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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Another developmental series will be added to DAZN’s boxing schedule.
Overtime Boxing (OTX)—an extension of the Atlanta-based sports media company—will launch a prospect-based summertime series that will run every Friday in August on DAZN. The news came with the announcement that the first-year boxing outfit signed more than 30 fighters to its roster.
The series will debut August 4, with all four shows to air live from OTE (Overtime Elite) Arena in Atlanta, home to the company’s Elite basketball league for 16-to-20-year-old players. Elijah Pierce will face Mike Plania—a Filipino contender based in Florida—atop the inaugural show in a junior featherweight clash.
Sanny Duversonne will face an opponent to be determined on August 11. Spain’s Narciso Carmona (10-0-1, 6KOs) will top the August 18 show, also versus an opponent to be named in the coming weeks. Anchoring the four-fight series, former amateur standout Lorenzo ‘Truck’ Simpson (13-0, 7KOs—a 23-year-old southpaw from Baltimore—will top the August 25 installment. An official opponent was not named, though ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that Simpson will face Vlad Hernandez.
Overtime was formed in 2016 and is geared towards attracting Generation Z sports fans. The social media-friendly company has enjoyed successful ventures in basketball with Overtime Elite and its OT7 seven-on-seven football league.
“I watch their videos on Tik Tok of basketball, Rob Dillingham and the twins. I was like, Overtime boxing? That would be fire for me,” Simpson said of signing with OTX. “I’m young like those guys, exciting. And it’s an amazing opportunity.”
Pierce (17-2, 14KOs) joins the company at the hottest point of his seven-year career. The 26-year-old Oklahoma-bred, Atlanta-based southpaw has won eight in a row, including a ten-round decision over former title challenger Tramaine Williams on April 22 on the road in Uncasville, Connecticut.
No travel will be necessary for his next fight, which will come in the city where he currently lives and trains.
“I was hoping that I’d be a part of it [OTX],” Pierce said. “I knew this was a platform that could introduce me to the world and ultimately that’s what I’ve been needing. I’ve been patient. I’ve fought my way back. It’s been a long hard journey and now it’s my turn.”
Plania (28-2, 15KOs) has won thirteen of his last fourteen starts, and two straight since a ten-round defeat to then-unbeaten Ra’eese Aleem last September. The 26-year-old fringe contender from General Santos City will represent Pierce’s most experienced foe to date.
Other notable signings by OTX include unbeaten prospects Haven Brady Jr. (9-0, 4KOs) of nearby Albany, Georgia, California’s Gabriel Muratalla (9-0, 5KOs), Houston’s Giovanni Marquez (5-0, 3KOs)—the son of former junior middleweight titlist and current Showtime analyst Raul Marquez—and Los Angeles’ Andreas Katzourakis (10-0, 8KOs).
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
