Super middleweights Benavidez, Lemieux, both big punchers, predict fireworks
Showtime headliner promises action for as long as it lasts
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One thing super middleweight contenders David Benavidez and David Lemieux agree on is that they will likely produce an exciting, hard-hitting fight that will end in a knockout.
The aggressive, fan-friendly bangers will square off for the vacant WBC interim super middleweight belt in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions tripleheader on Saturday (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
“This could be the fight of the year because of what’s at stake and because of the type of fighters we are,” Benavidez said. “We’re two bulls going in there to see who has the most heart. I’m very excited to go into this fight against Lemieux, because he’s a guy I’ve watched for a long time and I like his style. We both have similar styles because we go for the knockout. That gets me very excited and motivates me a lot.”
Both men are anxious to return to title glory. Benavidez, a Phoenix native, who will be fighting at home for the second fight in row, is a two-time super middleweight world titlist but saw both reigns end because of his own actions — a failed drug test for cocaine and missing weight — that caused him to be stripped.
“I really want to go in there and earn this title,” Benavidez said. ”I have a lot of respect for Lemieux and I’ve been watching him since I was young, but he has a lot to worry about with me. I’m faster and stronger, but he’s got the experience, so this is going to be a great fight.
“I can guarantee a hell of a fight, a war, and that somebody is getting knocked out. Neither of us wants to go to a decision. The people are paying good money to see a knockout, and that’s what they’re going to get. I’m leaving with the title on Saturday night.”
Lemieux is a former middleweight titleholder, who has won five fights in a row, including all three since moving up to super middleweight. He has not lost since a one-sided decision challenging then-middleweight titlist Billy Joe Saunders in 2017.
“When you want to become the world champion, you have to beat the best guy out there,” Lemieux said. “Right now, Benavidez stands in front of me. That’s who I have to beat to be the (interim) world champion. Everybody knows that Benavidez is a very good fighter, but I think people are going to see that I’m a serious contender in the super middleweight division when I get that belt around me.
“It’s a big challenge, but I’m confident. I had a tremendous training camp for this fight. We’re ready physically and mentally. Benavidez is a good fighter. It’s going to be a hell of a show for the fight fans because he doesn’t like to do rounds and I don’t like to do rounds. We’ll see what happens. I’m expecting a great fight. David Benavidez is a very tough fighter. We’ve been watching him for a while. He’s always very exciting. He comes to fight. There’s no messing around with him. That’s my style too. Two bulls going in there and may the best man win this title.”
The interim belt was made available because undisputed 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez stepped up to light heavyweight to challenge Dmitry Bivol for his world title on May 7. He suffered an upset decision loss but remains super middleweight champion and the Benavidez-Lemieux winner looms as a likely future mandatory challenger.
“I can guarantee a hell of a fight, a war, and that somebody is getting knocked out.”— David Benavidez
The 25-year-old Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs) has been asked about an Alvarez fight numerous times. It’s a fight he has repeatedly said he wants, but he also knows that without beating Lemieux his chances of getting it are remote.
“I’m 100 percent focused on Lemieux,” Benavidez said. “I’m focused on the task in front of me. I just take it one fight at a time. I like to put everything into the fight and figure out the rest later. I know Lemieux is very motivated for this fight, so my mind is 100 percent on him.”
Lemieux (43-4, 36 KOs), 33, of Montreal, also knows he could find a spot on Alvarez’s dance card down the road with a victory but he refused to go there.
“I’m not looking past this fight. I’m just concentrated on Benavidez,” Lemieux said. “This is a big fight ahead of me. Canelo chooses a lot of his fights but there are rules in boxing that you have to respect. The winner of the interim belt has to fight the champion, so if he follows the rules, the rules are the rules. That’s it.
“It’s definitely a big task in front of me. When I sat down with my team and Benavidez’s name came up, we knew it was a tough fight. He’s a tough fighter and a big guy, but we’re preparing and getting ready for him. It’s all in the preparation. Styles make fights. I have the style to hurt Benavidez.”
There are also two 10-rounders on the telecast:
In the co-feature, Cuban junior middleweight Yoelvis Gomez (5-0, 5 KOs), 24, a southpaw based in Las Vegas, will face battle-tested Jorge Cota (30-5, 27 KOs), 34, of Mexico. The fight was originally scheduled for Showtime’s March 26 card but postponed when Gomez suffered a hand injury.
In the opener, featherweight Luis Nunez (16-0, 12 KOs), 22, of the Dominican Republic, will face Jonathan Fierro (13-0, 12 KOs), 18, of Mexico, that figures to be an action fight.
Photo: Esther Lin/Showtime
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