David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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Fantasy and reality are often two completely different worlds. So far, Shakur Stevenson is realizing that.
The newly turned 26-year-old dreamed of aggregating every world title at 130 pounds and becoming the division’s undisputed champion. No one in the ring appeared capable of stopping his desires, but that infamous weight scale had other ideas.
No matter how much sweat fell off his sucked-down body, and regardless of the amount of times Stevenson jumped on the treadmill, the former Olympic silver medalist was simply unable to get the weight off. So, in September of 2022, Stevenson (20-0, 10 KOs) reluctantly forked over his 130-pound titles and made the move up in weight.
Although he’s had only one fight at 135, a lopsided beating against Shuichiro Yoshino, Stevenson has been acrimonious by the lack of options at his disposal. According to the former champion, plenty of notable fighters have flat-out refused to fight him.
Regardless of whether Stevenson is being eschewed or not, Edwin De Los Santos has perpetually called him out. This past weekend, at the Ballroom Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, De Los Santos made Joseph Adorno look like an amateur in the ring, winning a one-sided unanimous decision.
The win for the 23-year-old placed the ball directly in his court. With the cameras rolling and the ability to call out anyone, De Los Santos (16-1, 14 KOs) once again had Stevenson’s name on his lips. There was nothing malicious about his call out, but he did explain that he has an incredible amount of reverence for Stevenson, while also expounding upon why he would ultimately beat him.
“He’s one of the best,” said De Los Santos to BoxingScene.com. “I’ve got the capacity, the school of boxing, and I can adapt to anything.”
Adaption is Stevenson’s bread and butter. When he faces a pure boxer, such as Robson Conceicao, Stevenson cruises. When he faces off against hard punchers and aggressive fighters like Oscar Valdez and Jeremia Nakathila - Stevenson makes them hit nothing but air.
Landing a pernicious shot on Stevenson is damn near impossible. But not for De Los Santos. In his view, not only does he have the skills to check Stevenson’s chin, but he also has the power to turn his lights out.
“Yes,” said De Los Santos when asked if he could stop Stevenson. “Yes.”
