Jose Benavidez hopes to return in February or March

By Ryan Burton

On Saturday evening, Jose Benavidez Jr. (18-0) made a successful return to the ring at the Avi Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, NV. Benavidez had been out of the ring since last October because of injuries to his hand which ultimately required surgery. Shortly after his latest fight, the Arizona resident said that he was very excited to finally be back in the ring.

"It felt great. I've been out for about a year now. I've seen other fights on TV and I saw my brother make his pro debut so I was anxious. I trained hard for this fight. I was able to get through this fight and not re-injure my hand so I am happy," Benavidez stated.

The 21-year-old Benavidez got caught late in his last fight against Pavel Miranda. He appeared to be cruising to a victory when Miranda landed a flush shot that stunned Benavidez. He was able to stay on his feet and get the victory but some critics began to question his chin. 

"It felt good (to come back tonight) because I fought that fight basically with one hand. He caught me with a good punch and people said I didn't have a chin but I didn't go down. That is part of boxing," Benavidez explained.

Benavidez said that he doesn't know when his next fight will take place but to be back in the first quarter of 2014.

"We were just training for this fight to be honest. We got to meet with my team and see when we come back. Likely it will be in Februrary or March," Benavidez told BoxingScene.com.

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