Benitez. By UD. Most probable outcome. But Cuevas always in with a puncher's chance. Unlikely though.
I don't think he could ever beat them TBH. Both had the perfect fight plan and Leonard only ever got better. There were plenty however thinking Benitez might be able to turn the tables at 154 given how solid he looked, but i don't so. Ray carried 154 easy.
I don´t think Cuevas would ever catch Benitez cleanly but enough to make him gunshy, weary or take away his legs for quite a while.
And that factor itself could be a real big one. Those Benetiz skills were from the waist up. He didn't dance around much and liked to spend a lot of time on the ropes. That is just the thing that gives a bomber like Cuevas a chance. If Cuevas had to work a ton to get inside--like say against a Leonard, I don't think he lands the left hook. But a stationary guy means Cuevas will be winging in there until the fight is over. He didn't get discouraged and there was a lot of speed on those early Cuevas punches. He might throw 20 per round and just playing the numbers game, 1 of them will probably land clean early in the fight. I just look at that Bruce Curry fight & think that Cuevas will land on the guy too, except that Benetiz won't slip thru the cracks against a finisher the caliber of a Cuevas.
That's a good point.benitez is one of the most likely of the great defensive fighters to get annihiliated at some point by an aggressive free-swinging massive hitter like Cuevas. He doesn't have a particularly good jaw and often makes no effort to make the opponent respect his offense for rounds at a time.
The smart money would be to say Benitez, But ironically enough. Cuevas did well against slick boxing, light hitting fighters in his prime. Angel Espada, Clyde Gray, Harold Weston Jr. Pete Ranzany. Only Andy Price was able to avoid the bombs to score a points win over the then, still green Cuevas.
You can't count Cuevas out with the power he brings to the table, but his only real chance is via TKO and I can't see him landing near enough to force an accumulation stoppage. No way he's doing a Tommy on Benitez and decisioning him. When all's said and done Benitez is too slick, and simply the better boxer: he'd take a competitive, but clear UD.
Benitez was a master of defense, it would take good luck for Cuevas to land his bombs on him flush. If by chance Cuevas did catch Benitez, good night, Wilfred. I'd see Benitez by decision 15 RD.