Boxing
David Benavidez’s uncertain future: the burden of expectations
Published
5 months agoon
By
J. HumzaDavid Benavidez’s stock has dropped dramatically since his 175-pound debut against former WBC airy heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on June 15.
Seen as a bogeyman and called the “Mexican monster,” Benavidez (29-0, 24 KO) looked deadly at 175, showing that he is not the fighter the boxing public previously thought he was.
The 27-year-old Benavidez’s performance showed what I expected: He’s only good at 168 pounds due to his massive size advantage over his opponent.
Grandfather clause on hydration?
Benavidez is still adolescent enough to lose weight to compete at 168 pounds and utilize his size to beat smaller fighters. Benavidez would have problems if he had to deal with the 10-pound hydration limit that the IBF imposes on title fights.
Benavidez holds the WBC interim title at 168 pounds, and the organization does not have a 10-pound hydration limit.
Ideally, all sanctioning bodies should have a hydration limit of 10 pounds security reasons to prevent weight bullies from cheating the system to take advantage of their huge size to gain an advantage over a smaller opponent.
If all four sanctioning bodies implement a 10-pound hydration limit to protect fighters, it would put Benavidez in a hard position where he would likely be forced to move up to 175 because he would be unable to gain weight.
The only way to get around this would be for one of the sanctioning bodies to introduce a grandfather clause allowing some players to continue hydrating well beyond the 10-pound limit.
It would be like what Major League Baseball did when it banned the game of baseball spitball in 1920. Under the grandfather clause, they continued to allow spitball pitchers to utilize this field for the rest of their careers.
Without a similar 10-pound hydration limit clause, Benavidez would have had to move up to 175 pounds and swim with predatory sharks without his usual weight advantage over his opponent.
Eddie Hearn’s skepticism
Promoter Eddie Hearn shared his thoughts, stating that Benavidez is not cut out for the 175-pound weight class and will lose to champions Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. Hearn says Benavidez specializes at 168 pounds.
“I like Benavidez; I think he’s a good fighter. How good? [Oleksandr] Gwozdyk is decent. Sold. I don’t think Benavidez is a 175-pounder. I don’t think it will break through [Artur] Beterbiev. I don’t think he will beat Bivol,” said Eddie Hearn Fighting Hub TVtalking about his take on David Benavidez following his recent airy heavyweight debut on June 15.
“I think he’s very strenuous to beat at 168 pounds. I think that’s where a lot of his advantage comes from,” Hearn said of Benavidez.
The future of the Mexican monster
Benavidez’s performance in his 175 debut against Gwozdyk cast doubt on his future in the weight class. If Benavidez continues his campaign at 175, he will likely struggle against Bivol, Beterbiev and several of the top contenders in his weight class.
While Benavidez may be able to return to 168 pounds to continue dominating smaller opponents in that weight class, due to the WBC not having a 10-pound hydration limit, he won’t physically be able to do so for much longer. Benavidez will soon turn 30 and is gaining weight.
If Canelo isn’t going to fight Benavidez, there’s no reason for “The Mexican Monster” to continue dropping down to the 168-pound weight class. Other than the recently defeated Jaime Munguia, no one else is popular in this division.
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Boxing
The fight between Alexis Rocha and Raul Curiel will take place on December 14 at the Toyota Arena
Published
18 hours agoon
November 23, 2024In a clash of forces between two world title contenders, NABO welterweight titleholder Alexis “Lex” Rocha (25-2-0, 16 KO) will put his skills to the test against undefeated knockout and NABF welterweight titleholder Raul “El Cugar “. Curiel (15-0, 13 KO).
The 10-round main event will take place on Saturday, December 14, live from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California, and will be broadcast worldwide on DAZN.
“‘The best versus the best’ is Golden Boy’s mantra and that’s what fans will see as Rocha and Curiel take on everything that’s on the table,” said President and CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Rocha is a veteran whose goal is to win the world title, Curiel is an undefeated blue-chip prospect with huge potential. It’s really a 50/50 fight and I’m looking forward to it.”
Tickets for the Rocha vs. match Curiel will go on sale on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced at $100, $75, $50 and $25, excluding applicable service fees. A confined number of Golden Boy VIP Experience tickets will also be available, including exclusive merchandise and fight night upgrades. Standard and VIP tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com, Toyota-arena.com, Goldenboy.com or at the Toyota Arena box office from Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 16:00
“I’ve seen Raul Curiel all these years and he never once mentioned my name,” Alexis Rocha said. “After my last defeat, he suddenly became interested in fighting me. If he thinks I’ve lost a step or somehow had an simple fight, he’s in for a rude awakening. I can’t wait to make a statement and show the world what I’m capable of.”
Santa Ana, California Rep. Alexis “Lex” Rocha comes from a struggling family. The younger brother of Ronny Rios, he was the youngest fighter to win a gold medal at the Junior Olympics at the age of 14 in 2012 and caught the attention of the boxing world by becoming a six-time national champion during his amateur career. Rocha signed with Golden Boy in January 2016 and made his professional debut in March 2016, defeating Jordan Rosario at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles. Since then, he has amassed an enviable record of powerful knockouts over top contenders and plans to return to world title contention, with his last fight being a victory over undefeated Santiago Dominguez on July 19 last year.
