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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Lewis Crocker will have to seek redemption in the ring.
The locally-based welterweight miserably missed weight ahead of his scheduled ten-round regional title fight versus Mexico’s Jose Felix. Crocker tipped the scales at a beefy 150 pounds, three pounds above the divisional limit. Felix checked in at a fight ready 146.6 pounds for Saturday’s DAZN main event from Ulster Hall in Crocker’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Both camps were made aware of Crocker’s struggles. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) disallowed the 27-year-old prospect to cut down to the welterweight limit after he was far over the tolerable limit during a mandatory fight-week weight check.
“Earlier in the week, the BBBofC do their weight checks,” Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Lewis told DAZN’s Jamie Ward and Darren Barker. “Lewis obviously didn’t make that weight, so there was a limit set that he couldn’t come below. Felix’s team were aware, but he still wanted to weigh 147. He wanted the opportunity to win the (WBO Inter-Continental welterweight) title.”
The vacant title will only be at stake for Felix (40-6-1, 31KOs), who has not fought since a stunning third-round knockout of unbeaten Gary Cully in a major upset last May 20 on the road in Dublin, Ireland. He’d lost his prior two outings in back-to-back unanimous decisions to contenders Sandor Martin and Tyrone McKenna.
Saturday will mark the fourth consecutive fight abroad for the 31-year-old gatekeeper from Los Mochis, Mexico.
Not even the benefit of a quick turnaround was enough for Crocker (18-0, 10KOs). This bout will mark his fifth in a span of just more than nine months, including a ten-round, unanimous decision win over McKenna in their all-Belfast clash just eight weeks ago at nearby SSE Arena.
Main undercard (DAZN, 7:00 p.m. GMT/2:00 p.m. ET)
Cheavon Clarke (7-0, 5KOs), Gravesend, Kent, 199.6 pounds vs. Tommy McCarthy (20-5, 10KOs), Belfast, 199.4 pounds—10 rounds, cruiserweight
Paddy Donovan (12-0, 9KOs), Limerick, Ireland, 146.3 pounds vs. Williams Andres Herrera (15-2, 6KOs), Cordoba, Argentina, 146.6 pounds—10 rounds, welterweight
Conah Walker (12-2-1, 4KOs), Wolverhampton, 146.4 pounds vs. Lloyd Germain (9-0, 1KO), Cardiff, 147.2 pounds*—10 rounds, welterweight
* Germain was 0.2 pounds over the 147-pound welterweight limit, has two hours to make weight
Giorgio Visioli (1-0, 1KOs), Surrey, 133.2 pounds vs. Samuel Pikire (4-2, 0KOs), Longbridge, West Midlands, 133 ½ pounds—6 rounds, junior lightweight
‘Before The Bell’ Preliminary Undercard (DAZN/Matchroom Boxing YouTube) 6:00 p.m. GMT/1:00 p.m. ET)
Kurt Walker (9-0, 1KO), Lisburn, Northern Ireland, 133.2 pounds vs. Darwing Martinez (8-17-2, 6KOs), 130.6 pounds—6 rounds, junior lightweight
Emmanuel 'Leli' Buttigieg (1-0, 1KO), London, 158 ½ pounds vs. Artjom Spatar (4-4, KOs), Narva, Estonia, 157 ½ pounds—4 rounds, middleweight
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox
