Boxing

David Benavidez Adopts Unusual Gennady Golovkin Training Method To Improve Knockout Ability

David Benavidez is yet to be bested as a professional, scoring 24 knockouts in his perfect 30-0 boxing journey.
Donal Long|
IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

WBC World Light Heavyweight champion David Benavidez is one of boxing's biggest stars as the unbeaten fighter is considered a pound-for-pound talent.

Now a two-weight world champion, 'The Monster' is set for blockbuster fights in the future, including his first light heavyweight title defense in November.

On November 22nd, Benavidez will take on a 175-pound contender, Anthony Yarde, on a stacked card in Saudi Arabia. Ahead of the bout, the Mexican-American has shown a new training method to improve his game.

Benavidez Draws Inspiration From Gennady Golovkin to Improve Power

Gennady Golovkin
IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

Although Benavidez has shown no issues possessing stopping power in his career so far, 'The Monster' is taking measures to improve his knockout ability.

Footage captured by Fight Hub TV shows Benavidez exercising his wrist and grip by rotating a kettlebell on a flat surface. The light heavyweight champion credited the training method to former world champion Gennady Golovkin.

In the footage, someone says to Benavidez, "The only person I've seen do this [exercise] is Gennady." Benavidez responded by saying, "Yeah, Gennady, and you already know how hard he hits."

"He would do this every single day. So, we're following his rules." Benavidez's coach added, "The grip and neck is a must," when speaking on his fighter's training preparations.

Golovkin retired in 2023, with a professional record of 42-2-1, with the only non-wins on his record coming from Canelo Alvarez. Among his 42 wins, 37 of the Kazakhs victories came by way of knockout.

The final win of Golovkin's career came in April 2022. The fighter from Kazakhstan was able to earn an impressive knockout victory over Ryota Murata in Japan. The result would set up 'GGG's' final career fight against Alvarez, which he would lose via unanimous decision.

Benavidez will be looking for the 25th knockout of his career on November 22nd when he takes on Yarde. 'The Monster' has gone the distance in his two light heavyweight outings, defeating both David Morrell and Oleksandr Gvozdyk via unanimous decision.

MORE: Terence Crawford Offered Title Shot To Become Six Division Champion

In terms of his opponent's durability, Yarde has a professional record of 27-3, with two losses coming by way of knockout. However, those two stoppage losses have come from knockout artists Sergey Kovalev and Artur Beterbiev in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

Since the loss to Beterbiev, the British fighter has been able to build an impressive run of form. Winning four fights in a row, Yarde's last victory came in April, when he earned a unanimous decision win over Lyndon Arthur.

The Latest Boxing News

Christian Mbilli Weighs In On Facing "Very Old" Canelo Alvarez

Andre Ward Laments Floyd Mayweather's Influence On Gervonta Davis' Career

Gervonta Davis Reveals Definitive Retirement Date Ahead of Jake Paul Fight

UFC Star Sean O'Malley Names Price To Fight Ryan Garcia But Prefers Former 'King Ry' Opponent

Published
Donal Long
DONAL LONG

Donal Long is a boxing journalist for KO On SI, hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Prior to joining SI in 2025, Donal graduated from Dublin City University with a bachelor's degree in media production management. He has also worked on sites such as SportsJOE, GiveMeSport, The Sportster, and Bloody Knockout. Donal has been a huge sports fan for all of his life, which has seen him travel throughout Europe to attend live events.

Share on XFollow longdonal