Tag Archives: david benavidez

Posted on 08/11/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The long climb back up the super middleweight ladder just got incredibly longer for David Benavidez.

The former two-time 168-pound belt holder has been pulled from his showdown against former titlist Jose Uzcategui due to the 24-year-old testing positive for COVID-19. Originally, Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) and Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs) were set to face off on August 28th, in Phoenix Arizona.

Now, the two will wait patiently as a new date is currently being worked on.

For the undefeated hard-hitting former champion, Benavidez had hoped that he could build up a bit of momentum. Since losing his titles on the scale before his showdown against Roamer Alexis Angulo in August of 2020, Benavidez has gone on to stop former middleweight fringe contender Ronald Ellis. Benavidez pummeled his man throughout 11 rounds of action in mid-May earlier this year. The 24-year-old grew anxious as the days slowly ticked by towards his matchup against Uzcategui. Now, however, he’ll be forced to wait.

While Benavidez is ultimately disappointed with what has transpired, Uzcategui is none too pleased as well. At one point, the 30-year-old Venezuelan native was considered one of the rising young stars in the division.

After bulldozing Andre Dirrell in March of 2018 for the IBF interim crown, Uzcategui was elevated to full titleholder shortly after. He then went on to defend his title against Ezequiel Osvaldo Maderna. Following the lopsided victory, Uzcategui stepped into the ring with Caleb Plant. Although the former titlist was viewed as the betting favorite, he was dropped in rounds two and four before ultimately losing a wide decision.

The results for Uzcategui since then have been somewhat underwhelming. Following the defeat, the former belt holder stopped journeymen Roberto Valdez before picking up an expected decision loss at the hands of fringe contender Lionell Thompson.

Despite his recent shortcomings, Uzcategui is currently on a two-fight win streak. Just a few short months ago, the hard-hitting Venezuelan destroyed Jaime Hernandez Lopez, stopping him in the second round.

Posted on 07/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jermall Charlo had a tougher than expected time in his last ring appearance. The current WBC middleweight belt holder took on fringe contender, Juan Macias Montiel, in the backyard of Charlo in Houston, Texas on June 19th.

While the stoppage was expected, Montiel left many with their jaws wide open as he pushed the truculent knockout artist like never before. Despite his struggles, Charlo still cruised to a unanimous decision win on the night. Immediately after, Charlo turned his attention to current unified super middleweight titlist, Canelo Alvarez.

For a number of years now, Charlo has called for a showdown against the Mexican product. But while he’s made it clear that he’ll face Alvarez at any weight class, former super middleweight champion David Benavidez continues to interject. The two-time belt holder has made it clear that he wants Charlo as soon as possible.

With the WBC titlist showing little to no interest in moving up in weight to take on Benavidez in the immediate future, fans have claimed that Charlo is terrified to take on the heavy-handed knockout artist. Yet, in Ronnie Shields opinion, Charlo’s trainer, he finds the notion that his fighter is scared of Benavidez completely laughable.

“Who are we avoiding?” Asked Shields during an interview with Fight Hype TV. “Business says, we don’t need Benavidez to get to Canelo. If we needed Benavidez to get to Canelo, then we would’ve done that. Jermall is already champion of the world. Benavidez is nobody, he has nothing, he has nothing to offer Jermall.”

At the moment, Shields believes that the fame and notoriety of Benavidez mean very little. What does matter, however, is championship hardware, something Benavidez is currently lacking.

“It would’ve been better if Benavidez would’ve still been champion. If Jermall beats him now, he just beat another opponent. Benavidez brings nothing to the table, he doesn’t have anything. He was champion of the world but lost his belt on the scale. Now he’s chasing and trying to get the belt back. If we fight him, it doesn’t mean anything.”

After regaining his title in September of 2019, Benavidez, 24, had an unfortunate mental lapse. In preparation for his showdown against Roamer Alexis Angulo in August of 2020, Benavidez failed to make the 168-pound limit and was subsequently stripped of his world title. He’s since vowed to make amends and is working diligently to regain what was once his.

The road to a third world title for Benavidez starts in just a few more weeks against former titlist, Jose Uzcategui. At the moment, Benavidez ranks number one in the WBC sanctioning body. Alvarez, who holds the full title, is a matchup that both Benavidez and Charlo would love to have sooner, rather than later.

