GLENDALE, Ariz. —David Benavidez was looking for a challenge. He didn’t get one. David Lemieux never had a chance.
Benavidez continued to show why he ranks as perhaps the most avoided fighter in boxing since Antonio Margarito.
He’s feared, more feared now than he was before he walked through a roaring crowd at Gila River Arena, up the steps and through the ropes. Fear came in combos, all more reasons to avoid the unbeaten super-middleweight.
The deadly delivery in a Showtime blowout Saturday night included early body punches. Then, there was a lethal uppercut, the first of what was an incoming storm.
One after another, he left Lemieux bloodied, dazed and defenseless. At the end of the first, Lemieux slumped along the ropes. In the second, Benavidez knocked the Canadian through the ropes with a blinding succession of punches.
Early in the third, it was over. At 1:31 of the round, it was stopped. Lemieux was led to his corner and placed on his stool, looking like an accident victim. He showed courage. But it was futile, if not foolish.
Above all, it was another reason to be wary of the Phoenix fighter, especially if you’re Caleb Plant or Jermall Charlo. Nobody knows what Canelo Alvarez plans to do next. He plans to choose between a rematch with Dmitry Bivol or a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin in September.
“I’m waiting for them to sign the contract,’’ Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) said in the immediate aftermath of the carnage. “Them bitches know what’s up.”
A beating is up, if Saturday night is a reliable guide. Lemieux (43-5, 36 KOs), a former middleweight champion, was overmatched in every way. He was just too small. Yet, his evident courage and world-class experience indicated he might have a chance.
But he didn’t, a warning sign to all the super-middleweight champions and contenders.
“I think we can make some of those fights — Plant or Charlo or David Morrell — happen, maybe by the end of the year,’’ Benavidez said during the post-fight news conference.
With the victory, Benavidez won the World Boxing Council’s so-called interim title. It could be significant, but that depends on Canelo. It’s supposed to lead to a mandatory shot at the WBC’s real title, which Canelo still holds.
But a mandatory shot at Canelo is an illusion, according to Benavidez promoter Sampson Lewkowicz.
“Forget Canelo,” Lewkowicz said. “Plant, Morrell and Charlo are the ones we’re talking about. Canelo isn’t going to fight Benavidez.
“He’s never going to fight the world’s real super-middleweight champion.’’
Yoelvis Gomez, Dominates, wins one-sided Decision
Yoelvis Gomez fled Havana and escaped to Guatemala on a raft. It was a perilous journey. Gomez had only his will, wits and fast hands.The wit and will are still there.
So, too are those fast hands.
Jorge Cota was no match for the hands, which proved to be a deadly mix of speed, power and precision in a one-sided junior-middleweight fight, the last bout before the Benavidez-Lemieux main event Saturday night in Glendale, Ariz.
Gomez, who won a unanimous decision — scorecard shutout over 10 rounds, did everything and anything he wanted except stop Cota. It was a bout that could have been stopped at any time. The third round was one of those times. A huge right hand from Gomez drove Coto into the ropes. The Mexican rebounded, almost like an object in a slingshot. Gomez caught him and threw the Mexican onto the canvas. The takedown was ruled a slip. It should have ended there.
But the rout went on. And on. Gomez didn’t miss much. He was dropping punches from all angles onto Cota (30-6, 27 KOs). He even landed one that caught veteran referee Wes Melton. It was a glancing blow at the end of the wild third. It missed Melton’s jaw and glanced off the top of his chest, just below his black bow tie. as he was trying to separate the fighters and send them to their corners. It was harmless.
Nonetheless, it was a moment that summed up how busy and aggressive Gomez is.
Don’t get in his way.
Luis Nunez wins narrow decision in tough featherweight bout
Luis Nunez possessed power, enough of it to send echoes throughout a crowded arena. Jonathan Fierro had guts, enough of it to wonder at how he could still be standing.Power prevailed.
