Tag Archives: david benavidez

Posted on 04/22/2022

By: Hans Themistode

While David Benavidez is still in the infancy stages of his career, at 25 years of age, the Arizona native is craving bigger fights and even bigger paydays.

Despite draping his shoulders with super middleweight gold on two separate occasions, Benavidez believes there’s a gaping hole in his current resume. In an effort to lure some of the more well-established names into the ring with him, Benavidez has done his best to antagonize and provoke countless fighters. Up until this point, however, Benavidez’s words have fallen on deaf ears.

At this point, Benavidez has grown apoplectic over the unheralded opponents he continues to face. As the 25-year-old places his thinking cap on, a lightbulb suddenly flickers on. While his preference is to face the top contenders and current champions in his weight division, if he’s unable to do so, Benavidez reveals that he would be willing to move on from the super middleweight division and try his hand as a full-fledged light heavyweight.

“These other fighters that I want to get, Caleb Plant, Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, even if we can get Edgar Berlanga in there, if not, it might be time to go up to 175. I been trying to make all of these fights happen for a long, long time.”

Regardless of his frustrations, Benavidez is willing to hold his tongue just a bit longer. On May 21st, at the Gila River Arena, in Glendale, Arizona, Benavidez will take on former middleweight champion turned super middleweight contender, David Lemieux. Continuing his unbeaten streak was all the motivation Benavidez needed to immerse himself in a grueling eight-week training. However, he’s been given a greater incentive to pick up the victory against Lemieux.

With the winner of their upcoming bout receiving the WBC interim title, Benavidez not only views that golden trinket as a must-have keepsake but also a negotiating chip.

Presently, Canelo Alvarez is holding firm to every major world title at 168 pounds. Nevertheless, should Benavidez snag the WBC interim crown, he’ll become the pound-for-pound star’s mandatory challenger. Doing so, unsurprisingly, leaves Benavidez smiling from ear to ear. However, the heavy-hitting former titlist isn’t convinced that he’ll become the next in line to face Alvarez.

So, with Benavidez having his doubts pertaining to his ability to land the sort of big-name fights that will place him in boxing’s spotlight, he views a move to 175 as not only a realistic option, but his only one.

“When I win the WBC interim title, I’ll have a little more leverage. But if I can’t make them happen, it’s because the fighters don’t want to take the fight with me so it might be time to go up to 175.”

Posted on 04/19/2022

By: Hans Themistode

For what seems like forever now, both David Benavidez and Caleb Plant have exchanged menacing looks in person, and hurled vulgar threats at one another over social media.

The genesis of their long hatred for one another travels back further than Benavidez can remember. But, despite the amount of vitriol both men have displayed toward one another, Benavidez claims that there’s no bad blood between them. That said, however, the former two-time super middleweight belt holder is anxious to give his fellow former champion a beating of a lifetime.

“There’s no beef,” said Benavidez during a recent interview with Behind The Gloves. “I’m just going to beat the shit out of him. There’s no beef behind it, I don’t like him and he don’t like me.”

While Benavidez craves a showdown against Plant, he refuses to look past his upcoming opponent. On May 21st, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Benavidez will attempt to separate David Lemieux from consciousness. If the 25-year-old is successful in doing so, he’ll wrap the WBC interim crown around his waist.

With Benavidez eyeing an eventual showdown against Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest attraction, he believes he’ll need more than just the WBC interim title to lure him into the ring.

Having watched closely as both Alvarez and Plant battled throughout 11 hard-fought rounds in November of 2021, a lightbulb flicks on in the mind of Benavidez. If the truculent former titlist is able to not only face Plant, but dispatch of him in violent fashion, he believes he’ll have Alvarez’s undivided attention.

“I don’t like Caleb Plant but in all honesty, I need him. I need him to get to the next level. I need to fight the people who fight Canelo. He needs me too. Who else is he going to fight after me? I feel like we need each other.”

Posted on 03/28/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Jermell Charlo has grown sick and tired of the ever-growing belief that his twin brother and, current WBC middleweight belt holder, Jermall Charlo, is unwilling to drop his previously mentioned crown in order to face super middleweight contender, David Benavidez.

Jermall, a native of Houston, Texas, has gone back and forth with Benavidez on numerous occasions over social media. In the mind of the middleweight belt holder, a showdown against Benavidez would result in the Mexican product being rushed to the emergency room. But, despite his warnings, Benavidez is anxious for Charlo to prove that he means business in the ring.

