Notebook: Benn out with Covid-19, so Xu Can takes center stage on 'Fight Camp'

Canelo-Plant chat; broadcast history; Benavidez undercard

There’s a new main event on Matchroom Boxing’s “Fight Camp” card on Saturday.

Welterweight up-and-comer Conor Benn, who was due to headline the DAZN show, is out due to testing positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.

Benn (18-0, 12 KOs) was scheduled to fight Chicago’s battle-tested Adrian Granados (21-8-3, 15 KOs) at Matchroom’s sprawling headquarters — and the former Hearn family home — in Brentwood, England, in the featured bout on the first card of three weeks in a row of “Fight Camp” shows.

With Benn-Granados postponed, the co-feature of Xu Can defending his secondary featherweight title for the third time against Leigh Wood has been bumped up to the main event.

“Conor Benn has failed a Covid test (Thursday) morning for his upcoming fight with Adrian Granados. We’re conducting further PCR tests but he will be off the card on Saturday night. Luckily, it’s a stacked card from top to bottom,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said. “Conor Benn is in good spirits. He feels well. Of course, he’ll obey the isolation rules and reset and reschedule his fight with Adrian Granados. We’ll make further announcements on that very soon.”

The card is the first of Matchroom Boxing’s new five-year deal with DAZN to stream all of its events in the United Kingdom and Ireland (other than heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua, who is still under contract to Sky Sports) following the expiration of its deal with longtime U.K. broadcast partner Sky Sports.

Granados, who has faced many top opponents, including Danny Garcia, Robert Easter Jr., Adrien Broner and Shawn Porter, took the postponement in stride.

“It’s just the nature of the world we live in now,” Granados said. “It’s unfortunate. Conor and I were very gun-ho about this fight, excited about it, chomping at the bit. It’s the day and age we live in, anything can happen now, this unfortunate disease that’s conquering the world. I’m upset and frustrated but what can we do?

“This was the fight that was supposed to happen. Benn’s being talking a lot of stuff. I’ve said some things, but I just wanted to get it on, ready to rumble. It’s unfortunate but I’m hoping for a speedy, 100 percent recovery for him, no excuses.”

The change will put a brighter spotlight on Can (18-2, 3 KOs), 27, of China, and Wood (24-2, 14 KOs), 32, of England.

“I’m in the best state,” said the Pedro Diaz-trained Can, who has been idle for 20 months. “I’m fully prepared and looking forward to the fight. Leigh Wood is a great fighter and I’m taking this really seriously. I will think about the other fighters after Saturday night. We will show the fans a big show on Saturday night. For the fans, I will take the victory back to my family and country. Nothing can stop me.”

Wood, who is trained by Ben Davison, bounced back from a 10-round majority decision loss to James Dickens in February 2020 to stop then-unbeaten Reece Mould in the ninth round this past February to win the vacant British featherweight title and is taking a big step up in opposition.

“It’s the thing you dream of stepping into the gym as a kid, fighting for a world title,” Wood said. “It’s not going to be good enough to fight for one. I need to win. I’m 100 percent confident in getting the win across the line.

“My last fight for the British title I only had a short time with Ben. I was working on things and just did as I was told. I just trusted him, and it worked. Now I’ve been back in the gym after that fight, picking things up and now I understand what I’m doing. It’s going to be key for a victory.”

Canelo-Plant situation

I joined my pal Dan Canobbio as the guest on Thursday on his weekly “Inside Boxing Live” show. We discussed the apparent failing negotiations for the undisputed super middleweight world title fight between Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant. We also discussed dealing with sources in the industry and the prospect of the Terence Crawford-Shawn Porter welterweight title fight that was ordered by the WBO. Please check out the show here:

Making broadcast history

Top Rank’s Crystina Poncher and women’s junior lightweight world titleholder Mikaela Mayer will make a bit of boxing history on Aug. 14 at the Top Rank Boxing on ESPN card in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

They will team to form boxing’s first-ever all-female broadcast team when they call the international broadcast of the card headlined by the third fight between secondary junior bantamweight titlist Joshua Franco and former titlist Andrew Moloney, Top Rank announced on Thursday.

“Crystina Poncher is one of the very best broadcasters in boxing and a pioneer for females in the sport,” Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. “Mikaela is a natural behind the microphone, and boxing fans around the world are in for a real treat on Aug. 14.”

While viewers in the United States will get the usual ESPN broadcast team, the international version will be seen shown in more than 150 countries.

Poncher has been with Top Rank since 2010 serving as a host and reporter. She made her color commentary debut in 2013. In 2019, she began handling blow-by-blow duties.

“I’m excited to be a part of this historic night in the sport of boxing,” Poncher said. “I’ve always strived to break through barriers and be a leader for women in boxing, particularly when it comes to broadcasting. It’s been an honor calling fights alongside many talented trainers and fighters, including Brian McIntyre, Chris Algieri and Manny Robles. And now, with world champion Mikaela Mayer joining me at the broadcast table, it’s an important moment not only in my career but for boxing in general.”

Mayer (15-0, 5 KOs), a 2016 U.S. Olympian, who will serve as the color analyst, made her broadcast debut May 22 as a guest analyst for ESPN on the undercard of the undisputed junior welterweight title fight between Josh Taylor and Jose Ramirez. She will continue to pull double duty as she is also preparing for a unification fight against Maïva Hamadouche later in the year.

“I’m beyond honored to be sitting alongside Crystina Poncher as the first female broadcast team in boxing history,” Mayer said. “We’ve both worked extremely hard to raise the profile of women in our sport, and this is proof that our hard work has not gone unnoticed. I would like to thank Top Rank and ESPN for supporting the growth of women in boxing and helping us to break more boundaries.”

The Aug. 14 main card will also include junior welterweight contender Arnold Barboza Jr. against Antonio Moran and the professional debut of middleweight Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali.

Benavidez-Uzcategui card

Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions began to hype the card headlined by the WBC super middleweight title eliminator between former two-time titlist David Benavidez and former titleholder Jose Uzcategui on Thursday while also announcing two 10-round televised bouts on the Aug. 28 undercard.

The telecast (10 p.m. ET) will take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, the home area of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs), 24, is excited to fight in his hometown for the first time since May 2015 when he won a preliminary bout by second-round knockout against Ricardo Campillo in a scheduled six-rounder at the same venue but when it was called the US Airways Centre.

“I’m super excited to fight in front of my hometown fans,” Benavidez said. “It’s a dream come true for me to come back home as a two-time world champion. I’m training for Uzcategui like he’s a world champ because he has a lot of experience and he’s a hungry fighter. I know that he needs this win, but I won’t let that happen. I’m staying dedicated and motivated to win. I want to look impressive doing it in order to get even bigger and better fights in the future.”

The winner will move a step closer to becoming the mandatory challenger for one of the belts held by Canelo Alvarez.

The Venezuela-born, Mexico-based Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs), 30, has won two fights in a row since an upset 10-round decision loss to Lionell Thompson in December 2019.

“I’m excited to be back on the big stage for this fight,” Uzcategui said. “I know what I’m up against with Benavidez. He’s a great fighter, and that’s my biggest motivation. This is going to be a war and I can’t wait to give the people a great fight. Both of us come to brawl, so this is going to be a classic.”

In the co-feature, Jose Benavidez Jr. will moved up to junior middleweight and face Francisco Emanuel Torres in a junior middleweight bout and junior featherweight Carlos Castro will fight former title challenger Oscar Escandon in the opener.

Jose Benavidez (27-1, 18 KOs), 29, hasn’t fought at home in six years and hasn’t boxed at all since welterweight titlist Terence Crawford knocked him out in the 12th round in October 2018. Benavidez recently bought out the rest of his promotional contract from Top Rank.

“I’m really excited to be back in the ring after being out for a while,” said Benavidez. “I feel more mature, motivated and stronger than ever. Fighting alongside my brother and in my hometown is really a dream come true. I’m really looking forward to making a tremendous comeback. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me. I guarantee that I’m going to take them out. No one is going to want to miss this night, because me and my brother are bringing the fireworks.”

Torres (17-3, 5 KOs), 31, of Argentina, has won nine fights in a row and will box in the United States for the third time.

“I’m very pumped up for this fight,” Torres said. “This is a great chance for me to go to the next level. I will work very hard to get the victory and raise high the flag of Argentina.”

Castro (26-0, 11 KOs), 27, of Phoenix, will be coming off a 13-month layoff.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to fight an excellent opponent in Escandon,” Castro said. “I’m very motivated to put on a great performance in front of my hometown fans.”

Escandon (26-5, 18 KOs), 37, of Colombia, has lost three of his last four fights by knockout but against strong opposition, including challenging featherweight titlist Gary Russell Jr. and to Brandon Figueroa and Tugstsogt Nyambayar.

“I'm very focused on training for this fight because I know a win can lead me back to another world title opportunity,” Escandon said. “Castro is a good young fighter who has a solid jab and can move. But I think he’s the perfect opponent for me. There are a lot of things we can do to win this fight.”

Show and tell

Kostya Tszyu was in his second reign with a junior welterweight world title and four fights away from eventually becoming undisputed champion when he was forced to fight Julio Cesar Chavez, a revered legend, but one who was way past his prime when the WBC made him Tszyu’s mandatory challenger — even though he had done nothing to earn it. He was two fights removed from a loss to journeyman Willie Wise. But Tszyu was not about to give up the title and took on the faded superstar in front of a wildly pro Chavez and heavily Mexican crowd in Phoenix. As expected, Tszyu dominated until stopping fellow Hall of Famer Chavez in the sixth round of what turned out to be the 37th (a record) and final world title fight appearance of Chavez’s 25-year career. The fight was on July 29, 2000 — 21 years ago Thursday. Here is a scarce site poster from the fight in my collection.

Can-Wood photo: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing