Jose Benavidez Jr. readily admits that his two professional losses came against elite-level opponents.
The former WBA interim super lightweight champion cannot help but think, though, that those two fights would’ve unfolded differently if he didn’t have significant difficulty getting down to 147 pounds and later 154 pounds. Benavidez reflected on those two defeats during a virtual press conference recently to promote his upcoming 10-round, 163-pound Showtime Pay-Per-View co-feature against Jermall Charlo.
Terence Crawford, who has admitted Benavidez gave him one of his toughest tests, dropped and stopped Benavidez in the 12th round of their fight for the undefeated Crawford’s WBO welterweight title in October 2018 at CHI Health Center in Crawford’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Two fights later, former two-division champion Danny Garcia beat Benavidez by majority decision in a 12-round, 154-pound bout that took place in July 2022 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The 31-year-old Benavidez (28-2-1, 19 KOs) has competed twice in middleweight matches, but the contracted catch weight of 163 pounds for the Charlo clash will be a career-high for both boxers. The 33-year-old Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs), who will finally end a 29-month layoff on November 25 in Las Vegas, has competed at the middleweight limit since he gave up the IBF junior middleweight crown early in 2017.
“Weight had a lot to do with it,” Benavidez said when asked about his two defeats. “When I fought Terence Crawford, you know, ’47, dude, I was fighting at ’47 when I was f——- 14 years old. So then [at] ’54, you know, I felt a bit stronger. It’s not that. They’re world-class fighters, the best of the best. But I feel like, you know, at this weight I’m good. I’m good, I feel strong and my whole life, you know, I been sparring, been fighting bigger guys, you know? And I feel just it’s time for me. You know, I actually feel, you know, my man strength and I feel like I’m actually in a great place right now.”
Benavidez stands about 6 feet. He reminded Charlo during their vitriolic virtual press conference that they’re basically the same size, even though Benavidez is perceived as much smaller because he is coming up in weight.
“I’ve actually fought at 160 a few times before,” said Benavidez, who has also overcome serious damage done to his right leg during an unsolved shooting in August 2016. “I mean, I walk around at 180, you know, 180, 190. [One forty-seven] was just hard to make. It was hard to make. I felt drained. Moved up to ’54, thought I was gonna be better. It was just still – when I fought Danny Garcia, the week of the fight I was at ’75. I had to lose 20 pounds. So, it was tough. You know, but now I feel, you know, I don’t really gotta lose much. I feel strong. You know, I’m ready. I’m ready to get this show on the road.”
Phoenix’s Benavidez is confident he’ll upset the inactive Charlo because of the tremendous training camp he has experienced for his first noteworthy fight since he lost to Garcia 15 months ago. His younger brother, undefeated David Benavidez, has been among his sparring partners at their gym in Burien, Washington, near Seattle.
“I been in a tough training camp,” Jose Benavidez Jr. said. “I been training for a while now. You know, I been sparring my brother. We’ve had a lotta great, you know, big sparring partners. I’m talkin’ about big guys that actually hit hard. And I just feel strong. I feel ready. You know, I’m motivated more than anything.”
David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) will defend his WBC interim super middleweight title against Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) in Showtime Pay-Per-View’s 12-round main event November 25 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena. The Charlo-Benavidez bout will immediately precede Benavidez-Andrade as part of a four-fight show scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT ($74.99).
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.