David Benavidez on Saturday retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round, while in Ireland, Katie Taylor avenged her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron in a majority decision to become a two-weight undisputed champion.
In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders (76.2kg), Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round in Las Vegas.
Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career.
Photo: AFP
Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best super middleweight after Canelo Alvarez. Immediately after his win he called for a match against Alvarez to unify the super middleweight title as 9,585 fans roared their approval.
“I think I solidified myself as the dominant performer I am,” Benavidez said in the ring during the post-fight interview on Showtime. “Now just give me the fight that everyone wants to see.
“Let’s give the people what they want to see and they want to see David Benavidez against Canelo.”
Photo: Reuters
After three close rounds, Benavidez, 26, lived up to his nickname of “The Mexican Monster,” neutralizing Andrade’s technical skills by implementing a violent nonstop pounding over the final three rounds.
In the fourth round, Benavidez began landing solid shots and taking advantage of openings for follow-up combinations while absorbing everything Andrade threw before scoring a knockdown just before the bell.
Benavidez’s boxing skills were on full display in the fifth round, as he moved forward aggressively and continued to impose his size and power to weaken the former two-division world champion.
“It’s the fighting spirit ... it’s my passion,” Benavidez said about being triggered every time he was hit. “If you hit with me one or two punches, I’ll come back with five or six.”
Benavidez closed a minus-430 favorite at FanDuel, which means bettors would have had to lay US$430 to win US$100.
He said he hopes his command performance will be what it takes to finally lure Alvarez into the ring.
“I just want to say welcome to the David Benavidez era,” Benavidez said.
In Dublin, Taylor improved to 23-1 after the judges scored the bout 98-92, 96-94 and 95-95 at 3Arena, six months after a majority decision went Cameron’s way in the same venue.
The 37-year-old Taylor, whose lightweight belts were not on the line, now adds Cameron’s world super-lightweight titles at 140 pounds (63.5kg).
“That was the longest six months of my life waiting for this rematch,” Taylor said in the ring. “Tonight, you’ve seen the real me, and when I box like that nobody can beat me.”
The Irishwoman said she is open to a third fight with Cameron and named Ireland’s largest stadium as a location.
“Let’s get the trilogy at Croke Park,” she said of the 82,000-capacity venue.
It was Cameron’s first professional loss. The 32-year-old Englishwoman’s record is 18-1.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that