David Benavidez: The New Face of Boxing After Canelo’s Fall

Sergio Mora says he views David Benavidez as the new ‘Face of Boxing’ now, after Canelo Alvarez was beaten by Terence Crawford last weekend. Mora points out that Benavidez (30-0, 24 KOs) is young at 28, not showing signs of ringwear, and possesses the size, speed, and power to be the next face of the sport.

In Benavidez’s last two fights, he’s beaten a prime David Morrell and former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk impressively, winning a pair of 12-round unanimous decisions. He didn’t run around the ring like Crawford did against Canelo, and make it look ugly.

‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez out-punched both fighters, and that wasn’t easy. He was still willing to stay in the trenches and trade with Morrell and Gvozdyk.

Mora Anoints Boxing’s New King

“David Benavidez. He’s 28 years old and shows no signs of wear and tear. He’s an exciting fighter, ‘The Mexican Monster,’” said Sergio Mora on Chris Mannix’s channel when asked who is the next ‘Face of Boxing’ after Terence Crawford. “I think he can be the next guy on top for a long time.”

Mora shook his head when Mannix said that Crawford is currently the ‘Face of Boxing’ after his win over Canelo Alvarez. He made it clear that he doesn’t view Terence as the new ‘Face’ after that win. He could be right.

The Criteria for Boxing’s Top Star

Becoming the ‘Face of Boxing’ who carries the sport requires more than defeating the previous one. It requires these things:

1. Staying active: Benavidez has Crawford beat in this department. ‘The Mexican Monster’ fights twice a year, whereas Crawford has steadily fought annually since 2020.
2. Fighting the best: Not cherry-picking older fighters when they become vulnerable, and torn apart by car crashes.
3. Possessing an all-action style: We saw Crawford using a lot of movement in his fight against Canelo and Israil Madrimov, which made both contests dull. In contrast, Benavidez is coming off a war against David Morrell on February 1, 2025. Before that, he had an equally entertaining battle against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15 last year.

“He has the perfect blend of speed and power. That’s so rare, especially from that 6’2″ height, and he has long arms. He really is a monster. I don’t see anyone beating him. So, Benavidez is the future,” said Mora.

A Collision Course with Beterbiev

If there’s any doubt that Benavidez has taken over as the ‘Face of Boxing,’ he’ll erase that if he defeats Artur Beterbiev and or Dmitry Bivol. Benavidez is defending his WBC light heavyweight title against Anthony Yarde on November 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

If he wins that fight, a clash against Beterbiev is a possibility. The former undisputed 175-lb champion Beterbiev is fighting on the Benavidez-Yarde undercard against Deon Nicholson. There’s already talk of Beterbiev and Benavidez fighting each other next, if they win their fights on November 22nd.