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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By Jake Donovan
David Lemieux's scheduled homecoming was supposed to ignite a strong bounce back campaign in 2016. Instead, it begins with his career placed on hold and another obstacle to clear once he returns.
The former middleweight titlist came in over the 163 lb. catchweight limit for Saturday's planned showdown with James de la Rosa, which was due to headline Olympia Theatre in Montreal, Canada. The bout has since been canceled, as de la Rosa - who successfully made weight - was unwilling to negotiate terms to allow the fight to proceed as planned.
Golden Boy Promotions' Bernard Hopkins, Lemieux's promoter cleared up earlier conflicting reports in confirming to BoxingScene.com that the fight has officially been scrapped.
Lemieux tipped the scales at a beefy 165.6 lbs for his first scheduled fight back following his knockout loss to Gennady Golovkin in their middleweight title unification bout last October. The night marked his debut as an HBO Pay-Per-View headliner (albeit as the B-side), coming in the lone attempted defense of the middleweight title he won in a 12-round decision over Hassan N'Dam N'Jikam last June.
The intention was to return home and - with a win over de la Rosa - move towards another title shot later in the year. Those plans could still come into play; however, he may have to go without the benefit of a stay busy fight. The charismatic boxer from Montreal is still owed a fight by American cable giant HBO, but one where he will have to step up considerably in class in order for the network to approve.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