Recently, Benavidez offered to stage an elimination bout of sorts against Charlo, with the winner receiving the ultimate prize.

“We both want Canelo,” said Benavidez on his Instagram account with a picture of himself and Charlo. “Let’s earn the shot at him by fighting each other. Winner gets Canelo, how about that?”

The suggestion of a winner take all matchup, however, has left an incredulous look on the face of Shields. Regardless of whether Charlo takes on Benavidez or not, Shields fully expects his man to land a mega showdown with Alvarez extremely soon.

“Jermall is already in the conversation with Canelo. Why would Jermall need to go fight Benavidez to get to Canelo? What sense does that make? Why would he need Benavidez when we’re already going to get Canelo. He needs Jermall to get to Canelo and we don’t.”

Posted on 07/06/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez currently has tunnel vision. The former 168-pound titlist is in the midst of an arduous training camp as he prepares to take on former super middleweight belt holder, Jose Uzcategui on August 28th.

Although Benavidez knows that the hard-hitting Venezuelan is no pushover, he can’t help but notice the long list of options that are possibly awaiting him if he gets the job done. Amongst those options, is current WBC middleweight titlist, Jermall Charlo. Both Benavidez and Charlo have spent the past several months hurling verbal threats at one another. Recently, Charlo was last seen in the ring on June 19th, against, Juan Macias Montiel.

Considering that Montiel has never been viewed as a top contender, Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) expected the pugnacious Houstonian to get rid of his man in devastating fashion. Yet, not only did Montiel survive a 12 round war with Charlo but he pushed him unlike most are used to seeing. For the most part, Charlo has always lobbied criticism in the direction of Benavidez, but, after watching his most recent performance, Benavidez believes that Charlo needs to look in the mirror.

“I thought he was going to stop Montiel,” said Benavidez during an interview with Little Giant Boxing. “That shows that there’s flaws in his game. He’s talking about everybody has flaws but he has flaws of his own.”

As the persistent trash talk between them continues, there appears to be one major roadblock in the way of making their showdown a reality, weight. With Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) stating on numerous occasions that he plans on staying at 160 for quite some time, Benavidez is realizing that in order to get Charlo in the ring, he’ll need to shed a few pounds.

“I’ll probably try to go down to 160 if he really wants 160. It would be a great fight. I’m not saying it would be easy but I know I can stop Charlo.”

Dropping down in weight would seemingly be difficult for Benavidez. Not only has he never competed at anything lower than 163 pounds, but earlier in his career, the Arizona native fought as high as 180. Still, if a fight with Charlo can be made, the former two-time 168-pound belt holder is willing to acquiesce to his weight demands.

Nonetheless, Benavidez is trying his best to keep Charlo off his mind. With a hard-hitting former titlist standing in his way in less than two months, Benavidez knows good and well that he has to keep his eyes on the prize.

“We have to see how everything goes,” continued Benavidez. “I can’t talk about a fight ahead of this one, I have to take care of this one first. I’m excited, not only because he’s a former world champion but because he brings fireworks to the table. It’s going to be a war.”

Posted on 06/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo flat out don’t like each other. The two have spent the past several months throwing verbal haymakers at one another through social media and whenever a microphone is present.

Although Charlo campaigns at a lower weight class, the WBC middleweight titlist expressed a desire to go up in weight to face Benavidez. Yet, once the former two time super middleweight titlist openly took him up on his offer, Charlo seemingly backtracked, claiming that he wouldn’t face anyone under the age of 25 and also stating that if Benavidez wanted to fight him, he would have to squeeze down to the 160-pound limit.

While Benavidez and Charlo appear to be polar opposites with a clear disdain for one another, they do share one thing in common. The pursuit of a showdown against pound-for-pound star Canelo Alvarez. Although Charlo continues to lobby for the fight to take place next against the Mexican star, Benavidez has an idea.

“We both want Canelo,” said Benavidez on his Instagram account with a picture of himself and Charlo. “Let’s earn the shot at him by fighting each other. Winner gets Canelo, how about that?”

