Who is David Benavidez best opponent ?

Benavidez is one of my favourite current fighters but Boo Boo whilst talented was a career 154 and 160 who had only fought at 168 once vs a E level, had never beaten any world champions, and was facing a massive 168 pounder in Benavidez

Lemieux was a washed career 154/160 pounder

Plant is a a soft chinned PBC hype job who fought binmen and whose claim to fame is being the last man Clenelo knocked out

Gvozdyk was nowhere near the fighter he was pre-retirement. He looked like an imposter doing an impersonation of him. The fire was no longer there anymore and that was plain to see

Morrell is talented and in his prime but, like Benavidez, once he moved up to LHW and started facing opponents his size the KOs dried up and he arguably lost to Hot Rod who to be fair is a good fighter and even if you had him winning the fight it was much closer than the corrupt judges had it.

And he did lose in most people's eyes to Khataev but the corrupt judges struck again

This is not to say I don't believe Benavidez is a very good and talented fighter because I do and I think he will beat the crap out of Yarde and despite being taken the distance in both his fights at 175 will stop him and I think he could potentially beat this 40-41 y/o version of Beterbiev and maybe even Bivol both of whom he is a lot bigger than despite only having 2 fights at LHW since his official move up to the weight or he certainly stands the best chance out of anyone outside of those 2 beating them

Neither should ever agree to fight him in the US though as it's hardly a secret that their corrupt judges will rob a deep Soviet brother damn near everytime

Also, Benavidez's PBC smoke and mirrors resume is far from his fault as Clenelo ducked him like crazy

In short

Benavidez is a damned good fighter but a weight bully and he has a PBC resume