David Benavidez isn’t the ideal target of any fighter. Although he’s gone on to become a two-time super middleweight champion and current WBC interim tag holder, the 26-year-old is seldom called out. But who could blame his competition?

To a large extent, Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) pummels his foes until either the referee mercifully steps in, or until the opposition's corner jumps onto the ring apron and waves the white flag. Following his latest win, Benavidez gained even more fans thanks to his fight-of-the-year candidate against Caleb Plant.

Viewed as one of the best 168-pounders around, Benavidez admitted that if he isn’t able to lure marquee names into the ring, he’ll entertain the idea of moving up in weight. Of course, the light heavyweight division has two names jostling for the top spot in WBA belt holder Dmitry Bivol and unified champion, Artur Beterbiev. Ultimately, those two remain at the very top of Benavidez’s wishlist.

Before he shoves a long line of light heavyweight contenders out of the way, Joe Smith Jr. reveals that he isn’t willing to budge a single inch. Moving up for Benavidez is a bit of a long shot, but if he does, the former WBO titlist will be more than happy to check his chin at the door.  

“I’d be open to that fight,” Smith told BoxingScene.com. “I never turned down any fight.”

Things weren’t exactly peaches and rainbows for Smith the last time he took on a big puncher. In June of 2022, Smith was annihilated at the hands of Beterbiev, losing via second-round stoppage.

Getting it taken to him, however, hasn’t left Smith (28-4, 22 KOs) feeling unnerved. In fact, the 33-year-old is hoping that he’ll spend the rest of his days facing the best of the best. For now, Smith will do what he always does - saunter to his local gym, remain in shape, and continue to spend quality time with the family. While doing those chores, he’ll make sure that the ringer on his phone is on high.

“I’m just waiting to see if any offers come my way.”