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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photo credit: Esther Lin, Most Valuable Promotions
Another event, another record-setting night for Jake Paul.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that Friday’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) show, live on DAZN, is now the highest recorded live gate for a boxing event in Orlando, Florida. Paul will face Andre August in an eight-round cruiserweight bout atop a show that has surpassed the mark previously established by the October 2013 Miguel Cotto-Delvin Rodriguez clash at Amway Center, home to the NBA’s Orlando Magic and which boasts a capacity of 20,000 seats.
Paul’s financial mark comes at the considerably more intimate Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, where his MVP company has held its DAZN series since its launch this past May.
“It’s unbelievable that Jake made his debut in 2020, also in Florida, and sold less than 1500 tickets with a miniscule gate,” Mike Leanardi, director of boxing for MVP, told BoxingScene.com in a provided quote. “Now in 2023, we’re back in Florida, this time Orlando, and despite it being a week before Christmas and him facing a formidable but unknown opponent, Jake broke Miguel Cotto’s record for the highest gate and average ticket price of any boxing event in Orlando’s history.
“Just being mentioned in the same breath as Cotto speaks volumes to Jake’s star power. If anyone still doubts Jake Paul, I’m proud to say they’ve been proven wrong yet again. Thank you Caribe Royale and Boxlab Promotions for being a great partner for this record-breaking night.”
Paul made his pro debut on the January 2020 pre-Super Bowl DAZN show in Miami Gardens, Florida. The event was topped by Demetrius Andrade’s knockout win over Ireland’s Luke Keeler, but—as witnessed by Boxing Scene, who covered the event from ringside—the crowd at the pop-up venue emptied out shortly after Paul’s first-round knockout win over fellow influencer AnEson Gib.
By his third fight, Paul has headlined his own shows. His April 2021 first-round knockout win over Ben Askren came during Covid restrictions and thus without a crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. His five subsequent stateside appearances have now registered boxing-best live gates for those venues, beginning with his August 2021 homecoming victory over Tyron Woodley at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
From there came: the highest-grossing combat sports event at AMALIE Arena in Tampa for his December 2021 rematch versus Woodley; the highest-grossing boxing and second-best combat sports event for his October 2021 victory over Anderson Silva at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale and his victory over Nate Diaz this past August at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Another financial benchmark was established, this time at a venue with whom his company plans to conduct business well into the future. Friday’s show is the fourth edition of his Celsius®-sponsored Most Valuable Prospect series, which is already guaranteed to run through the end of 2024.
"On behalf of Caribe Royale Resort and Boxlab Promotions we’re extremely proud to partner with Jake Paul and MVP on the highest grossing boxing event in Orlando history," said Amaury Piedra, Managing Director of Caribe Royale Resort and President of Boxlab Promotions. "This just further validates that Orlando has become the capital of Championship Boxing not only in Florida but a player on the national stage as well."
Paul’s fight versus August (10-1, 5KOs) airs live on DAZN, his first non-PPV event since his January 2020 pro debut. The four-fight livestream is co-anchored by the WBC super middleweight title fight between number-one contender and MVP-signed Shadasia Green (13-0, 11KOs) and former undisputed champ Franchon Crews-Dezurn (8-2, 2KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox
