Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson agree when it comes to choosing a reigning world champion.
Both Lewis and Tyson are considered two of the best heavyweights of all time and had a memorable battle in June 2002, with Lewis scoring an eighth-round knockout victory over “Iron Mike” to retain his world heavyweight titles.
At the height of their respective careers, both heavyweight legends were considered unbeatable by many boxing fans, and they have each now named a current star that they believe applies equally.
Speaking on Froch On Fighting, Lewis praised WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez.
“Benavidez, that’s my guy. He’s a strong competitor… He’s a bogeyman in a sense. Who’s there to give him a good fight? I don’t see anyone giving him a good fight, he’s that good. I would pick Benavidez to beat Bivol.”
Tyson later shared the same sentiment while speaking to ESNews.
“I love him against everyone. He’s so underrated but so polarizing here. Look, I’d be scared to fight him too if I was in this division. Nobody even stands a chance against him, I’m talking about the facts.”
Benavidez is a two-time super middleweight world champion, before moving up to 175 pounds and scoring victories over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.
This earned him the WBC interim title, before being elevated to full champion when Dmitry Bivol chose to vacate his belt. Benavidez will now make the first defense of his world title when he faces Anthony Yarde in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 22.
