LAS VEGAS – The only opponent Jose Benavidez Jr. has knocked out in the past five years was a journeyman who took a 36-15 record into their middleweight match three months ago.
Benavidez is nonetheless confident that at the age of 31 he has finally developed his man strength. The Phoenix native is also sure that he has benefited from a long overdue move up in weight that has made him feel fresher as fight night approaches.
Those are among the reasons Benavidez predicted during an open workout Wednesday at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino that he’ll knock out Jermall Charlo in their 10-round, 163-pound fight Saturday night on the David Benavidez-Demetrius Andrade undercard. The unbeaten Charlo’s chin has been one of his greatest strengths since the WBC middleweight champion made his pro debut in September 2008, yet Benavidez sees vulnerability in his long-inactive, 33-year-old opponent.
“I’m gonna take him out,” Benavidez told Premier Boxing Champions’ Ray Flores before he worked out. “Imma stop him. A hundred percent guaranteed. I’ll put money on it.”
Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) hasn’t boxed since June 2021, but BetMGM sportsbook lists him as more than an 8-1 favorite to beat Benavidez.
The reinvigorated Charlo wasn’t impressive in his last fight – a tougher-than-anticipated, 12-round, unanimous-decision victory over Mexican contender Juan Macias Montiel (23-6-2, 23 KOs) at Toyota Center in Charlo’s hometown of Houston. Benavidez, however, is just 1-1-1 since undisputed welterweight champ Terence Crawford stopped him in the 12th round of their fight for Crawford’s WBO 147-pound crown in October 2018 at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
Charlo called Benavidez “a scrub” during a virtual press conference recently. Benavidez mocked Charlo’s challenges with mental health, which helped extend his lengthy layoff to 29 months, but he declared Wednesday that the time for trash talk is over.
“I’ll leave all that talking [for] the ring,” Benavidez said. “I don’t really care what he’s doing, what people think. You know, I’m ready and I’m gonna come to eat. I’m gonna show who the real world champion is at 160.”
Charlo-Benavidez is a non-title bout because Benavidez isn’t ranked among the WBC’s top 15 middleweight contenders. His abovementioned victory over Sladan Janjanin (38-17, 26 KOs), a fifth-round stoppage August 12 at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, was Benavidez’s first win since he knocked out Venezuela’s Frank Rojas (then 22-0) in June 2018 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“At this weight I feel strong,” Benavidez said. “I feel like I finally got my man strength and I’m ready. I’m more excited than anything. I’m really motivated and I wanna get this show on the road. Imma give the people a good show, that’s for sure.”
Showtime Pay-Per-View will broadcast Charlo-Benavidez as the co-feature of a four-fight telecast scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT; $74.99). David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) and Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs), of Providence, Rhode Island, will fight for Benavidez’s WBC interim super middleweight title in the 12-round main event.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.