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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IBF, WBA, WBO light heavyweight champion Andre Ward (31-0, 15 KOs) admits last year's contest with Sergey Kovalev was very competitive, but feels there is absolutely no controversy with the final result.
Last November, Ward won a twelve round unanimous decision over Kovalev (30-1, 26 KOs) to capture the three light heavyweight titles at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
All three of the official judges had it scored the same, with Ward winning the contest by a single point, 114-113.
There was a rematch clause, with the second fight scheduled to take place on June 17th from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The final result generated instant debate, with many observers believing Kovalev had done enough to retain his unified crown.
Ward was knocked down in the second round, but the Olympic gold medalist says that particular round, and the knockdown, is exactly what woke him up in the contest - and he says the official scorecards prove his point.
"Past that, I think if you look at the scorecards it's pretty dominant after that," Ward said. "He won some rounds for sure. It's a 12-round fight, he's going to get his. But I think it was pretty consistent and pretty dominant. That doesn't mean that it's a given going into this fight. He's going to make adjustments and I assume he's going to be better and I definitely have to be better and will be better."
Ward appears to be focused on proving a point in the second fight, by not just picking up another win but securing that victory in impressive fashion. He wants to make a big statement in the rematch.
"It's going to be a lot more flair, it's going to be a lot more fun," Ward said. "I'm fixing to put on a show and it's as simple as that. I've gotten back to just enjoying what I do. Just having fun and doing what I want to do."