Even with Benavidez campaigning one weight class higher, he believes that a showdown between himself and Jermall would produce fan-friendly fireworks. Nonetheless, while Benavidez respects what Jermall brings to the table, he’s confident in his ability to hand him the worst beating of his career.

With Jermall opting against moving up in weight to take Benavidez up on his challenge, the former two-time super middleweight titlist believes that Jermall’s refusal to fight him is a sign of weakness. However, as Benavidez continues to poke and antagonize his man, Jermell has heard enough.

“We gonna get in there with any mother f*cking body,” said Jermell during an interview with ESNEWS. “Put Benavidez’s ass in there, why not? Put that mother f*cker in there. He a f*cking stud, he a f*cking stud. Put Benavidez in there.”

Despite Jermell’s insistence that his brother is more than capable of defeating Benavidez, both men will continue to go their separate ways…at least for now.

In the case of the 25-year-old Benavidez, he’ll look to move one step closer to his former championship status. On May 21st, Benavidez will attempt to dazzle his hometown Phoenix crowd, as he takes on hard-hitting contender, David Lemieux. The winner of their upcoming clash will wrap the WBC interim crown around their waist.

As for Jermall, he won’t sit idly by. In what would be his fifth attempt to defend his WBC middleweight title, Jermall will take on veteran journeymen, Maciej Sulecki, on June 18th.

Unsurprisingly, Jermell expects his twin brother to walk away from his showdown against Sulecki relatively unscathed. Provided Jermall takes care of business, and Jermell goes on to defeat Brian Castano on May 14th, the current unified junior middleweight champion has an intriguing double-header proposal.

In an effort to prove that the Charlo name is superior in comparison to team Benavidez, Jermell is now targeting a showdown against Jose Benavidez Jr., the older brother of David. The 29-year-old recently made his return to the ring in November of 2021 against Francisco Emanuel Torres. In his first bout at 154 pounds, Jose was forced to settle for the majority decision draw.

Still, while Jose isn’t viewed as a legitimate contender just yet, Jermell believes that this current family feud should be dealt with as soon as possible.

“Put Benavidez and his mother f*cking brother in there. I’ll fight the brother, you fight the big mother f*cker. We don’t give a f*ck.”

Posted on 03/23/2022

By: Hans Themistode

At one point, fans would sit on the edge of their seats as the opening bell rang to signify the beginning of an Edgar Berlanga contest.

No matter how hard his opponents ultimately tried, they all succumbed to his relentless pressure and concussive knockout power in the very first round. However, as of late, Berlanga’s propensity for knockouts has dissipated. In three consecutive contests, Berlanga has been forced to enlist the help of the three judges sitting ringside, as all three of his opponents have reached the final bell.

This past weekend, Berlanga was confident in his ability to get back to his knockout winning ways. The 24-year-old super middleweight contender took his first step up in competition, matching up against journeymen, Steve Rolls. While Berlanga would ultimately go on to pick up the victory, he failed to either drop Rolls or secure the finish.

Regardless of his somewhat lackluster results, Berlanga has taken notice of one fighter, in particular, David Benavidez. With the newly turned 25-year-old mentioning Berlanga as a possible future opponent, the New York native agrees with his statement. Provided, of course, the financial ramifications meet his requirements.

“That fight is in the near future,” said Berlanga to FightHype.com. “The promotion has to be right, the business has to be right.”

Aside from the monetary reasons, Berlanga believes a matchup against Benavidez is a bit too soon compared to where he is from a developmental standpoint. Benavidez, while only one year older than Berlanga, has undoubtedly fought higher levels of opposition.

In addition to his stellar resume, Benavidez has also wrapped his waist with super middleweight gold on two separate occasions. On May 21st, Benavidez will look to do so once again as he takes on David Lemieux for the WBC interim title.

With Berlanga coming off a closer than expected win against Rolls, the New York native will look to bank a bit more experience before challenging himself against a name such as Berlanga.

“I gotta get a couple more fights in, a couple more rounds in. He already been at that pinnacle plenty of times. For me, I just gotta wiggle my way through, get that experience and the fight can be done.”

Posted on 03/05/2022

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez never officially lost his WBC super-middleweight world title. Now, he’ll formally have the opportunity to regain at least a portion of what was forcefully taken away from him.