If Charlo was to take Benavidez up on his offer, the Houstonian will first have to rest up. Just this past weekend, the former two-division champion defended his WBC crown against Juan Macias Montiel. In what many believed would be a walk in the park, it was anything but that, as it turned into an absolute dog fight. Charlo had his hands full in front of his hometown Houston fans at the Toyota Center. Despite the back and forth war, Charlo would walk away from their contest with hands raised in victory but was visibly beat up.

As for Benavidez, the 24-year-old made it look incredibly easy against Ronald Ellis in his most recent ring appearance, stopping him in the 11th round. Now, the Phoenix, Arizona native will look to send another body to the canvas when he takes on former 168-pound belt holder, Jose Uzcategui. The two are scheduled to get it on August 28th at a yet to be named venue.

Posted on 05/17/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez was originally taken aback by the amount of vitriol aimed in his direction from WBC middleweight belt holder Jermall Charlo. Just a few months ago, the former two-time super middleweight champion stated that if Charlo were to move up in weight, a clash between them would be must-see television.

Unappreciative of his words, Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) lashed out in a fit of rage, claiming he would stop Benavidez if the two met in the ring. From there, the war of words between them began. Not a fan of the back and forth rhetoric, Benavidez simply offered to take Charlo on in his next bout. While the Phoenix, Arizona resident was confident that their showdown would materialize, he quickly realized that Charlo was all talk and no action.

“There were no negotiations,” said Benavidez during an interview with ESNews. “I told him let’s fight and he started talking shit and spitting everywhere and yelling like how he does but there was no effort to make the fight.”

Charlo, 30, is currently preparing to defend his middleweight crown against fringe contender Juan Macias Montiel on June 19th. Although the Houston native has expressed an eagerness to move up in weight to face unified super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez, he isn’t willing to do the same for a clash with Benavidez.

In the mind of Charlo, moving eight pounds north to face Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) doesn’t make any sense. For starters, Charlo is reluctant to drop his middleweight title. Furthermore, with Benavidez currently beltless, he believes he gains nothing from challenging the 24-year-old. With that said, Benavidez views the words of Charlo as nothing more than excuses.

While Charlo has stated that he has nothing to gain from fighting him, the eyes of Benavidez lights up with dollar signs. Although the official purse of Charlo and his fifth title defense hasn’t been revealed, Benavidez is confident that the Houstonian would have seen a substantially larger payday for their clash instead.

“He could’ve made the fight happen. Who is he fighting? He could’ve fought me. He could’ve been fighting Benavidez for triple the money but he didn’t want it.”

Posted on 05/16/2021

By: Hans Themistode

The sport of boxing has always had a specific pecking order. Those who are at the top have constantly dictated terms on when, how and where a showdown will take place.

Long before Floyd Mayweather became the top dog several years ago, he was forced to acquiesce to the demands of Oscar De La Hoya when the two faced off in 2007. Mayweather openly admitted that De La Hoya even chose the gloves he would wear on fight night.

Following that exact same blueprint, is pound-for-pound star, Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican native continues to rack up the wins and world titles but before a contest with him can be made, Alvarez makes it clear that he is the A side of the promotion. While some fighters have a problem forfeiting such power, super middleweight contender David Benavidez has no issue with playing second fiddle to Alvarez.

“He calls the shots, I got no power, I don’t got no belt,” said Benavidez during an interview with FightHype.com. “I’ll fight him in my backyard if that’s what it takes.”

Benavidez, 24, stood back and watched as Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs) took care of business last weekend against British native Billy Joe Saunders. The two faced off at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas with three of the four super middleweight titles on the line. After a fairly competitive eight rounds, Alvarez ended things violently with a right uppercut in the eighth round. The moment it landed, Saunders winced in pain and held on to his man until the end of the round. As Saunders slumped into his corner, his team attempted to work on his right eye but to no avail.

With another dramatic win under his belt, Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) is convinced that Alvarez is a heavy hitter. With that said, the 24-year-old is extremely confident that he has all of the necessary tools to give him one helluva fight.

