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.
Dave Thompson Matchroom BoxingWith no agreement yet between Chris Billam-Smith and Roman Fress, the WBO has called for a purse bid for the right to promote the interim cruiserweight title fight.
The WBO ordered its two top-ranked cruiserweights to vie for the secondary belt because Gilberto Ramirez – who has the primary WBO belt as well as the WBA title – will remain on the shelf due to shoulder surgery.
The WBO’s order, issued August 19, gave the camps a deadline of 20 days to make a deal. That deadline passed more than two weeks ago. And so on September 26, the WBO said a purse bid proceeding is scheduled for October 3 in Budapest, Hungary.
The minimum bid is $300,000. The fight must be held between 45 and 90 days after the purse bid. Billam-Smith and Fress are still able to negotiate up until the purse bid, which would be canceled if they reach an agreement.
Billam-Smith, 21-2 (13 KOs), is a former WBO cruiserweight titleholder who won that recognition with a majority decision over Lawrence Okolie in May 2023. The 35-year-old from England made two successful defenses against Mateusz Masternak (TKO8) and Richard Riakporhe (UD12) before losing a unanimous decision to Ramirez in a unification bout last November. Billam-Smith returned in April on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn I and won a unanimous decision over Brandon Glanton.
Fress, 23-1 (13 KOs), is a 31-year-old from Germany. That lone loss came in 2022, when he dropped a split decision to the 13-2 Armend Xhoxhaj. Fress is on an eight-fight winning streak, though he’s yet to step up his level of competition. In his most recent appearance in May, Fress took a 10-round decision over the 13-1 Michael Seitz.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
ProboxTV’s championship series is now on the ProBoxTV YouTube channel for $5/month.
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