Jose Benavidez Jr.: record, next fight and profile →
Super welterweight contender Luis “Cuba” Arias will face Jimmy Williams in a 10-round showdown, while exciting welterweight prospect Jalil “Major” Hackett takes on unbeaten Jose Belloso for a six-round attraction in undercard bouts that will stream live on the SHOWTIME Sports YouTube page this Saturday, May 28 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Shawn Porter predicted he’ll become the first fighter to beat Terence Crawford when they meet November 20 in Las Vegas. Thus far, though, Porter determined that Jose Benavidez Jr. gave Crawford the most difficult fight of his 13-year pro career. Crawford stopped a then-unbeaten Benavidez by 12th-round technical knockout in their fight for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title three years ago at CHI Health Center in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
Jose Benavidez Jr. admits a three-year layoff affected his subpar performance Saturday night. The 29-year-old Benavidez still feels he did enough to defeat Emanuel Torres in their 10-round middleweight match. Benavidez gave Torres credit for having an awkward style and a reliable chin that served the Argentinean veteran well during a majority draw Showtime televised from Footprint Center in Phoenix, Benavidez’s hometown.
Terence Crawford smiled mischievously upon responding to Shawn Porter’s comments about Crawford’s fight against Jose Benavidez Jr. Two days before Crawford addressed the media during a virtual press conference Friday, Porter noted that a then-unbeaten Benavidez gave Crawford the most difficult fight of the undefeated three-division champion’s career. Crawford dropped and stopped Benavidez during the 12th round of their WBO welterweight title fight in October 2018, but the 6-feet Benavidez troubled Crawford at times with his size, length and skill at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, Crawford’s hometown.
At the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1-1, 18 KOs) returned after a 37-month layoff to fight Emanuel Torres (17-3-1, 5 KOs) to a majority draw. In a fight that could have gone either way, the judges scored the contest 96-94 for Benavidez and 95-95 twice.
Jose Benavidez Jr. ended his three-year layoff before his hometown fans Saturday night, but he struggled against a huge underdog and settled for a majority draw.
While David Benavidez warms up for his own fight Saturday night, he’ll keep one eye on the television in his locker room. The former WBC super middleweight champion is almost looking forward to his older brother’s fight as much as his subsequent bout. Jose Benavidez Jr. hasn’t fought in three years, not since the night Terence Crawford stopped him in the 12th round of their October 2018 fight for Crawford’s WBO welterweight title in Omaha, Nebraska.
Jose Benavidez Jr. understood that his right leg would eventually become a hindrance when he accepted his shot at Terence Crawford’s WBO welterweight title.
Jose Benavidez, Davis Weights Photos Gallery - Unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavidez and super middleweight contender Kyrone Davis went face-to-face Friday at the official weigh-in before they meet in the main event this Saturday, November 13 live on SHOWTIME in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Footprint Center in Phoenix. (photos by Stephanie Trapp)
Neither David Benavidez nor his older brother, Jose Benavidez Jr., had any issues making weight Friday afternoon for their hometown fights Saturday night in Phoenix.