“His power is legit, he’s a f*cking great fighter but I feel like I’m the one who can give him that great fight. The type of people that have been fighting him, they’ve all been running from him. If you look at the (Danny) Jacobs fight, you look at the (Gennadiy) Golovkin fight, they stood there and fought with him. That’s why Canelo didn’t stop them. I got the power, I got the jab, I got great body shots so I feel like I can make it happen. We’re just waiting for the opportunity.”

Posted on 05/12/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez wasn’t entirely surprised that Canelo Alvarez defeated Billy Joe Saunders, but nevertheless, he was still impressed. The two faced off in a super middleweight unification bout this past weekend at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. 

In front of over 73,000 screaming fans, Saunders gave Alvarez a competitive bout before the Mexican star landed a devastating right uppercut that completely shattered the right orbital bone of his man. 

With Alvarez adding the WBO title previously held by Saunders to his WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine belts to his collection, he’s only one title away from becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion in boxing history. In order to do so, Alvarez will be tasked with handing IBF titlist Caleb Plant the first defeat of his career, something Benavidez believes he’ll get done with relative ease. 

“I think Canelo beats him easier than he did Billy Joe Saunders,” said Benavidez during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “I think he’ll stop Caleb Plant with a body shot, I really feel like Caleb Plant doesn’t take body shots too well and Canelo throws amazing body shots.” 

At the moment, Plant is hoping that he’ll receive the opportunity to make everyone, including Benavidez, eat their words. The 28-year-old dominated his latest opponent in long-faded former champion, Caleb Truax this past January. Following the win, Plant didn’t eschew from the possibility of facing Alvarez. Despite the belief in himself, Benavidez simply isn’t buying his chances. 

While the Mexican star may crave a showdown with Plant more than anyone else in the boxing world, the IBF belt holder is currently under the banner of Premier Boxing Champions. Alvarez, on the other hand, while a promotional free agent, has stated on numerous occasions that he would like nothing more than to continue his business relationship with promoter Eddie Hearn. Those relationship ties could lead to long, drawn-out contract negotiations. With that said, Benavidez is firmly under the belief that their showdown makes too much sense for it to not happen next. 

“I think so, I think it makes sense on both sides. Caleb Plant is what? 29 years old? He’s probably in his prime right now and he doesn’t have any bigger opportunity than that. What else does he want? Fighting Canelo is the biggest opportunity anybody ever gets. It has to be made, I’m sure it’s going to be in September.”

Posted on 03/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jermall Charlo has made it no secret that he is interested in trading fists with former WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez. Although he currently campaigns one weight class higher, Charlo hasn’t backed down from his claim that he will not only move up in weight to face Benavidez but also that he would cause serious damage to him if their contest does in fact become a reality.

While Benavidez is his main target, Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) would have no issue with making a slight detour.

After taking a closer look at the super middleweight division, the Houston native is under the impression that while a matchup with Benavidez would end a knockout victory, the beating he would dish out to him wouldn’t compare to what he would do to IBF belt holder Caleb Plant.

“Caleb Plant don’t want no smoke with me,” said Charlo during an interview with Brian Custer on the Last Stand Podcast. “I’ll put that boy right back in Tennessee.”

Much like Benavidez, the issue with making any of these matchups a reality is that Charlo currently holds the WBC middleweight title and expressed a desire in unifying the division.

With Charlo last defending his title in September of 2019 against perennial contender Sergey Derevyanchenko in a one-sided match, the former two-division champion has remained idle on the sidelines. But while he has doesn’t have a concrete date set in stone for his next ring appearance, Charlo revealed that he wouldn’t mind taking on Plant as soon as possible.

In fact, Charlo is so confident in the outcome of that matchup, that he has no problem handing Plant the weight advantage on fight night.

“I’ll weigh in at about 162, 163 and beat Caleb Plant’s ass. Stop playing with me, he’s too small for 68 anyways.”

Currently, Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) is on a collision course with unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

On January 30th earlier this year, the Nashville, Tennessee native held up his end of the bargain as he easily outboxed long-faded former champion, Caleb Truax. With Alvarez scheduled to take on WBO titlist Billy Joe Saunders on May 8th, should he win, all that would be missing from his 168-pound belt collection is the IBF title currently draped over the shoulder of Plant.

If, for whatever reason, a showdown between the pair doesn’t take place, Charlo appears ready, willing and able to take on all comers.

