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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New York—Duva Boxing president Dino Duva calls Brian Minto a “real sleeper in the heavyweight division.” Minto, a native of Butler, PA, has put forth a nifty 23-1 career mark, registering 14 victories by way of knockout. “The Beast” will square off against a top quality opponent in Billy Zumbrun (19-6-1, 11 KO’s) of Ogden, Utah, in the eight-round co-feature heavyweight matchup, this Friday night, April 28, at the Mohegan Sun. ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights will televise from 8:00 to 10:00 PM/ET.
“Brian is ready for all the top heavyweights as long as he gets by a tough-minded opponent in Zumbrun,” says Duva. “He can be a real player in the heavyweight division. He is fighting a very tough, durable guy but we are ready to put him in with any top contender, and I really believe he can beat any of them.”
Since scoring an eye-opening PPV-televised stoppage over rival Vinny Maddalone last September, the vastly improved Minto has appeared twice, logging stoppages over Forrest Neal and Troy Weida. Minto sits poised on the doorstep of another high-profile fight and will be looking to make a statement against Zumbrun, but that is no easy task.
In the main event, granite fisted heavyweight slugger Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter will return to action. Peter, 25-1 (21 KOs), will tangle with Detroit’s 7-foot-tall Julius Long (14-7, 12 KO’s) in a 12-round main event battle for his NABF heavyweight championship.
Undefeated 20-year-old boxer/puncher Mike Marrone introduced himself to the boxing world just two weeks ago, as he fought a heart-stopping knockdown, drag-out war against more experienced Zack Page in his television debut. Marrone had Page down twice and seemingly out when a lucky punch dropped him and forced him to hang on for dear life to survive. Marrone showed tons of heart in that appearance and won over a lot of fans with his exciting and heavy-handed style.
Tickets for the event are priced at $75, $40 and $25, and are available through the Mohegan Sun box office, and Ticketmaster. Customers may log on to ticketmaster.com, call any ticketmaster phone number or visit any Ticketmaster outlet.
