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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Deontay Wilder retained his WBC heavyweight title and unbeaten record after an incredible first-round knockout of Bermane Stiverne in New York Saturday.
Stiverne had been the only fighter to ever push Wilder (39-0) the distance, but he was unable to last three minutes at the Barclays Center.
Wilder initially landed a huge left-right combination to the face of Stiverne, who was never able to recover from the blow.
Stiverne tried – knocked down once more by another big right hand – and a final flurry from Wilder with seconds remaining in the round ended the bout.
The American is now 39-0 with 38 knockouts, and he wants to face WBA, IBF and IBO champion Anthony Joshua (20-0) next.
"I've been waiting on that fight for a long time now," Wilder told Showtime in an in-ring interview.
"I declare war upon you. Do you accept my challenge? I've been waiting for a long time, I know I'm the champion, I know I'm the best. Are you up for the test?"
Stiverne (25-3-1) had taken Wilder the distance in January 2015, but the 39-year-old never came close to doing so again.
Earlier, Sergey Lipinets won a unanimous decision over Akihiro Kondo for the vacant IBF junior welterweight title, a decision that was lustily booed by the crowd of 10,924 at Barclays Center.
In a bout featuring lots of action but lots of missed punches, the 28-year-old Lipinets of Kazakhstan won despite dealing with a cut on the forehead that bled for the final six rounds. He won 118-111 on one judge's card and 117-111 on two others even though Kondo, fighting outside of his native Japan for the first time, carried much of the action in the second half of the bout.
