New York: Canelo Alverez is uncertain about the status of his Super Middleweight unification bout against Caleb Plant. Friday, the two sides with Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn were aiming for November when it became difficult to negotiate terms for the initial September 18 bout between the two champions.
In the meantime, two-time world champion and undefeated David Benavidez awaits Jose Uzcategui for their upcoming title eliminator as part of a Showtime Boxing and PBC main event on August 28 from the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
Benavidez, though, won’t have to go far to continue a quest and possibly meet Alvarez down the line. For now, Benavidez will be fighting in front of the hometown crowd in Phoenix where he resides and always calls home.
Of course, Alvarez, the consensus pound-for-pound best ,is the favorite to unify the titles. If and when a fight with Plant takes place, Benavidez has always been considered the next opponent that could hand Alvarez a defeat because of his power punches.
“I’m motivated not just because of Uzcátegui, but to fight in Phoenix again,” Benavidez said this week. “It’s been a long time since I’ve fought in my hometown. I’m feeling fast and strong and ready to get in there and put on a show.”
But waiting for Canelo Alvarez, at least for the moment, is not a concern for David Benavidez because Uzcátegui is the focus.
“I see the fire in Uzcátegui’s eyes and that motivates me,” Benavidez said. This might be the fight of the Year. Don’t blink, because this one is going to be explosive. I think this will be a harder fight for me than Caleb Plant would be. I think Uzcátegui won the second round of that fight against Caleb and I don’t think Caleb has been the same since that fight”
We have seen that determination and motivation. There has never been a doubt when it comes to the ability of David Benavidez. He can fight, uses power punches as an advantage. In a few weeks, Benavidez will have that added advantage of fighting at home for the first time in a long time.
And there is extra motivation fighting on the same card with his older brother. Jose, a longtime contender, is making a long awaited return in the co-main event facing Argentina’s Francisco Emanuel Torres in a 10-round super welterweight bout.
“It’s a dream come true for me to have my first main event at the Phoenix Suns arena, Footprint Center, having my brother fighting in the co-main event is a very big deal for me and my family,” Benavidez said. “ We’ve been putting in hard work for our whole lives in this sport and it’s paying off. I’m proud of my brother and the work we’ve done.”
Benavidez is aware that his opponent can also throw punches and there is reason this can be a fight of the year. Also, there is a lot on the line for the winner because Benavidez or Uzcátegui would be next for Alvarez.
There is also the possibility that Alvarez, if he can’t come to terms with Plant, would move to 175, a weight that Benavidez can also handle. But for now it’s all about this fight.
“We both throw good power shots and we’re very similar fighters,” Benavidez said. “ When two bulls go toe-to-toe you’re going to get a war. This is going to be one of the best fights of the year. It’s a guaranteed war.”
“I know that I can hurt anybody. I’ve hurt everyone I’ve ever faced. I’m not ignorant though, I know that he has power too. I think if I follow my game plan, I can definitely knock him out. No one has knocked him out, so I’m training hard to be the first person to do that. I go for the stoppage in every fight and I know he’s going to come for the same thing.”
Judges At Ringside Got It Wrong Again: “Three Blind Mice “ Saturday evening got it wrong again on a FOX Sports PBC telecast. In the co-main event two-time Venezuelan Olympian Gabriel Maestre (4-0, 3 KOs) won a close unanimous decision over Mykal Fox to capture the Interim WBA Welterweight Title.
Lost in the fact, Maestre bypassed the Tokyo Olympic competition and the powers that be granted him a world title opportunity without a ranking in the welterweight division where so may others are deserving of title
After 12 rounds the judges all saw the fight in favor of Maestre by scores of 114-113, 115-112 and 117-110. Fox was in disbelief at the judges’ scores while Maestre declared he was willing to give Fox a rematch.
Here is the viable reason again as to boxing needing reform when it comes to appointing judges at ringside and their continued inability to get it right. Fox with a knockdown and commanding the fight certainly deserved a better outcome.
Maestre was able to recover from an early knockdown in round two that Fox scored with a blistering counter left hand that Maestre never saw coming and was able to work his way back into the fight through the middle rounds as he chased Fox around the ring. The aggression led to a 119 to 108 advantage for Maestre in power punches landed, despite Fox holding an overall edge in punches landed with 157 to 131.
And take a look at power punches landed because that is an indicator that Fox had clearly won the fight and that 117-110 score is an atrocity that should call for justice and better regulation of the sport.
Much of this is becoming a regular trend and it’s highway robbery to the fighters that deserve better. But there seems to be no movement to get this right, and as I have stated frequently, the call for a national boxing commission can be the first step to stopping this injustice…
It’s not Las Vegas: New York and California as the hot bed for boxing? Philadelphia, the home and city of champions continued a resurgence of the mid card and up close show Saturday evening at the 2300 Arena.
Jeter Promotions headlined undefeated 4-0-1 featherweight Brandon Chambers. Nine other four-round bouts on the card from Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Once again all of this is good for boxing as this was the way it was before the televised and big arena spectacles…
Rich Mancuso: Twitter@Ring786 Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso
