David Benavidez has gone the distance just six times in his career, with one of those being against a journeyman who ruined his knockout streak.
David ‘The Mexican Monster’ Benavidez was so close to having an unbeaten 18-fight long knockout streak, which was tainted only by a journeyman who just wouldn’t go down.
He has since risen in the rankings and defeated Demetrius Andrade, Caleb Plant, and David Morrell.
Despite his big wins, Benavidez’s record will always show the one that got away, a stain on the legacy of a monster.
David Benavidez had KO streak ruined by 1-6-2 Azamat Umarzoda in 2014
Benavidez began his pro career in 2013, and built up seven knockout wins, six of which came in the very first round, before facing a 1-6-2 journeyman named Azamat Umarzoda.
Umarzoda’s only noteworthy opponent was Steed Woodall, who defeated Lerrone Richards and lost to Callum Simpson recently.
The journeyman was expected to be another easy win for Benavidez, but the Mexican failed to show the monster within as he was dragged the six round distance, winning a clear points decision instead.
Benavidez, who dropped Dmitry Bivol with a jab in sparring, continued knocking out everyone in his path, and got to fight number 19 before he went to decision again, meaning the journeyman from Tajikistan ruined what could’ve been an 18-fight KO streak.
David Benavidez was dropped for the first time in 2017 in closest fight of his career
In 2017, Benavidez went the distance for the second time against 18-1 Ronald Gavril.
Gavril dropped Benavidez in Round 12 for the first time in his career as the pair slugged it out for the vacant WBC super middleweight world title.
Benavidez did win, though it was a far closer affair than his win over Umarzoda.
He rematched Gavril, and won clearly this time, but was still unable to stop the Romanian. Benavidez was dropped by Morrell in his latest fight, too.