“I’m down for whatever. I’m here to fight whoever.”

Posted on 03/23/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jermall Charlo can hear the demands. He can also feel the squeeze placed on him by the boxing fans. For the past several months, Charlo has engaged in a back and forth war of words with former super middleweight champion David Benavidez.

With the Houston native claiming that he will leave Benavidez comatose if they ever fight, Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) has stood firmly behind his words. At the moment, however, Charlo doesn’t plan on facing him anytime soon. While he still believes he has work to do at 160 pounds, Charlo has become dumbfounded by the number of people who want him to move up to face the 24-year-old knockout artist now.

Regardless of the constant pleas from boxing fans, Charlo is in no rush to make the leap eight pounds north. In fact, if given the choice, he would much rather face someone else he has grown to detest instead.

“I campaign at 160 bro but the pressure is on me to move up to fight this clown?” said Charlo during an interview with Brian Custer on the Last Stand Podcast. “I’ll take the (Demetrius) Andrade fight before that. I’ll stay at 160.”

Although WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade has chased a fight with Charlo for years now, a deal between them has failed to materialize. In the mind of Charlo, a matchup with Andrade makes more sense on many levels. For one, Andrade, like himself, is a middleweight belt holder. In the case of Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) on the other hand, he is currently beltless.

While many have viewed Charlo as getting cold feet in an attempt to get out of the fight, the former two-division belt holder just doesn’t believe the fight makes any sense right now.

“I’m the WBC middleweight champion of the world. This dude fights at 168 and he has no belt, no title. I don’t get the duck situation. People just aren’t being smart but that’s part of the game. Me moving up to 168 to fight a nobody, with no belt, for nothing? I might as well go up to 168 and fight a champion.”

Posted on 03/16/2021

By: Hans Themistode

If Jermall Charlo gets his hands on David Benavidez, he’s as confident as ever that the outcome won’t be a pretty one for the former super middleweight belt holder.

Charlo, 30, has spent the past several months calling for a showdown between the pair. Despite campaigning one weight class lower, Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) has offered to either face Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) at a catchweight or, simply move up completely to the 168-pound division.

Although the 24-year-old is fresh off a one-sided beating against Ronald Ellis this past weekend, stopping him in the 11th round, Charlo noticed several holes in his game.

“Let’s make that fight happen,” said Charlo on the Last Stand Podcast with Brian Custer. “I’m a knock his little punk a*s out. I promise that. I put that on everything I love. I’ll give him about four rounds, five rounds, six rounds, no more. He gets hit too much. I’m powerful, I’ll explode on him trust me.”

Supremely interested in the bout himself, Benavidez has tabbed Charlo as the fighter he wants to face above all others. Currently, the Houston native is without a dance partner. He has sat idly by since his win over Sergey Derevyanchenko in September of 2020.

What was thought to be the most difficult contest of his career, turned into one of his easier ones as Charlo pounded the perennial contender over the course of 12 rounds. Following the victory, Charlo has shouted for Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin to take him on next.

Noticing that neither showdown seems likely for the immediate future, Charlo has turned his attention towards Benavidez.

Not one to back down from a challenge, the 24-year-old knockout artist has not only pursued a Charlo showdown but he has set a date of September as when he would like to step into the ring with him.

For Charlo, he appears to be all for making their contest a reality. Much like his moniker of “Lions Only” the former two-division world champion wants to remind everyone, including Benavidez that it isn’t just a nickname but more so a way of life.

“I do my thing, I been doing this all my life. Put me in there, I’m a lion bro, let’s get it.”

Posted on 03/14/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez hadn’t even wiped the blood away from his gloves before turning to the camera and calling out his next opponent.

“I wanna fight Charlo,” said Benavidez during a virtual press conference. “I think that would be a great fight. He was saying all this stuff that he could knock me out, come do it.”

Just moments before daring WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo to step into the ring with him, Benavidez handed fringe contender Ronald Ellis a one-sided beating at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville Connecticut. Each punch that Benavidez landed produced a smile on his 24-year-old face. 

After relentlessly tormenting his man for the vast majority of their contest, referee Johnny Callas mercifully called an end to their bout in the 11th. 

With unified champion Canelo Alvarez and WBO belt holder Billy Joe Saunders wrapped up in a unification contest that will take place in early May, along with IBF titlist Caleb Plant currently waiting on standby to take on the winner, Benavidez has given his undivided attention to Charlo. 

On several occasions the WBC middleweight champion has stated that despite Benavidez campaigning one weight class higher, that he would have no problem moving up in weight and leaving the 24-year-old flat on his back. 

Since his bold claims, Charlo has somewhat changed his tune. No longer is he interested in facing Benavidez at 168 pounds, instead, he has offered to take him on at a catchweight. Even if Benavidez were willing to accept his fight terms, Charlo outlined several other demands including Benavidez, along with anyone else he faces, taking a COVID-19 vaccine and refusing to take on anyone under the age of 25. Currently, that would make Benavidez ineligible to placate Charlo’s wishes. 

With that said, the former two time super middleweight belt holder is now of the belief that even if he could alter his date of birth documents and get vaccinated, that Charlo would still be hesitant to put his money where his mouth is and make the fight happen.

“He said he was going to move up to 168 but now he’s back peddling. He was saying all this stuff that he could knock me out, come do it.”

While his preference is to face Charlo next, that doesn’t absolve the rest of the super middleweight division. Regardless of Benavidez being one of the youngest and least experienced fighters in his weight class, he won’t back down from his claim that it doesn’t matter who steps into the ring with him next. The end result will be the exact same. 

“If anybody thinks it’s an easy task then come see me in the ring. I’ll show you otherwise. I’m willing to fight whoever, I’m not scared of anybody. I’m the youngest guy on this roster and I’ll knock everybody out.”

Posted on 03/13/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Jermall Charlo continues to hoot and holler in the direction of David Benavidez. The current WBC middleweight titlist has warned the super middleweight contender on several occasions that he wants to move up in weight and knock him clean out.

Never has Benavidez been one to back away from a challenge so it came as no surprise that he welcomed a showdown against Charlo with open arms. But as Charlo continues to bark in his direction, Benavidez is starting to realize that everything he’s doing is all for show.

“They aren’t calling me out,” said Benavidez during an interview with Fight Hub TV. “They’re talking sh*t for social media. I don’t really be on social media because I make stuff happen in real life.”

Benavidez, 24, is only a few hours away from taking on fringe contender Ronald Ellis at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. With their upcoming showdown pegged as a title eliminator, Benavidez believes he’s just within arms reach of landing a more significant fight. Just who exactly that would be against is a question the former belt holder struggles to answer.

While he admits that a fight with Charlo would be a significant one, he also knows that it takes two to tango. After jumping at the opportunity to face Charlo the moment he was called out, Benavidez slowly began hearing what he believes were excuses and hesitation from the Houston native.

“Charlo said he was going to knock me out and I told him I accept the challenge let’s fight. I’ll knock you the f*ck out. But then he said I needed a Covid vaccine. Then he said he wouldn’t fight anybody under 25. It’s nothing but excuses.”

Even with what Benavidez deems to be “excuses” Charlo continues to point and shout in his direction. Recently, the pugnacious knockout artist suggested a catchweight bout, rather than moving up to the super middleweight division.

In the mind of Benavidez though, that doesn’t make any sense. Charlo has always come off as an aggressive personality and should simply make the move eight pounds north to make things happen. All of that screaming and snarling is unnecessary in his opinion. If Charlo wants to prove that he’s as tough as he says he is, then Benavidez believes he should do less talking and more action.

“If you really want to show me how gangsta you are, see me in the ring. If Charlo wants to grow a set of balls, maybe we can get a fight.”

Posted on 03/10/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez doesn’t claim to know everything, however, he does believe he knows how his future will ultimately unfold.

Currently, the former WBC super-middleweight belt holder is patiently watching the clock in his hotel room as he waits for his upcoming showdown against fringe contender Ronald Ellis to finally arrive in what would be his first fight since losing his title on the scales late last year. The two are slated to face off in the main event slot at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Picking up the win this Saturday night is a foregone conclusion to the 24-year-old. But so is a matchup with current unified champion Canelo Alvarez.