The newly turned 25-year-old will take on former middleweight champion and current 168-pound contender, David Lemieux on May 21st, in Phoenix, Benavidez’s hometown, for the vacant WBC interim crown.

In 2018, Benavidez saw his first championship reign come to an end following a fairly lengthy suspension due to a failed drug test which revealed the presence of benzoylecgonine, the main component in cocaine.

Benavidez would regain his world title once he returned, following a stoppage win over Anthony Dirrell. Ultimately, his championship status proved to be transient as he was stripped of his newly won title for failing to make weight prior to his showdown against Roamer Alexis Angulo.

Despite his transgressions, Benavidez has vowed to become both a better fight and a better man. So far so good as he spent the entirety of 2021 in the winner’s circle. During the first quarter of the year, Benavidez punished Ronald Ellis, resulting in a stoppage win in the penultimate round. Before the year came to a close, Benavidez pounded Kyrone Davis until he was forced to wave the white flag in the ninth.

As for Lemieux, he grew sick and tired of squeezing down to the 160-pound middleweight weight limit. Since making the move eight pounds north, Lemieux has picked up three consecutive victories, the latter two coming before the sound of the final bell.

The winner of Benavidez and Lemieux’s upcoming battle will find themselves in prime position to challenge current undisputed super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez.

Posted on 03/03/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Both Demetrius Andrade and David Benavidez appear to be on a collision course.

For the past five years, Andrade has proudly held and defended his WBO middleweight title. Recently, however, the 34-year-old from Providence, Rhode Island has decided to ditch his world title and instead, chase another golden trinket at 168 pounds. The now two-division titlist will face off against Zach Parker for the WBO interim super middleweight crown.

With Andrade begging and pleading with Canelo Alvarez, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, Gennadiy Golovkin, and every other big-name star in or around his weight class to face him, Benavidez appears more than willing to take him up on his offer.

The former two-time super middleweight belt holder has publicly called for a showdown against Andrade, provided of course, both men get through their respective upcoming matchups.

As Andrade prepares to take on Parker, Benavidez has begun preparations of his own. The newly turned 25-year-old will face off against David Lemieux for the interim WBC title at a yet to be determined location and date. Considering Benavidez’s propensity for knockouts, he’ll seemingly walk into his showdown against Lemieux as a sizable favorite.

While Benavidez has always been violent in the ring, as of late, he’s taken his aggression up a notch. In five consecutive contests, the pernicious knockout artist has forced his opponents to wave the white flag.

In the case of Andrade, the multiple division titlist has a proven and tested iron chin. Still, despite being durable, Benavidez envisions their possible future showdown ending with Andrade laying flat on his back.

“I know I can stop Andrade,” said Benavidez to FightHype.com. “But it would be a good fight for boxing.”

Posted on 01/30/2022

By: Hans Themistode

Following one of the more successful years of his Hall of Fame bound career, Canelo Alvarez is reportedly sifting through multiple offers.

According to Mike Coppinger of ESPN, Alvarez is mulling over two separate deals. PBC’s Al Haymon has extended a one-fight deal to Alvarez to face current WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo in May on Cinco De Mayo weekend on pay-per-view. Shortly after, Alvarez was reportedly offered a two-fight deal to face off against WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, which would then be followed up with a third showdown against longtime rival Gennadiy Golovkin.

Considering the amount of money Alvarez made for his most recent pay-per-view event, an 11th round stoppage victory over Caleb Plant, David Benavidez believes that Alvarez will continue to face the fighters associated with the PBC stable.

“If you look at the deals he was offered,” said Benavidez during an interview with FightHype.com. “Two-fight deal with DAZN with no pay-per-view or one fight deal with PBC with pay-per-view, it’s kind of a no-brainer. I think Canelo is loving that pay-per-view money.”

According to multiple reports, Alvarez made approximately $35 million for his eighth-round stoppage victory over Billy Joe Saunders on DAZN in May. As for his pay-per-view showdown against Plant, Alvarez reportedly pocketed upwards of $40 million, plus, pay-per-view upside.

Outside of the financial ramifications, Benavidez finds a showdown between Alvarez and Houston’s Charlo a fascinating one. The truculent power puncher has craved a showdown against Alvarez and has stated on numerous occasions that he has the power, size, and overall ability to give the pound-for-pound star fits.

