Surprisingly, Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list doesn’t include unbeaten former two-time WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez anywhere in the top ten.
It’s a pretty glaring omission to have ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez excluded from the pound-for-pound list after the year that he had. His fighting style is fan-friendly, and he should make the list soon, perhaps next year, if he can continue winning and take on better opposition than the ones he’s been facing.
Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) is believed to be the heir to the throne held by King Canelo Alvarez for his undisputed championship, and it’s strange that he’s been left off the list. Canelo is on the list in the #4 spot, but Benavidez didn’t make it into the list.
The 26-year-old Benavidez had a huge year in 2023, defeating former two-division champion Demetrius ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade and former IBF 168-lb champ Caleb ‘Sweet Hands’ Plant.
You would think that would be enough for ‘The Mexican Monster’ to be acknowledged by the Ring Magazine staff that picks the pound-for-pound list, but apparently not.
Possible reasons Ring Magazine snubbed Benavidez:
- Lack of big names: While Plant & Andrade are excellent fighters, those guys weren’t a threat to beating Benavidez. Instead of fighting them, Benavidez should have accepted the challenge from WBA ‘regular’ super middleweight champion David Morrell or talent on Dmitry Bivol.
- Not enough experience: Although Benavidez is a two-time super middleweight champion, his wins were against fringe-level position
- Past problems: There was a positive drug test in the past, and he missed weight once. Both issues caused Benavidez to lose his WBC title.
In 2024, Benavidez has a chance of picking up some big wins if he steps up to the plate and faces the likes of David Morrell, Diego Pacheco, or Jermall Charlo.
Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list
1. Terence Crawford
2. Naoya Inoue
3. Oleksandr Usyk
4. Canelo Alvarez
5. Dmitry Bivol
6. Devin Haney
7. Errol Spence
8. Gervonta Davis
9. Teofimo Lopez
10. Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez
