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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When is Shakan Pitters vs. Bradley Rea?
Shakan Pitters vs. Bradley Rea is on Saturday, June 28. The broadcast will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern Time (7 p.m. BST).
What channel is Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Darius Fulghum on?
Shakan Pitters vs. Bradley Rea will stream on DAZN.
Where is Shakan Pitters vs. Bradley Rea?
The fight is taking place at Connexin Live Hull in Hull, England.
Who is Shakan Pitters?
Pitters, 20-2 (7 KOs), is a 35-year-old light heavyweight from Birmingham, England, whose past few fights have come four to seven pounds over the limit, though the 6-foot-6 fighter will be squeezing back to 175lbs for this bout.
Both of Pitters’ defeats came against familiar names: a ninth-round TKO against Craig Richards in 2020 and a unanimous decision against Dan Azeez in 2022. He was twice supposed to have a European-level clash earlier this year with the 22-1 Daniel Blenda Dos Santos. First in February, the French fighter pulled out first with a failed brain scan — which later tests showed was an error. Then Pitters-Dos Santos was rescheduled for April, and this time Pitters had to exit with a torn chest muscle.
That means Pitters’ last outing was a February drubbing of a late replacement foe, the 4-23-4 Bahadur Kurami.
Who is Bradley Rea?
Rea, 20-1 (10 KOs), moved up to light heavyweight after dropping a unanimous decision to Tyler Denny down at middleweight in November 2022. He’s won six in a row, though this year he has been similarly snakebitten as Pitters.
Rea was supposed to face Dos Santos in April, stepping in when Pitters suffered that aforementioned chest injury. But just hours before the fight, Dos Santos canceled due to illness. That was the second fight that fell apart for Rea this year; a hurt opponent meant he didn’t fight on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol II. Rea was last in the ring in November, making short work of the 4-1 Adam Hepple.
It could have been even worse for both Pitters and Rea. Their bout was originally supposed to take place on June 28 as part of another show in Ireland, but it was relocated to England when that event was called off.
What other fights are on the undercard of Shakan Pitters vs. Bradley Rea?
Also on this card: middleweight Shakiel Thompson, 14-0 (10 KOs), will take on an opponent still to be determined; and junior welterweight Sean McComb, 18-2 (5 KOs), will return from last year’s controversial loss to Arnold Barboza. McComb’s foe is also TBA.
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
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.
