David Benavidez has no shortage of HUGE fights on his radar. In an exclusive interview with BoxingScene, Jose Benavidez Sr. makes it clear that David still wants the biggest names at 175lbs including Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev. Benavidez has previously said those are two fights he wants to make as he pursues more titles and major challenges. But there’s another name that could make things very interesting: Andy Ruiz Jr. Jose discusses the possibility of an all-Mexican showdown between Benavidez and the former heavyweight champion, along with David’s plans across multiple divisions. And with a potential Jai Opetaia showdown also building after the pair came face-to-face following Opetaia’s latest victory, Benavidez has some massive options ahead.
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A local middleweight returns home, while a promising light heavyweight aims to return to the win column.
Eye of the Tiger Management (EOTTM) will end a productive 2025 run with its annual offering at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Canada. The December 11 show is topped by the city’s own Alexandre Gaumont, an unbeaten heavyweight prospect who will face Switzerland’s Ramadan Hiseni. Also on the card, Imam Khataev will appear in the co-main event against an opponent to be determined.
The event marks the fourth straight year that EOTTM will return to the intimate venue within the government-run casino. All four shows have featured Gaumont, 13-0 (9 KOs), a 30-year-old prospect now in his fifth pro year.
His previous appearance was brief, as he blasted out Andres Viera inside of two rounds last October 17. The win was followed by a 4th round stoppage of Mathis Lourence on April 10 at Montreal Casino, which has hosted nearly half of his 13 pro bouts.
Still, there’s no place like home for the promising middleweight.
“As always, it’s a privilege to fight in front of my people,” noted Gaumont. “This will be the biggest test of my career, and my first scheduled 10-round fight, but I’m not worried. After two back-to-back training camps, I’ll be in the best shape of my life—and with the crowd behind me, I’ll be stronger than ever.”
Hiseni, 21-2-2 (8 KOs), has every intention to spoil those plans, a role he performed to a certain degree in his previous trip to Canada.
The 29-year-old Swiss boxer went tooth and nail in a hard-fought, ten-round, majority draw with Shamil Khataev – Imam’s younger brother – last June in Montreal. He returned home with a moral victory, along with three actual wins in his four fights since that night.
“Last time I fought an Eye of the Tiger boxer, I’m convinced I should’ve won,” insisted Hiseni. “It’s always harder to win on the road, so this time I won’t leave any doubt. It’ll be veni, vidi, vici (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) for me on December 11.”
While the younger Khataev walked away from a close fight with his unbeaten record still intact, Imam wasn’t as fortunate in his most recent outing.
There remains a healthy faction of the sport who believed the 31-year-old Russian bruiser was unlucky in a split decision defeat to David Morrell. Their July 12 battle in Queens, New York saw Khataev, 10-1 (9 KOs) floor Morrell in the fifth round but ultimately come up short on two of the three scorecards in their entertaining ten-round affair.
“I still believe the judges should have awarded the win to Imam Khataev,” insisted Camille Estephan, head of EOTTM. “But what matters is that the whole world saw Imam that night.
“Now we move forward, and I must say, we’re especially proud to bring a boxer of this caliber to Gatineau. Alongside Alex Gaumont, it’s the best of both worlds, and I believe this will be the best card since our return to the Outaouais.”
The show will also include the return of heavyweight Simon Kean, 23-2 (22 KOs) in his first fight in more than two years. The bruising Canadian has not fought since an October 2023 knockout defeat to resurgent and top heavyweight Joseph Parker.
“A lot of people will wonder why,” Kean said of his ring return, which comes just one month shy of his 37th birthday. “The answer is simple: unfinished business. I still have some scores to settle in professional boxing.”
Kean’s opponent was not yet revealed, nor for another returning EOTTM boxer in Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
The former heavyweight titleholder will fight for the first time since a knockout loss to pound-for-pound queen Claressa Shields last July 27 in Detroit, Michigan. Lepage-Joanisse conceded the WBC heavyweight title she claimed in a March 2024 split decision victory over Abril Vidal.
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.
