David Benavidez wins interim WBC title with TKO of David Lemieux
GLENDALE — David Benavidez returned to his hometown and took treatment of organization swiftly, the two time previous super middleweight champion flooring leading contender David Lemieux twice in the first two rounds to seize the interim WBC world super middleweight championship Saturday night on Showtime from Gila River Arena.
Benavidez, now based mostly out of Seattle, is however beloved in larger Phoenix, exactly where he was born and raised, and the 25-12 months-old star gave his admirers the show they required to see. He wobbled Lemieux, a former middleweight champion himself, with a remaining hook in the to start with spherical. Then he unleased a flurry of punches with Lemieux ducking for deal with, saved only by the conclude of the very first round bell.
In the second spherical, Benavidez despatched Lemieux as a result of the ropes with a different left, and the group roared, having previously risen to its ft anticipating an enjoyable end. Lemieux’s corner identified as for a struggle stoppage that arrived at 1 moment, 31 seconds of the third round.
“What actually would make me happy and motivates me a lot is I can convey 10,000 persons into this stadium and they all came to see me,” Benavidez claimed. “They all still left fired up and delighted. I’m ready to give the lovers the fights they want to see and the action that they want to see.”
Benavidez enhanced to 26- with 23 knockouts, and it seems only a issue of time just before an even larger fight will come his way. Lemieux is 43-5.
Nicknamed “El Bandera Roja,” his father José coined yet another nickname for Benavidez — The Mexican Monster. Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz stated Benavidez, who turned just the fourth person in super middleweight heritage to turn out to be a a few-time entire world winner, has 3 alternatives for his next fight in November.
They are David Morrell, Caleb Plant or Jermell Charlo, all best contenders in the division. A fight with Canelo Alvarez, who vacated the title, is not going to transpire for the foreseeable upcoming, Lewkowicz said.
“I’m ready for all those people top men to send out me the deal. They know what is up. I”m ideal right here ready for them. I’ll place myself up against all people. I promise I’m knocking anyone out,” Benavidez said.
“Right after the very first round I was Okay, he experienced gotten me with some good photographs” Lemieux stated. “I tried using to appear back, but he is a incredibly very good fighter.”
The most important Showtime broadcast card commenced with a featherweight slugfest in between Luis Nuñez of the Dominican Republic and Jonathan Fierro of Mexico, with Nuñez delivering most of the energy punches. Just one system shot lifted Fierro off the ring canvas.
But the beforehand 13- Fierro, only 18 a long time outdated, returned fire and took some big photographs, long lasting all 10 rounds. He just couldn’t match Nuñez’s hand velocity and power constantly, and Nuñez (17-) received the fight on a unanimous final decision even though all scorecards were close.
The co-primary party concerning tremendous welterweights Yoelvis Gomez of Cuba and Jorge Cota of Mexico showcased the knockout power of the 24-year-aged Gomez and the working experience of the 34-yr-previous Cota, who’d fought some massive names in his division.
The initially spherical ended with the two fighters however throwing punches just after the bell. In the 3rd spherical, Gomez rocked Cota, then tossed Cota to the ring flooring, prompting a warning and derisive chants from the group.
It was distinct Gomez was the a lot more physically robust fighter, forcing Cota into the corners and ropes a number of situations. As the 3rd spherical ended, Cota accidentally punched the referee in the deal with making an attempt to get Gomez off of him.
In the seventh spherical, Cota, effectively powering on the scorecards, beckoned Gomez to appear and combat him in a single corner. Gomez smiled and laughed in the ring many situations, apparently confident in his manage of the bout.
Gomez staggered an fatigued and battered Cota (30-6) a single more time with a proper hand in the 10th and final spherical, and came away with a unanimous decision to strengthen to 6- as a expert. All scorecards experienced him winning 100-90.
The evening was also highlighted by a fight featuring previous WBC welterweight winner “Vicious” Victor Ortiz, now 35 and making an attempt to keep on his comeback. Ortiz hasn’t very been the similar fighter he was because the infamous “Shield yourself at all occasions” incident with Floyd Mayweather Jr., in which he was knocked out by the longtime winner immediately after seeking to embrace Mayweather and dropping his palms at one level in the 2017 fight.
But Ortiz did most of the injury in opposition to journeyman Todd Manuel, despite getting knocked down with a several seconds still left in the 10th and ultimate round. Even now he gained a unanimous selection to make improvements to to 33-7-3.
“This time I was in shape. I have cobwebs to shake off,” Ortiz claimed. “We are at about 80, 75-ish p.c. If you will not to have a swollen face or a busted lip or a little something, go perform basketball or some soccer.”
The to start with 4 fights of the night time had been in excess of in about 40 minutes put together, such as Mesa’s Micky Scala building speedy do the job of Mike Plazola in a super welterweight bout. The contest lasted just over 90 seconds with Scala scoring the a few knockdowns he necessary for a stoppage of the combat.
“I required to go to the entire body early,” Scala said. “I caught him with a superior ideal hand to the physique and sat him down. I remained clever and obtained him out of there.”
Middleweight Elijah Garcia, who life in Avondale, scored with hooks and jabs to the head of opponent Rowdy Montgomery, and in the 3rd round linked with a hard shot that despatched Montgomery to a knee. Times afterwards, Garcia obtained his opponent on the ropes and scored a second knockdown.
Garcia, exhibiting some vicious punching power, took a shot just prior to the conclusion of the spherical, but it didn’t seem to be to faze him a lot. Totally keen to stand in and trade blows from in near, Garcia took extra shots to his face in the sixth spherical as each fighters seemed fatigued in the remaining spherical, but Garcia had ample factors from the three judges for a unanimous decision victory.
“Good matter for me. Maybe we go 8 (rounds) next time,” Garcia claimed.
Garcia claimed it will be his previous time combating at middleweight as he appears to be like to move up a excess weight course. He ideas to struggle once again in June or July.
Jesús Abel Ibarra, who trains in Mesa with Scala, scored a initial-round TKO of Ernesto Guerrero of Mexico and improved to 14- with 7 knockouts. The tremendous featherweight is searching to sign with a marketing, as is Garcia.
“We’re all set to take that subsequent step and start out getting some rankings and things. Which is the approach. Just obtained to practice difficult and rely on in God,” Ibarra claimed.
Get in contact with Jose Romero at [email protected]. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.