“The fans can expect a war,” said Raul Curiel. “I’m going to prepare well to put on a great show. This will be the most essential fight of my career so far. I know Alexis is a great fighter, a good opponent and will also show up prepared. My focus is on Alexis and if I can beat him, I know it will give me a chance to fight for the world championship.
Boxing
George Kambosos moves up to 140, adds Eddie Hearn to team
Published
1 day agoon
November 23, 2024Former unified lightweight champion George Kambosos approached promoter Eddie Hearn asking for more massive fights.
Kambosos has signed a co-promotional deal with Eddie Hearn, under which the Greek-Australian slugger will continue his association with DiBella Entertainment Inc. and his own company, Ferocious Promotions.
The 21-3 star will move up to the super lightweight division of Matchroom Boxing’s lively division. He aims to become a two-weight world champion in early 2025, and as part of the deal, a title fight is promised as long as he continues to win.
Since his stunning victory over Teofimo Lopez, Kambosos has never shied away from competing against the best. Those three losses on his resume came to Devin Haney [twice] and Vasily Lomachenko, all at home and all for world titles.
The 31-year-old is now set to face compatriot Liam Paro after defending his IBF title against Richardson Hitchins in December in Puerto Rico.
“I am thrilled to be working with Matchroom Boxing. I am excited to have signed a three-way promotional cooperation agreement with my long-time promoter DiBella Entertainment Inc. and Ferocious Promotions,” Kambosos said.
“I made great success and history when I moved up the Matchroom shows by winning my UK elimination fight against Lee Selby. The most noteworthy and unforgettable is my victory against Teofimo at Madison Square Garden in Up-to-date York to become the 135-pound world champion.
“I am officially announcing that I will be moving up to 140 pounds and signing with Matchroom will ensure my continued success and the legacy I want to leave in the sport of boxing.”
Hearn, who adds an experienced campaigner to his stable, added: “I am delighted to welcome George to the team. George’s victory over Teofimo tore up the script and showed that George was the man for the massive time. He has proven to be a huge attraction in Australia and one of the real driving forces behind the rapid growth of boxing Down Under.
“The 140-pound division is full of massive names and massive potential fights. Adding George to the mix only elevates the level, and a possible fight with Liam Paro is a truly appetizing prospect. If Liam manages to win in a great fight against Richardson on December 7th [the fight could be on].
Lou DiBella, who has worked with Kambosos for years, said: “I’m glad I was able to make a deal with my antique buddy Eddie to work with George Kambosos Jr. and Ferocious Promotions.
“Throughout his career, George has been a fighter who has never shied away from a challenge, and now he wants to test himself against top junior welterweights.
Matchroom works with top 140-pounders, including George’s compatriot Liam Paro, and, like DiBella Entertainment, is heavily invested in Australia.
“It’s a natural partnership,” added the Up-to-date Yorker.
Boxing
Mike Tyson had absolutely no chance of knocking out Jake Paul
Published
3 days agoon
November 21, 2024One of the hottest topics surrounding Mike Tyson’s return at the age of 58 was the possibility of the boxing legend scoring a knockout of Jake Paul.
WBN has weighed in on this topic several times, questioning the validity of five-second training clips that revealed nothing about Tyson’s abilities at this overdue age. One of the most intriguing observations during the preparations was the opinion of UFC commentator Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on his show “Funky and the Champ,” Cormier reflected on Tyson’s social media videos and offered an informed opinion on the meaning of the clips.
“I understand that [he is in amazing shape at 58]and I understand what he is saying [he feels as though he can compete]– Cormier said. “And I agree that when he hits the pads with Rafael Cordeiro, it looks like there’s still something left in him.
“But then I watch Jake Paul fight Mike Perry. I saw Jake Paul get overwhelmed to the point where he started to feel uncomfortable. It looked like Mike Perry had a chance. But Jake has a reserve tank he can go to and benefit from because he’s 28 years ancient. Then he comes back and finally finishes Mike Perry.
“At the beginning of the fight, Mike Perry gets beaten up and dropped. He looks trained and unmatched. This worries me because what if it looks like a 58-year-old man fighting a 28-year-old man while Mike can’t employ the backup tank to stay and compete with this newborn kid? I think it’s a failure for Jake Paul because if you beat Mike Tyson, everyone will love him.
He added: “What if Mike knocks him out? It’s over. Everything is ready. This would be the backfire of all time. If he gets knocked out, nothing like that has ever happened in the history of the sport.”
Unfortunately for Tyson, this revenge backfired spectacularly, as the former heavyweight champion’s return was the only event that bombed. Tyson had nothing left twenty years after he had nothing left in his tank and no desire to box in his mind.
Paul parlayed this into a money-making scheme that would forever be a success for him and his company, but would be poorly received by the die-hard boxing fraternity.
Cormier’s words resonate, especially after what happened in the ring when Mike Tyson struggled to shift into first gear, warning former fighters thinking about returning after 50.
‘MIKE TYSON WON’T FIGHT EVER AGAIN!’ – Gareth A Davies
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