Jose Benavidez Discusses Comeback, Injury Recovery

By Luis Sandoval

Red hot prospect Jose Benavidez Jr will return to the ring on May 26th at the Casino Del Sol Resort AVA Amphitheater in Tuscon, AZ which will be televised by TV Azteca.

Benavidez is recovering from a hand injury he suffered last year that required surgery. The injury however was not caused by activity in the ring but from a bit abnormal circumstance.

“For the last four fights he had been fighting he’s been telling me [his hand] hurts. In the last one, he told me his hand was broken in the 2nd round. We went to several doctors here in Phoenix and they couldn’t find anything. We then went to some of the doctors from Top Rank in California and they did a CAT scan and MRI. They found an extra bone that grew under his hand and they ended up removing the bone out” explained Jose Benavidez Sr.

Benavidez Jr is in a long line of fighters who have been plagued by hand issues that required surgery or special attention. Floyd Mayweather Jr and Paulie Malignaggi are fighters who had hand issues in the past and have since been able to avoid them from reoccurring. Benavidez seems like he will be able to put these hand problems behind him as well.

“The doctor said it was a good thing we went because they got it in time. It would’ve only got worse if I would’ve waited. But yeah, they said everything is going to be back to normal and that I shouldn’t see any more injuries. So hopefully that’s true and I’m going to keep wrapping my hands right like we’ve been doing” said Benavidez Jr.

Even though Junior is still rehabilitating his hand, it hasn’t kept him out of the gym. In fact he’s been in the gym for almost 2 months now. He’s been concentrating on using his left for now and only taps with his right hand to avoid any further injuries while it fully heals. Benavidez who will turn 20 in a couple weeks hasn’t let the injury bother him. It’s a tough situation for a fighter as young as Benavidez to face but he’s taking it in stride and he’s dealt with it before.

“It’s boxing. You’re going to get injured here and there. But back in the amateurs I had the same problem with my hand but you just keep training and working. I hardly really use my right [hand] much. I like using my jab and I love body shots so you tend to focus more on the left. And every time I mess my left hand up, I’d work on my right” said Benavidez to BoxingScene.com.

Luckily for the young prospect the injury will have only sidelined him for about 6-7 months by the time he steps in the ring May 26th. Benavidez is one of boxing’s most promising fighters and he and his father Jose Benavidez Sr are in the gym working diligently and gearing up for his upcoming fight.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.