What Happened to Anthony David Benavidez?

David Benavidez, born Anthony David Benavidez on December 17, 1996, in Phoenix, Arizona, embarked on his professional boxing career at the remarkably young age of 16 in August 2013. His aggressive style and formidable power quickly earned him the moniker 'The Mexican Monster.' He made history on September 8, 2017, by defeating Ronald Gavril via split decision to capture the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title, becoming the youngest super middleweight world champion ever at 20 years old.

His initial reign was cut short in September 2018 when he tested positive for benzoylecgonine (a cocaine metabolite) during a VADA drug test, leading to his suspension and the stripping of his title. Benavidez returned to the ring and, just over a year later, reclaimed the WBC Super Middleweight title by stopping Anthony Dirrell in the ninth round on September 28, 2019. However, his second tenure as champion was also brief; in August 2020, he missed weight for his scheduled defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo, resulting in him being stripped of the title for a second time.

Undeterred, Benavidez continued his undefeated streak, securing interim titles and challenging top contenders. He won the interim WBC Super Middleweight title against David Lemieux in May 2022 and successfully defended it against Caleb Plant in March 2023 and Demetrius Andrade in November 2023. Demonstrating his ambition, Benavidez then moved up to the light heavyweight division, winning the interim WBC Light Heavyweight title against Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15, 2024. He further solidified his position by defeating David Morrell for the WBA Light Heavyweight title on February 1, 2025, and was subsequently elevated to full WBC World Light Heavyweight Champion on April 7, 2025, following Dmitry Bivol's decision to vacate the title.

In a significant move to conquer a third weight class, Benavidez challenged Gilberto 'Zurdo' Ramirez for the unified WBA and WBO Cruiserweight titles on May 2, 2026. He delivered a dominant performance, stopping Ramirez in the sixth round to become a three-division world champion. This victory further cemented his status as one of boxing's elite, with his father, Jose Benavidez Sr., noting that David no longer needs a fight with Canelo Alvarez to define his legacy, especially after Alvarez recently declared a fight with Benavidez 'impossible' due to Benavidez's move through weight divisions. As of June 22, 2026, Benavidez is actively pursuing unification at cruiserweight, with a fight against WBC champion Noel Mikaelian reportedly targeted for November 21, 2026.