The now 31-year-old middleweight champion has dominated during his title reign. Most recently, Charlo scored a fairly wide unanimous decision against Juan Macias Montiel. Still, despite Charlo holding a perfect record through 32 career bouts, Benavidez believes facing Alvarez is a completely different animal.

Over the past several months, both Charlo and Benavidez have thrown warning shots at one another, with the newly turned 25-year-old urging Charlo to face him in the ring. Although Benavidez is eager to square off against Charlo at some point, he acknowledges that the WBC middleweight titlist is an outstanding fighter.

Nevertheless, in terms of how the pair matches up, Benavidez suspects that their showdown is more likely to end explosively, with Alvarez having his hand raised in victory.

“Charlo has been a great champion,” continued Benavidez. “That’s a great fight for boxing. A fight with Charlo is going to be a tougher fight than Canelo has had in a while but also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Canelo knocks Charlo out. I think there’s a bigger possibility of Canelo knocking Charlo out than Charlo knocking Canelo out.”

Posted on 12/16/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez has admitted to his mistakes and vowed to never commit them again.

After watching both of his super middleweight title reigns come to an end due to external circumstances, Benavidez believes he’s learned his lesson. Shortly after winning the WBC 168 pound title against Ronald Gavril in 2017 and defending his crown against him the following year, Benavidez was stripped of his title due to a positive drug test for cocaine.

While Benavidez would effectively work his way back up the ranks and reign as champion once again in 2019, he was stripped of his championship status on the scales as he failed to make the 168 pound limit against Roamer Alexis Angulo. Since then, Canelo Alvarez has gone on to win Benavidez’s world title, along with every other title at 168 pounds.

Although the now 25-year-old has urged Alvarez to face him, he’ll be forced to take another route. With Alvarez set to take on the winner between Ilunga Makabu and Thabiso Mchunu for the WBC cruiserweight crown, the WBC sanctioning body will pit their two highest-ranked contenders against one another for the interim title.

“The WBC granted Saul Alvarez a special permission to challenge the WBC champion in the cruiserweight division in 2022,” said the WBC in a written statement. “Reason for which, the Board of Governors approved a WBC interim championship in the division which will be contested by #1 David Benavidez and #2 David Lemieux.”

Benavidez, a Phoenix, Arizona native, has reeled off two straight knockout victories since he was stripped of his title. 2021 has been particularly kind to the 25-year-old, as he made things look incredibly easy against both Ronald Ellis and Kyrone Davis.

As for Lemieux, the former 160-pound belt holder has found a ton of success since moving up in weight in 2019. The 32-year-old has looked right at home in his new weight class, stopping his two most recent opponents, including David Zegarra, a fringe contender Lemieux easily knocked out in the second round earlier this year.

Posted on 11/30/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Although the biggest fights for Demetrius Andrade remain at 160 pounds, the current WBO middleweight titlist is coming to grips with the idea that they may not come to fruition.

Following his most recent trip to the ring, a destructive second-round stoppage win over fringe contender Jason Quigley, Andrade continued his war of words with fellow champions Jermall Charlo and Gennadiy Golovkin.

For years now, Andrade has urged both men to step foot inside the ring against him. But, not only has Andrade failed to land showdowns against either fighter, he’s yet to land a marquee contest against any of his top-tier contemporaries.

With Andrade running thin on options, he could be on the verge of looking towards a matchup against former two-time super middleweight champion, David Benavidez. While Andrade stopped short of naming the 24-year-old as his next opponent, as the two-division titlist looks inside his crystal ball, he can see a matchup between them materializing.

“Benavidez is definitely a great fighter,” said Andrade to several reporters. “He’s somebody that in the future, we can make something happen.”

Just weeks before Andrade wrecked the title dreams of Quigley, Benavidez laid waste to fringe contender Kyrone Davis. The two matched up at Footprint Center in Phoenix Arizona, the hometown of Benavidez.

Though he showed tremendous heart, Davis was pushed to his breaking point as Benavidez pounded him throughout the night, resulting in a seventh-round stoppage win. Ultimately, Benavidez is hoping that his stellar performance will catch the attention of unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, or, to a lesser extent, WBC middleweight belt holder, Jermall Charlo.

