Jim Lampley, a former HBO commentator, claims that David Benavidez will now be the underdog of WBA lightweight heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, judging by his performance last Saturday night against Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Las Vegas.
Lampley believes Benavidez has narrow options following his fight against former WBC lightweight heavyweight champion Gwozdyk (20-2, 16 KO). He notes that Benavidez’s power was not as effective at 175 as it was at 168, and weakened in the second half of the competition.
Benavidez still emerged victorious, winning a unanimous decision after 12 rounds by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 119-109.
Benavidez failed to match the judges’ scoring and few believe he has any chance of beating Bivol or IBF/WBC/WBO lightweight heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez’s chances in the match against Bivol and Beterbiev
Lampley said he won’t even mention Beterbiev, which means he doesn’t see Benavidez having any chance of beating him. This is how fans perceive it after watching Benavidez’s ineffective approach against 37-year-old Gvozdyk, a fighter whom Beterbiev knocked out five years ago and sent into retirement.
“I certainly think that if Benavidez doesn’t fight Canelo, he will be an underdog against Dmitry Bivol, and we won’t even talk about Beterbiev,” analyst Jim Lampley told Sean Zitteldiscussing David Benavidez’s chances of fighting WBA lightweight heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol following his unspectacular performance in his 175 debut against former WBC champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk last Saturday night.
Canelo Alvarez: a potential chance?
“David Benavidez’s options are a bit narrow based on what we’ve seen. He has to hope that Canelo Alvarez will change his mind and decide to fight him. Maybe he will like what he saw from a 168-pounder who went up to 175 and didn’t have as much pop as a lot of people expected, including me.”
I don’t think Canelo will change his mind about demanding $200 million to fight Benavidez because he’s been talking too much crap about him over the last few years.
Canelo won’t get any recognition if he beats Benavidez now, as fans saw how poorly he performed against Gvozyk, and many of them now see him as a popular figure with a resume built on hand-picked opponents.
“I predicted a Benavidez knockout and in the first rounds I thought that’s what I would see [against Gvozdyk]and then he seemed to falter a little bit against a really good, experienced veteran who has something to fight for,” Lampley said.
Former HBO play-by-play host Lampley should have known better and not picked Benavidez to knock out Gvozdyk because it would never have happened.
Benavidez throws a lot of punches and there was no way he was going to get away with it, fighting like that against Gvozdyk, whose technical skill and strength were good for him to position himself in front of him and throw punches non-stop the way he did. he did it. taken at 168 against marginal opposition.
“Maybe those seven pounds had an impact on David’s punching power and he had to weather a fleeting storm and get the decision victory,” Lampley said.
“I think he’s slowed down enough in the second half of the fight where Canelo will want to test the money and see exactly what it’s worth to him to come in and take the risk of fighting David Benavidez.”
Benavidez began to leisurely down after the fourth round last Saturday night, looking exhausted and frail. His power was never evident from the first round, but that wasn’t a surprise because Benavidez had never punched at 168 pounds. His knockouts were mostly from power punches where he hit his opponents with a lot of shots.
“Maybe after looking at it he’ll think, ‘There’s no risk.’ I’m Canelo Alvarez. I have the most proven impact resistance in sports. He won’t hurt me,” Lampley said.
“I think Canelo has an opportunity here to think exactly that based on what he saw. Is Canelo a bigger boxer than Oleksandr Gvozdyk? I think he is. Canelo can look at it in any number of ways and think, ‘I’m the favorite over David Benavidez,'” Lampley said.
In 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.
Former 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.
One 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.
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