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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Promoter Frank Warren says he will “appeal” the appeal to the controversial low blow sequence during the heavyweight title match between his client, Daniel Dubois, and champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Warren’s Queensberry Promotions were hoping to overturn Usyk’s ninth-round stoppage of Dubois this past August in Poland because they argued that Usyk benefited from a referee’s blunder during the fifth round, when Dubois sent Usyk crashing to the canvas with a shot to the midsection. Referee Luis Pabon deemed it a low bow and gave Usyk nearly four minutes to collect himself. Dubois and Queensberry believed the shot to be legitimate and also took issue with what they felt were Pabon’s lack of good instructions.
But it was revealed yesterday that the WBA, the sanctioning body who was chiefly in charge of that event and to whom Queensberry’s appeal was filed, upheld the result. In the ruling, it was determined that Dubois’ case had not met sufficient “burden of proof.”
In a recent interview, Warren voiced his displeasure with the verdict.
“I’m disappointed with them not even considering what our complaint was,” Warren told Boxing Social. “What they came back with didn’t even address it.
“We complained about the referee, as I’ve said on many occasions, not giving specific instructions to both boxers. And for what he did regarding giving the amount of time he did, which was nearly four minutes for Usyk to rest even when he wanted to carry on himself after a low blow that wasn’t even a low blow.”
Warren vowed to continue fighting for Dubois.
“We will appeal that,” Warren said of the WBA’s decision.
Usyk, the WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion, is set to take on WBC titlist Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship, either in December of January, in Saudi Arabia, pending the result of Fury’s Oct. 28 showdown with former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.
