that he defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk, we all thought he had moved on. When you desire something fervently, the entire universe conspires for it to come to fruition and ‘Red Flag’ still wants a piece of Canelo Alvarez in the sport.

“We’re still looking to go down to 168 [to] fight for the title. If we’re going to get Canelo or if they’re going to vacate it, I would like to win it one more time. We’re still going to see,” said Benavidez, giving fans hope. Meanwhile, Dmitry Bivol lately beat Malik Zinad to retain his unified Light-Heavyweight status. On being asked if he would like to fight Bivol too, Benavidez answered in the affirmative. “Yeah, I would like to fight him, both these weight classes,” he concluded. After all, Mike Tyson has given Benavidez the nickname ‘Mexican Monster’ for a reason.

With that said, do you think David Benavidez vs. Canelo Alvarez would ultimately take place? Do you also feel Benavidez underperformed today? Let us know in the comments below.