Lionell Thompson believes David Benavidez is “not the monster at 175” that he was at 168. That’s why Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs) is moving back down to 168 after a brutal fight with Oleksandr Gvozdyk in his 175 debut on June 15.
This is not elite in this weight class
Thompson, a super middleweight title challenger, believes Benavidez is “just another good boxer” at 175 pounds but would be “destroyed” against unified lithe heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez faltered in the second half of his win over Gvozdyk, and Thompson believes it was because he was taking rigid punches and was forced to fight harder than usual.
“Mexican Monster” Benavidez didn’t wear out Gwozdyk in the first half of the fight like he does against his smaller 168-pound opponent, so he couldn’t rely on getting on the court in the second half because he was forced to expend so much energy given the pressure, which Oleksandr exerted on him at the beginning.
Benavidez says he is moving back down to 168 pounds, but intends to move back down to 175. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh wants Benavidez to fight the winner of the undisputed lithe heavyweight title fight on October 12 between Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
The money Benavidez will receive in a fight with the winner of this fight will be too much for him to turn down, so he will return and face his destiny.
Artur Beterbiev: A real monster
“He started getting hit back and David didn’t finish the fight as forceful,” Lionell Thompson said Fighting with excitementtalking about David Benavidez’s lithe heavyweight debut on June 15th against Oleksandr Gvozdyk.
“Someone like Arthur [Beterbiev]who will be on you every second of every round, who hits extremely rigid, David is destroyed. Benavidez goes back to 168. I think he knows, “It’s not the same.”
“Now David realizes, ‘I’m not a monster. I’m a lower-weight monster beating up little boys. But when it comes to these massive guys, I’m just another good fighter. I’m not a monster.’
“Arthur is a real monster. So I think he is [Benavidez] something like: “I’ll go back to 168. I’m a monster at this weight.” These massive guys, these guys my size? No, I’m not an elite fighter at this weight,” Thompson said.
If Benavidez faces IBF/WBC/WBO lithe heavyweight champion Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs), he will likely be chopped in the same manner as Callum Smith was earlier this year on January 13.
Beterbiev destroyed former WBA super middleweight champion Smith, breaking him down with relentless pressure before stopping him in the seventh round. Smith is a bigger puncher than Benavidez, but he was unable to stop Beterbiev even though he landed several powerful punches.
Beterbiev withstood the blows and continuously punched the stork-like 6-foot-10 fighter until he was pulled out by his trainer, James “Buddy” McGirt, in the seventh round.
The future of Benavidez
“He [Benavidez] he gets stronger in the second half against a smaller team, but now he’s up there with a guy [Gvozdyk] who throws punches that are massive and can take punishment and give a little bit,” Thompson said. “We see him fading away. He’s just another decent, good boxer at lithe heavyweight.”
Benavidez had a arduous time defeating Caleb Plant, defending him in a hard-fought fight that went to a 12-round unanimous decision.
Now that Benavidez is moving up to the 168-pound division after starting at 175, he may not be as good as he was in the past because it’s not basic for fighters to get back into the division when their weight has gone up like his.
“If he really wanted to impress me, he would have fought Arthur. Yes,” Thompson said when asked if Benavidez could beat Canelo Alvarez. “David took some massive hits from the massive guy [Gvozdyk]. I don’t see David being that forceful.
Benavidez will not fight Beterbiev if Artur loses the fight against Bivol on October 12. He’ll be out of the picture if that happens and he faces Bivol. It would be just as arduous a fight, but in a different way. Bivol’s connecting punches and boxing skills will be too much for Benavidez.
“This guy [Gvozdyk] he can punch. He put Adonis Stevenson on life support. I don’t think Canelo can keep David away from him. I think he’s too compact for David,” Thompson said.
LAS VEGAS — Team Barrios is still eager to fight Manny Pacquiao when they “take care of things” on November 15 when they face Abel Ramos.
Mario Barrios and Abel Ramos fight for the WBC welterweight world title in one of the biggest combat sports events of the year – Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Bob Santos, Barrios’ trainer, recently told World Boxing News that they are in camp and focusing on Ramos.
“There’s nothing better than Netflix,” Santos told us.
With approximately 275 million subscribers worldwide, the possible reach of the Tyson vs Paul event on Netflix could make it one of the most watched boxing events of all time.
Ramos has been in the ring with Maurice Hooker, Regis Prograis, Ivan Baranchyk, Jamal James and Yordenis Ugas, but since losing to the Cuban boxer in 2020, he has only two wins in four fights.
Barrios and Ramos are one fight out of four so far, alongside the highly anticipated rematch of Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.
Ramos is quite a surprise opponent for Barrios, as both Santos and Manny Pacquiao’s representative, Sean Gibbons, have been talking to World Boxing News all summer about a substantial fight between them later in the year, possibly even at a Premier Boxing Champions event.
