By Keith Idec
Ronald Gavril expected more when he encountered David Benavidez on September 8.
The undefeated Benavidez had knocked out 17 of his first 18 opponents prior to their super middleweight title fight, including 10 straight. Once Gavril withstood some early difficulty, though, the Romanian contender realized he could take the hard-hitting Benavidez’s power.
The gritty Gavril also knocked down Benavidez during the 12th round. Benavidez still won a split decision in their fight for the then-vacant WBC super middleweight title, but Gavril gave the young champion the toughest fight of his four-year pro career.
Their immediate rematch is scheduled for February 17 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Showtime will televise it as the opener of a doubleheader that’ll match welterweights Danny Garcia (33-1, 19 KOs) and Brandon Rios (34-3-1, 25 KOs) in the main event.
“I didn’t think he was as good as people said he was going into our first fight,” Gavril said during a press conference Tuesday in Los Angeles. “He hadn’t fought any real fighters, so you saw what happened when he went up against one.”
Judge Glenn Trowbridge gave Gavril credit for his work that night in Las Vegas by scoring him a 116-111 winner. He was overruled by two judges that scored the fight for Benavidez – Adalaide Byrd (116-111) and Dave Moretti (117-111).
His confidence aside, Gavril appreciates Benavidez’s willingness to fight him again.
“I’m really happy to be here and be in this position for a rematch,” Gavril said. “I want to thank David Benavidez for agreeing to fight me. I thought that I won the first fight, so I knew I wanted this immediately. I earned this rematch.
“I learned a lot from the first fight. I know what I have to do better this time. The strategy will be adjusted and I’ll work even harder in camp to be ready. I’m working on being the best I can mentally and physically.”
The 31-year-old Gavril (18-2, 14 KOs), who’s promoted by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s company, expects another grueling fight from Phoenix’s Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs).
“He’s a young fighter [21] who still has a lot of things to learn,” Gavril said. “Right now he’s the champion, but he will have to be ready. This won’t be an easy fight for him. I’m going in there to hurt him and win the fight. I can do a lot of things better than in the first fight. I proved that I have the skills in the first match, and now I will improve to get the win. I am here for a reason. It’s not going to be an easy fight for him.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.
