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Mike Tyson has periodically kept up with boxing since he retired from the sport and has been particularly keen on David Benavidez. With a 28-0 record, 'Iron' believes that the super middleweight should go by a different name.
Benavidez is the current WBC interim super middleweight champion and has held that title since 2022. He has twice previously held the WBC world title but was stripped for a positive drug test.
What does Mike Tyson call David Benavidez?
Mike Tyson is a big fan of undefeated champion David Benavidez and believes the fighter deserves a specialized nickname. For that reason, 'Iron' has decided to call Benavidez 'The Mexican Monster.'
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The former champion has explained the nickname in the past, claiming he would be afraid of Benavidez if they were fighting in the same division.
Speaking to ESNEWS, Tyson said:
"[David Benavidez is] so underrated but so polarizing. Listen, I'd be afraid to fight him too if I was in that division. No one even has a chance against him as it appears to be. I'm talking from facts."
Tyson spoke to ESNEWS before Benavidez's career-defining moment against Caleb Plant in 2023. 'The Mexican Monster' would go on to defeat Plant by decision before finishing Demetrius Andrade eight months later leading into his fight with Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
As the current WBC super middleweight championship, Benavidez has pursued a fight with the undisputed title owned by Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez but has been unable to do so, leading to his change in weight.
Watch Mike Tyson's comments on David Benavidez below:
David Benavidez vs. Oleksandr Gvozdyk preview
In his first light heavyweight title fight, David Benavidez will be taking on former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk for the WBC interim title.
Benavidez, 28-0, is unsurprisingly the heavy favorite according to most sportsbooks. As the former two-time WBC super middleweight champion, the 27-year-old is the current 168-pound interim titleholder but has failed to secure a fight against the undisputed champion, Canelo Alvarez.
Gvozdyk last held the IBF and WBC light heavyweight title in 2019 when he lost the belt to current champion Artur Beterbiev. The loss still stands as the only defeat of his career as he enters the title fight against Benavidez with a record of 20-1.
At 37 years old, Gvozdyk will look to become the second active Ukrainian world champion in boxing behind the current unified heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk.