Nunez (17-0, 12 KOs), of the Dominican Republic, won, scoring a unanimous decision — 96-94 on all three cards — over Fierro (13-1, 12 KOs) in a terrific featherweight bout in the first televised bout on a Showtime card featuring David Benavidez-David Lemieux at Gila River Arena.
Nunez power was deadly and often precise. It shook Fierro’s balance. It rocked. But it never knocked him down. But Nunez’ accuracy was telling. He landed 44 percent of his body shots. It was just enough for a narrow victory on the scorecards. Fierro, a proud Mexican, left the ring in tears. But his exit was followed by only cheers.
Victor Ortiz wins unanimous decision
He’s 35 years old. He’s had movie roles. He’s been in the headlines. He’s been in the middle of controversy. It’s a long resume.It continues.
Victor Ortiz fights on, this time winning a back-and-forth battle for a unanimous decision over Todd Manuel at Gila River Arena Saturday in the last fight before the Showtime telecast of the David Benavidez-David Lemieux featured card.
Ortiz (33-7-3, 25 KOs), a World Boxing Council welterweight champion in 2011, suffered a cut near his left eye in the third round. He got knocked down in the final moments of the tenth and final round. But his power is still there. It rocked Manuel (20-20-1, 6 KOs), of Louisiana, repeatedly. The power was enough to overcome the cut and the knockdown. Power enough to survive once again.
Stoppage streak resumes
Elijah Garcia stayed at home. Stayed unbeaten, too. Garcia (11-0, 9 KOs), an emerging welterweight from Glendale AZ, put together a solid six rounds in his home town arena, mixing power and poise while scoring two knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision over Rowdy Montgomery (7-4-1, 5 KOs) Saturday on a card featuring David Benavidez-David Lemieux at Gila River Arena.It was the first fight on the card to go to the scorecards. The first five fights ended in stoppage. It looked as if Garcia might stop Montgomery in the third. That’s when dropped him twice. But the fighter from Victorville, Calif. recovered and was able to take the bout to the sixth and final round.
KO string continues
There was no power outage in the fifth fight.
Richardson Hitchins (14-0, 6 KOs), a super-lightweight from Brooklyn, made sure of it. He kept the stoppage streak going, five-for-five, scoring a fourth-round TKO of Mexican Angel Rodriguez (12-11-3, 5 KOs) on the non-televised portion of the Benavidez-Lemieux card.
KO run continues: Stoppages in second, third and fourth fights on Benavidez-Lemieux card
It’s a card that promises knockouts. It didn’t take long for it to deliver.Four fights, four stoppages, opened the show, a powerful introduction on the non-televised card featuring the potential hard-hitting main event between David Benavidez and David Lemieux on Showtime. A first-round KO in the first bout was followed by a scary KO.Welterweight
Estevan Villalobos (16-1-1, 12 KOs), another Washington fighter trained by Jose Benavidez Sr, landed a short right hand that lifted Christian Edwards up and onto the canvas midway through the third-round. Edwards (13-4, 6 KOs), of Houston, was flat on his back,, motionless, for several long seconds before he was helped to his feet. He was able to leave the ring under his own power.
The third fight was over within 99 seconds. Micky Scala (6-0, 4 KOs), a popular junior-middleweight from Mesa AZ, steamrolled Mike Plazola (2-2), knocking him down four times.
The fourth fight was over before the first round ended. Las Vegas super-middleweight Chavon Davis (1-0, 1 KO) barely had enough time to break a sweat in his pro debut. He blew away Brent Oren (4-9, 1 KO, of Virginia, midway through the first.
First Bell: Benavidez-Lemieux card begins with first-round KO
It was a matinee. A short one.
First bell still echoed through an empty Gila River Arena when the opening fight on the card featuring David Benavidez-David Lemieux ended Saturday.
It was over, 2:01 after the bell, lightweight Julio Hernandez (2-0, 2 KOs) the sudden winner. Hernandez — a Kent WA lightweight who had Benavidez dad and trainer, Jose Sr. in his corner — scored two knockdowns of Gibran Perez (0-1, a late stand-in who didn’t stand up for long.