Presently, a move up in weight isn’t in the cards for Andrade, regardless of his interest in a potential showdown with Benavidez. In any event, while the WBO titlist likes his chances against the hard-hitting young star, with no world title currently laced around his waist, Andrade isn’t willing to pursue a contest against Benavidez at this moment in time.

“That doesn’t make me a three divisional world champion. We have to move in a strategic as well too.”

Posted on 11/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jermall Charlo has made his feelings abundantly clear that he is no fan of David Benavidez.

Over the past few months, both sides have taken shots at one another. Recently, however, Benavidez has grown tired of the inconsequential words and has urged Charlo to step inside the ring against him.

Following a seventh-round stoppage win against fringe contender Kyrone Davis on November 13th, a jubilant Benavidez questioned the heart, desire, and willingness of Charlo to face him.

“Does the big Charlo want to get it too?” Asked Benavidez after stopping Davis. “He don’t want to get in the ring with me because he’s a p*ssy that’s why.”

While Benavidez would love to land deleterious blows on the Houston native, he’s more enthralled with the idea of squaring off against pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez.

As for Charlo, the 31-year-old WBC middleweight belt holder has stated time and time again that he would move up to the super middleweight division if a matchup against Alvarez can be made. In terms of moving up in weight to take on Benavidez, Charlo has shown little to no interest.

“F*ck Benavidez,” said Charlo on a self-recorded video. “He ain’t even got no belt.”

As for what could be next for the surly knockout artist, he appears to have a bevy of options. In what’s become a consistent theme, WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade has expressed an interest in unifying titles against Charlo. In addition to the slick former Olympian, Charlo is hoping to finally solidify a showdown against long-reigning middleweight titlist Gennadiy Golovkin.

Outside of his options at 160 pounds, Charlo has also shown a curiosity in a matchup against Caleb Plant. The former IBF super middleweight titlist dropped his world title just a few short weeks ago against Alvarez in a bid to become the division’s first super middleweight champion of all time.

Posted on 11/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There appears to be a growing amount of frustration for Eddy Reynoso whenever David Benavidez is brought up in conversations.

By and large, Canelo Alvarez, Reynoso’s premier current fighter, is considered the best in the sport. Although many have struggled to name a worthy challenger, Benavidez has emerged as the one fighter who can truly push Alvarez to his limits.

In back-to-back weekends, both Alvarez and Benavidez made explosive returns to the ring. On November 6th, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Alvarez took care of business against former 168-pound belt holder Caleb Plant, stopping him in the 11th round. In doing so, Alvarez became the first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.

One week later, at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Benavidez scored a knockout victory of his own. On the night, the former two-time super middleweight belt holder easily stopped Kyrone Davis in the seventh round of their showdown.

Considering the fashion in which Benavidez dominated, the 24-year-old is viewed as one of the top challengers for Alvarez and his super middleweight thrown. However, while Reynoso confesses that Benavidez is immensely talented, as he gazes upon his short resume, he isn’t convinced that Benavidez has done enough to earn a shot at Alvarez.

“David Benavidez is a good fighter,” said Reynoso to FOX Deportes. “But for me, he has not achieved what people think. My respects to him but how many champions has he beaten? How many defenses has he made? How many unifications has he completed?

In spite of Reynoso questioning the level of opposition Benavidez has faced, he’s currently ranked number one in the WBC sanctioning body. With that said, he doesn’t appear on track to land a showdown with Alvarez anytime soon.

Since snagging every world title at 168 pounds, Alvarez has opted to bypass defending his crown in his next ring appearance. He’s also decided against moving up to the light heavyweight division. Instead, Alvarez has set his sights on Ilunga Makabu and his WBC cruiserweight crown.

Though nothing is set in stone, Mauricio Sulaiman, President of the WBC sanctioning body, has agreed to allow Alvarez to challenge Makabu in either May or June of 2022. If Alvarez is successful, he’ll become the first fighter of Mexican descent to win world titles in five different weight classes.

Posted on 11/11/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The crowd at the MGM Grand Garden Arena rose to its feet as Canelo Alvarez began finding his groove. As Caleb Plant, Alvarez’s opponent this past weekend, began to crumble underneath his power, those inside the arena could feel the end coming.

Before putting closing the show in the 11th round, Alvarez and Plant engaged in a tightly contested contest. Early on, Plant enjoyed plenty of success. The 29-year old’s boxing ability left Alvarez visibly frustrated. But, despite banking several rounds, the power of Alvarez began taking its toll.

