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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Photo by Carlo EstonactocHeavyweight Pryce Taylor is eager to learn, as he spent this camp with Javan “Sugar” Hill in Florida.
The New York-based Taylor will face veteran Robert Simms in his first eight-round bout of his career on Saturday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, as part of the Claressa Taylor vs. Lani Daniels undercard.
Taylor, 8-0 (6 KOs), is trained by Benny Roman, but hit the road for this camp to learn. Hill is best known for his work with Tyson Fury, guiding the heavyweight to knockout victories over Deontay Wilder to start the decade. Taylor left with a positive experience.
“I went to boxing university,” Taylor told BoxingScene. “I went over there and learned some new tricks and came back a better fighter. "
Taylor started boxing late. Competing in elite national tournaments is where he learned the ropes against seasoned veterans of the amateur circuit.
“I was 19 turning 20 when I got into boxing,” Taylor of Brooklyn, New York, said. “I learn fast, and I made sure to go everywhere, rather than just stay in one spot.”
Taylor also remarked that he learned from watching sparring and also looked to learn from his losses.
“Whoever I lost to, I took the skills they used to beat me with and added on to my arsenal,” Taylor said. “That helped a lot, because people didn’t know I was taking the moves from them.”
Simms, 12-4-1 (3 KOs), enters the fight on a year-and-a-half layoff after losing a unanimous decision to Brandon Moore. The 41-year-old Simms of Saginaw, Michigan represents the toughest challenge as a professional Taylor has faced. Simms is a 10-year professional who has made a career out of being a tricky veteran. A majority of his losses are split and majority decisions to emerging fighters.
“Age doesn’t matter. When I get to his age, I am going to be at the top,” Taylor said. “I know how to hit people with clean shots, because I know how to avoid getting hit with clean shots.”
Taylor, 28, has been active. This will be his fourth fight in 2025. He also enters with a four-fight knockout streak.
“I don’t care about the knockout streak,” Taylor said. “All I care about is getting the win.”
