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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By Keith Idec
LAS VEGAS – Adrien Broner wasn’t finished Wednesday after he called a Showtime announcer a “b*tch-ass n*gga.”
Once Broner was done berating Al Bernstein during a press conference for his fight against Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, Broner turned his attention toward a nearby group of Pacquiao’s supporters. While standing side-by-side with Pacquiao at the front of the stage, Broner heard people from Pacquiao’s group yelling in his direction.
Broner responded by making two jokes that referred to a stereotype about Filipino people.
“I’ve got a cat for you for dinner,” Broner said. Several seconds later, Broner added, “I’ve got a sautéed German shepherd for you in the back.”
Broner’s crass remarks weren’t picked up by Showtime’s microphones. The premium cable network streamed the press conference live on its Facebook and YouTube pages from MGM Grand’s David Copperfield Theater.
Pacquiao (60-7-2, 39 KOs) didn’t react to what Broner said, though it’s not clear if the Filipino legend was paying attention to Broner (33-3-1, 24 KOs) while photographers were snapping photos of them.
Before directing remarks at Pacquiao’s group, Cincinnati’s Broner refused to answer questions from Bernstein, a “Showtime Championship Boxing” analyst. Broner told Bernstein he feels Bernstein is “against” him, but Broner didn’t specify why he thinks Bernstein is biased.
Here’s a link to the former four-division champion’s strange exchange with Bernstein:
Broner’s ill-advised remarks Wednesday weren’t the first such statements he has made since he began promoting this Showtime Pay-Per-View showdown with Pacquiao (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT; $74.99 in HD). During their second press conference November 20 in Beverly Hills, California, Broner joked about Freddie Roach, who suffers from involuntary tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease.
Below is the entire exchange between Showtime’s Jim Gray, Broner and Pacquiao that led to Broner’s tasteless joke at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
GRAY: You’re bringing back Freddie Roach, a Hall-of-Famer.
BRONER: Oh, you’re bringing Freddie back?
PACQUIAO: Yeah.
GRAY: You’re bringing back Freddie Roach as a trainer, in your corner. What was the decision?
PACQUIAO [to Broner]: You scared?
BRONER: Nah, I don’t have nightmares. I don’t have nightmares.
PACQUIAO [to Gray]: Freddie is always – [I] include him to my team. So, we never lost Freddie. He just, he need to relax sometimes. And now we need Freddie.
BRONER: I’m happy he bringin’ Freddie back.
GRAY: Why?
BRONER: Sh*t, so we can get this thing shakin’.
Broner’s obvious, offensive reference to Roach’s tremors mostly was met with jeers from reporters and others in attendance November 20.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