In the penultimate round, the Mexican star scored his first knockdown of the night. Shortly after, referee Russell Mora waved off their contest completely as Alvarez registered another concussive knockdown. But while the newly crowned undisputed super middleweight champion stood on the ropes and pounded his chest, David Benavidez sat stoically on his couch from his palatial estate. It’s not that the former two-time super middleweight titlist didn’t enjoy the event, he simply saw the end result coming far before it actually happened.

“What happened was exactly what I predicted,” said Benavidez during an interview with FightHype.com. “I’ve said it time and time before that the people who are going to give Canelo a good fight are the ones with power. You can be defensive all you want but sooner or later you’re going to get caught with a big shot. You got to get him before he gets you.”

With all four major world titles now in Alvarez’s possession, the multiple division champion will now sit back and contemplate his next move, but not before a long rest. Once Alvarez regains the itch to compete again, he’ll have a long list of possible opponents that he could take on next. According to Alvarez’s head trainer Eddy Reynoso, Benavidez, along with WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo and unified light heavyweight titlist Artur Beterbiev is at the top of his list.

More than anything, Benavidez would love the opportunity to take on Alvarez next. And while he acknowledges Alvarez is a great fighter, he also reveals that he has everything in his boxing toolbox to cause serious damage to the four division star.

“I see a lot of potential holes in Canelo’s game and I feel like I can expose it. I feel like I can hurt Canelo, I believe in my punching power. I know he’s strong to but I feel like if I land the right shots, I can hurt him as well.”

Before Benavidez gets too ahead of himself, however, he has business to attend to. The 24-year-old is set to take on fringe contender Kyrone Davis at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona this Saturday night on November 13th.

Though Alvarez is the prize at the top of the mountain, Benavidez knows good and well that a poor showing against Davis can ruin everything.

“Kyrone Davis had a great last fight with Anthony Dirrell so I know he’s a live dog in there. He knows this is a big opportunity in there for him too so we’re taking him very seriously.”

Posted on 10/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

There’s a long list of fighters that have the credentials and ability to stake their claim as the best in the world. None, by and large, have a firmer ground to stand on than Canelo Alvarez.

The Mexican star has spent the second half of his career picking up numerous world titles while leaving a trail of fallen great fighters in the process. With victories against Sergey Kovalev, Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Callum Smith, and Billy Joe Saunders, Alvarez has firmly entrenched himself as the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the world.

Still, even with a proliferation of achievements, David Benavidez is confident in his ability to knock Alvarez off his high horse.

“I feel like I can beat him,” said Benavidez during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “I see a lot of things that I know I can take advantage of.”

Benavidez’s self-belief isn’t simply rooted in the work he’s put in when the cameras aren’t rolling in the gym. No, more than anything, Benavidez has watched from a distance each and every time Alvarez has stepped foot inside the ring. While he continues to rack up wins, Benavidez has picked on a glaring pattern of the skillset, or, lack thereof, of Alvarez’s recent opposition.

“The thing about Canelo’s opponents, they haven’t really had power. The last ones haven’t really had power. You need power to keep Canelo off you or else he’s going to be there all night. That’s the thing with me, I feel like I’m the hardest hitter at 168. I got a great jab, great body shots, great speed and I put on a lot of pressure too.”

Up until fairly recently, a showdown against Alvarez wasn’t exactly on the radar of Benavidez. However, with Mexican product audaciously planting his flag in the 168 pound division, Benavidez views their counter as inevitable.

Nevertheless, before a matchup between the pair can materialize, both Benavidez and Alvarez have business to attend to. In the case of Benavidez, he has a date set up with former IBF super middleweight belt holder Jose Uzcategui on November 13th. Alvarez, on the other hand, will look to permanently etch his name in boxing’s history books as he’ll attempt to become the division’s first undisputed super middleweight champion of all time.

Admittedly, Benavidez expects Alvarez to dispatch of Plant fairly easily. He also anticipates Alvarez being able to continue his reign at the top of the super middleweight charts for the foreseeable future. Unless, of course, Benavidez gets his crack at him fairly soon.

“I know that I’m going to be the one to beat Canelo.”

Posted on 10/19/2021

By: Hans Themistode

A win over Jose Uzcategui is one that David Benavidez desperately wants. Not only because defeating a former world champion would bolster his resume but more than anything, a victory against Uzcategui would become a gateway to the one fight he craves the most.

“I definitely feel like whoever wins out of this fight, me and Uzcategui, deserves to fight the winner of Caleb Plant and Canelo,” said Benavidez during a recent interview with Brian Custer.

One week prior to his showdown against Uzcategui taking place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on November 13th, Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant will lock horns. The two will square off on November 6th, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada with all of the super-middleweight titles on the line.

While Benavidez would love nothing more than to face the winner of their contest, he refuses to get too enthralled in the particulars of their showdown. Before Benavidez can demand his own shot at the undisputed crown, the 24-year-old is placing all of his attention on the hard-hitting former champion, Uzcategui.

Up until recently, Uzcategui enjoyed being considered the boogeyman of the super middleweight division. His championship reign, however, proved to be transient as he was thoroughly outclassed by Plant during their January 2019 showdown. Since then, Uzcategui would surprisingly lose again, this time, to fringe contender Lionell Thompson.

Despite a few bumps in the road, Uzcategui has gotten back to his destructive ways, picking up back-to-back stoppage wins.

As for Benavidez, he’s continued to make short work of the competition. On March 13th, earlier this year, Benavidez picked up his fourth stoppage win in a row, dispatching Ronald Ellis in the 11th round.

If the Arizona product takes care of business against Uzcategui, especially in explosive fashion, it’ll be ostensible to Benavidez that the winner of Plant vs. Canelo will have no choice but to face him.

“I don’t see why he would go in another direction,” said Benavidez when asked if Canelo will face him if he’s victorious against Uzcategui. “This fight is for the WBC and IBF title eliminator. The winner of this fight has to fight Canelo. It’s not because people want to see it but because I earned the right. When I win this fight, they can’t just skip me.”

Posted on 09/21/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jose Benavidez Sr. will be an interested observer come November 6th, as both unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, and IBF belt holder Caleb Plant, will square off.

Originally, Benavidez Sr. was hoping that his son and former two-time 168-pound titlist, David Benavidez, would get the call to face either man. Instead, his son will look to knock off Jose Uzcategui one week later on November 13th.

As Benavidez Sr. prepares his son to go to war, the long-time trainer quickly analyzed the showdown between Plant and Alvarez. Not only does he expect Plant’s title reign to come to an end, but Benavidez also believes he will endure a physically painful night.

“I think Canelo is really going to hurt Caleb Plant,” said Benavidez Sr. during an interview with Fight Hub TV.

Aside from simply predicting the outcome of the fight, Benavidez Sr. dived deeper into his analysis, giving his exact reason as to why Canelo vs. Plant will be one-way traffic.

“I think he’s very fragile and he tends to get marked up very fast,” continued Benavidez Sr. “If he stays and trades a little bit with Canelo, he has very delicate hands, very fragile hands. I think he’s going to end up breaking his hand. That’s going to be very bad for him because Canelo is going to end up doing everything that he wants to do. He might end up in the hospital.”

As previously mentioned by Benavidez Sr., Plant has a history of hand issues. Heading into his first shot at a world title against Jose Uzcategui, Plant suffered a broken hand and was forced to have subsequent surgery.

More recently, Plant suffered from injury woes to hand yet again. During his latest title defense against former champion Caleb Truax, Plant wounded his left hand early in the fight. Despite essentially fighting with one hand, the Nashville, Tennessee native went on to dominate every round and win a wide unanimous decision.

Pairing Plant’s injury history with his lack of power and Benavidez Sr. believes he’s going to be in a world of hurt against Alvarez. The Mexican native and pound-for-pound star recently ended the career of Billy Joe Saunders. The two clashed in May earlier this year at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

In the eighth and what turned out to be the final round, Alvarez landed a deleterious uppercut that shattered the right orbital bone and eye socket of Saunders. Shortly after, the corner of the British native pulled their man from the bout. Once surgery was completed on the fracture, Saunders announced that he would be retiring from the sport. Unless, of course, long-time rival Chris Eubank Jr., pony up at least five million dollars for their own clash.

Although Benavidez Sr. has never quite seen eye to eye with Plant, he isn’t actively rooting against him. With that said, he views his upcoming task as virtually impossible.

“Hopefully he can do a big upset but I really don’t see it.”