“[The Pacquiao fight] for some reason it couldn’t come to fruition,” Santos told us. “We were in the middle of negotiations. I know Pacquiao wanted to fight. We wanted to fight. This would have been a great world title fight, but they just couldn’t get it together in time.
“This opportunity came up with Netflix and Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson,” Santos added. “And this is not just a boxing event, but one of the biggest events. The numbers will be crazy. Everyone loves Mike Tyson and everyone wants to support him in many ways. Of course there is publicity, especially with Jake Paul. This event – it is huge.”
Even though Barrios will fight in the middle of next month, his team would still be content with a fight against Pacquiao. So they know they have to “take care of business” and maintain the championship.
It was this WBC world title that Pacquiao reportedly motivated the Filipino legend to return to the ring and attempt to break his own record as the division’s oldest champion.
“The only reason why Pacquiao [would] Of course, to come back at this stage is to make history and it would have to be a world title,” Santos told us.
“So if we don’t take care of business and keep the world championship, obviously this fight will fail.
“So first we have to focus 100% on Abel Ramos,” concluded Santos.
CHRIS Eubank Jr currently mixes on the fringes of the world boxing scene, but he used to mix things up in a different arena. The boxer from Brighton, who will face Kamil Szeremeta on October 12, revealed video showing he was an enforcer in a gang.
“You just have to deal with it. You’re a child, you don’t know better. That’s one of the reasons I moved to Las Vegas, to get away from this scene, this lifestyle,” Eubank Jr. said.
Although Chris has now managed to escape his father’s shadow and gang life to pursue a career on his own, as quickly as things change, some things remain the same. The location, venue and pay packages may be different for the 33-3 (24 KO) pro, but the competitive spirit and desire for the scrap are still there.
“I liked the competition. I love challenges. I’ve got a guy in front of me trying to eliminate me, and I’m trying to eliminate him. And who will get there first? Who will strike the first blow? It’s always been just sexy to me. And that just turned me on. I don’t know why.
When it comes to street laws, the only way to prepare is to be ready, alert and trained for a fight. Born fighters often grow up in extreme poverty, where violence is the only universal language, and in the case of boxing, it is also a way out of the hood. Grainy footage of Chris taking part in an illegal war circulated years ago and now shows what his life has evolved from.
“I don’t know how it happened, but I was a street kid. I was a man of the road who went home every evening to a million-pound mansion. It doesn’t make sense,” Eubank Jr. mused.
Joselito Velazquez made his presence felt in the novel weight class with a decisive victory over the former world title challenger.
Velazquez defeated Andres Campos twice en route to an impressive knockout victory Friday night at the Poliforum in his adopted hometown of Cancun, Mexico. The victory earned Velazquez (20-1-1, 13 knockouts) the 115-pound regional championship belt and the WBC world ranking.
About halfway through the first round, a combination momentarily staggered Campos, who fell back against the ropes. Velazquez followed the punch, but Campos was able to survive the attack by clenching his fists or fending off the attacks in spurts.
Velazquez scored a knockdown in the second round, dropping Campos with a main left hook to the head. Campos defeated the count and again survived the onslaught of hooks and crosses that Velazquez threw after the action resumed.
Undeterred, Campos gave it his all in rounds four and five, trying to take Velazquez down to land some of his punches.
The fight ended in the latter part of the sixth round when a left hook to the head forced Campos back into the corner. Velazquez threw the combination while Campos was already on the court, prompting referee Javier Espinoza to immediately stop the fight (2:09).
Velazquez, who hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, previously fought on March 22, defeating Luis Araujo Arellano en route to a unanimous decision victory. On November 24, Velazquez defeated Pablo Carrillo by decision after 10 one-sided rounds.
The victories over Arrellano, Carrillo and now Campos all came in Cancun.
The 31-year-old has won his last five fights since a unanimous decision loss to former world champion Cristofer Rosales.
Velazquez has been trained for the past few years under Eddy Reynoso, who also trains Ring Magazine super middleweight champion and unified world titleholder Canelo Alvarez. He represented Mexico at the 2016 Olympics.
Campos drops to 16-2-1, 5 KOs. In his previous fight, which took place on May 18 in his hometown of Santiago, Chile, Campos fought Edinson Martinez to a majority draw.
The 28-year-old Campos, who is coached by Tony Tolj, challenged then-IBF flyweight world titleholder Clear Edwards on June 10 last year, losing by unanimous decision. Campos returned to action three months later, defeating Ben Ligas before winning by seventh-round knockout.
In the co-main event, junior featherweight Celex Castro, who also resides in Cancun, improved to 18-0, 14 KOs, defeating Argentine Ckari Cani Mansilla twice en route to a third-round knockout victory.
Castro dropped Mansilla (17-4, 12 KO) once in round two and again in round three before the fight was stopped at 2:34.
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