“I know I’m going to be the undisputed champion,” said Benavidez during a recent interview with Fight Hub TV. “I know I’m going to be the one to beat Canelo. I’m just waiting for the opportunity.”

With his showdown against Ellis elevated to a WBC world title eliminator, Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) could move one step closer to a matchup with Alvarez.

Well, in theory, yes, but in actuality, Benavidez doesn’t believe so.

“He has a history of vacating titles when he’s meant to fight a strong mandatory. He knows that I’m a threat.”

On numerous occasions, Alvarez has in actuality, vacated his world title. In 2016, two-division world champion Demetrius Andrade claimed that Alvarez avoided a showdown with him when he sat in the mandatory position for the Mexican native’s WBO Jr middleweight world title. Alvarez would, in fact, go on to drop his championship and instead, elected to take on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at a catchweight of 164 pounds. Four months later, Alvarez would then challenge Gennadiy Golovkin.

Similarly enough, current WBC middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo has shared a similar story.

Shortly after Alvarez successfully unified his WBC and WBA middleweight titles by taking the IBF crown held by then-champion Daniel Jacobs in 2019, Charlo called for his chance as he held the WBC interim crown.

Alvarez though, would have his title taken away from him by WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman and instead, replaced with the “Franchise,” tag instead. A new and still confusing term.

In those instances, Alvarez elected to go in another direction but in the case of mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim, the pound-for-pound star faced the Turkish product and made quick work of him, stopping in three rounds just a few weeks ago.

For the most part, fans fulminated over the selection of Yildirim as the mandatory challenger as he held that position even after he was defeated in his most recent fight against Anthony Dirrell more than two years ago. Still, for Benavidez, he wasn’t bothered by the entire ordeal.

The way he see’s it, Yildirim was better off stuffing his pockets with large sums of cash rather than receiving the same sort of beating at his hands for less than half the pay.

“I feel like I definitely deserved the mandatory spot to fight Canelo but if you look at it, Yildirim was mandatory since he lost to Anthony Dirrell two years ago. I really don’t have a problem with that. I feel like Canelo just wanted to stay active and that was probably the easiest fight available to him.

“Yildirim, at the end of the day, every fighter deserves to get paid. I feel like if I was going to fight Yildirim I would’ve knocked him out easily. At least now he made more money for getting knocked out.”

As it currently stands, the entire fight calendar of Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) this year is completely booked. On May 8th, he is set to take on WBO belt holder Billy Joe Saunders. Should he pick up the win, his goal would be to then move on to an undisputed showdown against IBF titlist Caleb Plant.

At no point has Alvarez mentioned the possibility of taking on Benavidez. But while most might take that as a slight, the 24-year-old views it as a compliment. Although he doesn’t believe team Alvarez would admit it, Benavidez is firmly under the belief that they know deep down inside just how dangerous he is.

“As much as they want to say that I don’t have experience and I have problems with the weight, at the end of the day, they haven’t taken the fight. They’ve been leaving me for last because I’m the hardest out of the bunch. If I was such an easy target, he would’ve taken my WBC title back then.”

Posted on 03/09/2021

By: Hans Themistode

David Benavidez doesn’t like anyone in or around his 168-pound weight class. Over the years, the former two-time super middleweight world champion has had his fair share of public feuds.

Amongst them have been current IBF titlist, Caleb Plant.

Whenever an opportunity to name his most disliked fighter came along, Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) wasted no time in naming the Nashville Tennessee native. Recently however, Benavidez has found himself sharing war words with another fighter. The back and forth rhetoric between the pair has now gotten to the point where he has officially usurped Plant as the one fighter Benavidez despises the most.

“The person that I just want to beat the sh*t out of right now is (Jermall) Charlo,” said Benavidez during a recent interview. “He was talking sh*t about me.”

For the Arizona native, he still struggles in his attempt to pinpoint when exactly his issues with Charlo first began. In his opinion, he has always held the surly knockout artist in high regard. Despite his fuzzy memory, Benavidez believes the line of respect was officially crossed. Now, there’s no turning back.

