Jose Benavidez Sr., father of the newly crowned WBC world light-heavyweight champion David Benavidez, has indicated that Callum Smith and Anthony Yarde are being considered as possible opponents.
David Benavidez, boasting a record of 30 wins and no losses, with 24 knockouts, was promoted from interim to full WBC champion. This occurred after Dmitry Bivol, the former 175lb king, relinquished his title to pursue a third fight against Artur Beterbiev.
Despite missing out on a fight with Bivol, “The Monster Bandera Roja” is expected to defend his WBC title against a formidable challenger.
Having secured significant victories against notable super-middleweights like Caleb Plant and Demetrius Andrade, the 28-year-old Benavidez has successfully transitioned to the light-heavyweight division. He has already demonstrated his dominance by defeating Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.
Callum Smith, with a record of 31 wins and 2 losses, including 22 knockouts, has emerged as an attractive option for Benavidez. This follows Smith`s impressive unanimous decision victory over Joshua Buatsi in February.
Similar to Benavidez, the 34-year-old Smith previously held world titles at 168lbs. However, a devastating seventh-round stoppage loss to Beterbiev last year prevented him from becoming a two-division world champion.
As for Anthony Yarde, with a record of 26 wins and 3 losses, including 24 knockouts, a potential trilogy fight with Lyndon Arthur on April 26th is on the horizon. The 33-year-old Yarde is aiming to quickly return to the world title scene.
While both British fighters have established themselves as strong contenders at 175lbs, Benavidez might also consider moving up to cruiserweight in the near future.
Benavidez Sr. mentioned that a fight with unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto Ramirez is a possibility. However, defending Benavidez`s WBC title appears to be the more probable next step.
“We were trying to make the fight with `Zurdo` Ramirez,” said Benavidez Sr. “They wanted the fight, we wanted the fight, so it was an easy fight to arrange.
“But now, I think we need to defend the WBC belt at least once or twice. We are considering Anthony Yarde or Callum Smith as potential opponents.”
