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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Hall of Fame fighter turned ESPN commentator Timothy Bradley believes Ryan Garcia should have shown more grit in his fight against Gervonta Davis, which ended due to a debilitating body shot in the seventh round.
“He quit. I’m just like any other fighter out there. There’s no doubt about it,” Bradley said on the ESPN show “Max On Boxing” hosted by Max Kellerman.
“Listen to me. If you can get up at 11, why can’t you get up at 9? If you can look up, you can get up, Max, and he chose not to.
“Yes, he quit, but you can also say, ‘Was it smart for him to basically quit?’ You can say that, too because trust me, he did not want to end up on the ESPN top 10 highlights because trust me. If he had got up, he would have been taken out because Tank Davis is one of the best finishers in boxing.
“It would have taken a dog to get up from that shot … you’ve got to be a dog, and people appreciate a dog inside the ring. It’s what you signed up for.
“Yes, [Garcia] could have gotten up … What it comes down to is ‘what are you doing this for’ because that changes your perception when you’re in that ring.
“This is the fight that [Garcia] wanted. This is the fight that you barked up. You got to show up, you got to show out, and you got to put it all on the line.
Garcia admitted in the ring immediately after the knockout loss that his hurt rib made him unfit to continue.
Garcia was apparently dealing with a lingering injury suffered during a sparring session against Tsendbaatar Erdenebat in training camp.
Garcia also got dropped in the second round from a crushing counter left had from Davis.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