“The way this started off is they would ask me about Charlo cause they were saying he was going to come up to 168,” explained Benavidez. “I never disrespected him, I said it would be a great fight. I’m actually a fan of Charlo I like the way he fights. Stylistically he’s a brawler, I’m a brawler so you get nothing but fireworks at the end.

“I guess he must’ve felt some type of way about it because he was doing an interview and he was just like he would snap my f*cking neck and beat the sh*t out of me,” continued Benavidez. “So I’m like okay mother f*cker, your gonna beat the sh*t out of me? Well, let’s get it then.”

Although Benavidez gets increasingly agitated while discussing Charlo, the former multiple-time belt holder will get a chance to take out his aggression on fringe contender Ronald Ellis. The two are slated to face one another this coming weekend at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville Connecticut.

Should he get past Ellis, Benavidez could find himself as the mandatory challenger to unified champion Canelo Alvarez as his showdown with Ellis is a title eliminator.

But while he would love the opportunity to face Alvarez, Benavidez appears to be more fixated in taking on Charlo.

The current WBC middleweight titlist has made his feelings known in terms of facing the acrimonious Benavidez.

In numerous interviews over the past several months, the Houstonian has claimed that he would be moving up to the super middleweight division soon to get his hands on Benavidez. If, however, the former champion can’t wait until he is a full-fledged 168 pounder, then Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) has offered to take him on at a catchweight instead.

Nevertheless, Benavidez has declined Charlo’s catchweight option and implore’s him to make the move eight pounds north to face him in the ring.

With Charlo replacing Caleb Plant as his number one choice as his next opponent after he faces Ellis, that doesn’t mean that Benavidez has now acquired a soft spot for the IBF champion.

In the perfect world, the 24-year-old would rather face them both. But not over the course of several months but rather on the same night.

“I never disrespected him in any type of way but when you tell me your gonna snap my neck and your gonna f*cking knock me out, well you better keep your word. Now we gotta fight. I’m not gonna have anybody talk to me like that. Him, Caleb Plant, I’ll knock both of them the f*ck out in the same night.”

Posted on 03/04/2021

By: Hans Themistode

No matter how he tried, Caleb Plant just couldn’t end his night early.

When the current IBF super middleweight titlist took on former belt holder Caleb Truax on January 30th, Plant promised that he would deliver a knockout on the night. While that proved to be false, he did however, win every single round.

A peak audience of just over two million tuned in to watch the one-sided matchup. Amongst them, was former WBC champion, David Benavidez. Although he still isn’t a fan of Plant, he did acknowledge that the performance was a good one. With that said, Benavidez believes that his long-time rival failed to make a statement.

“It was a good performance,” said Benavidez during a recent interview with Fight Hype. “He did what he had to do. He landed everything that he had to land but when you’re a champion like that, you want to make a statement.

“Especially a guy over the hill like that, what is Truax, 39-years-old? He was getting hit with literally every shot and he had nothing to offer you. He didn’t come back with anything so it’s very disappointing if you’re a Caleb Plant fan. He goes out there and hits an old guy with everything and you still can’t stop him?”

Unlike Benavidez, who is known for leaving his opponents comatose, Plant is much more of a boxer. The Nashville Tennessee native may have a few stoppage victories under his belt but they come far and few between.

In the eyes of Benavidez though, Plant simply doesn’t have any power in his fists to cause much harm to anyone. In fact, the two-time belt holder doesn’t only believe Plant is feather fisted, no, he took things a step further.

“I feel like he’s just a weak champion.”

For several years now, Benavidez has attempted to lure Plant into the ring. His efforts however, have all been in vain as both sides haven’t come close to actual showdown. Currently, Benavidez is wrapping up his training camp as he prepares to take on fringe contender Ronald Ellis on March 13th.

As for Plant, on the other hand, he appears to be on his way to a unification showdown against Canelo Alvarez. First things first, of course, Alvarez must get past WBO titlist Billy Joe Saunders on May 8th. Should he do just that, a matchup between Alvarez and Plant is believed to be next.

If everything goes according to plan, all of the super-middleweight titles would be on the line in their showdown. But while Alvarez continues to be active, Benavidez doesn’t believe Plant will risk the biggest payday of his career and will instead, opt to sit on the sidelines until his number is called.

“I feel like he’s going to sit out until he gets that fight.”