David Benavidez makes strong statement in KO of Ronald Ellis

David Benavidez made a strong statement in a knockout victory over Ronald Ellis on Saturday.

David Benavidez demonstrated on Saturday night that he might be the biggest threat to Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds, title or no title.

The former champion, who lost his belt on the scales before his last fight, pummeled and then stopped Ronald Ellis in the 11th round of their scheduled 12-rounder at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Ellis, a one-time amateur standout and solid pro, came to win and proved to be durable but took too much punishment to hear the final bell.

“I rate my performance pretty good but I know I could have done better,” Benavidez said “Ronald Ellis is a tough competitor. I just hope the fans like what they saw. I threw a lot of combinations, punches in bunches. There were a lot of times I thought Ellis was going to quit but he didn’t.

“Hats off to him, he’s a tough guy. It was a little later than I wanted but a stoppage is still a stoppage. I hope the fans got a good show tonight.”

Ellis (18-2-2, 12 KOs) got off to a strong start, outboxing Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) in the first round. However, the unbeaten Arizonan put his foot on the gas pedal in Round 2 and never took it off.

Benavidez walked down Ellis the entire fight, delivering fast, hard combinations to both the head and body. Ellis never gave up and had some good moments — quick jabs, some solid power shots — but he started to wear down by the middle rounds.

Ellis took a lot of punishment in Round 8 but survived. However, before the start of the next round, both his trainer and ring doctor made it clear that they wouldn’t allow him to take too many more punches.

He fought bravely the next few rounds but, when Benavidez unloaded a series of punishing blows in Round 11, referee Johnny Callas stepped in to save Ellis from himself.

The official time was 2:03 of the round.

Ellis was upset afterward that he was stopped.

“I could have popped the jab and controlled things a little bit more and not let him smother me,” he said. “Hell yeah, I wanted to finish. I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. I could have moved a little bit more and not taken so many shots to the head.

“Hats off to him. He did what he had to do. He never hurt me, that’s the funny thing. I took a lot of shots but he didn’t damage me or have me super hurt. I never thought about quitting.”

David Benavidez now has his sights set on the biggest names at 168 pounds. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Benavidez has said he’s willing to work his way into another major title fight but he has big names in his sights, including the biggest – titleholder Canelo Alvarez, who many believe is the best fighter in the world.

He also has mentioned middleweight champ Jermall Charlo and 168-pound rival Caleb Plant as desirable opponents.

“I want all the big guys,” he said. “Speaking for the fans too, they would love to see me against all the big guys because, as you can see, I love throwing punches. I love stopping people. So me versus any big name would be an amazing fight.

“I want Charlo, Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant, all of them.”

In the co-feature, Isaac Cruz (21-1-1, 15 KOs) defeated a surprisingly tough Jose Matias Romero (24-1, 8 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a lightweight title eliminator.

David Benavidez makes strong statement in KO of Ronald Ellis

David Benavidez made a strong statement in a knockout victory over Ronald Ellis on Saturday.

David Benavidez demonstrated on Saturday night that he might be the biggest threat to Canelo Alvarez at 168 pounds, title or no title.

The former champion, who lost his belt on the scales before his last fight, pummeled and then stopped Ronald Ellis in the 11th round of their scheduled 12-rounder at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

Ellis, a one-time amateur standout and solid pro, came to win and proved to be durable but took too much punishment to hear the final bell.

“I rate my performance pretty good but I know I could have done better,” Benavidez said “Ronald Ellis is a tough competitor. I just hope the fans like what they saw. I threw a lot of combinations, punches in bunches. There were a lot of times I thought Ellis was going to quit but he didn’t.

“Hats off to him, he’s a tough guy. It was a little later than I wanted but a stoppage is still a stoppage. I hope the fans got a good show tonight.”

Ellis (18-2-2, 12 KOs) got off to a strong start, outboxing Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs) in the first round. However, the unbeaten Arizonan put his foot on the gas pedal in Round 2 and never took it off.

Benavidez walked down Ellis the entire fight, delivering fast, hard combinations to both the head and body. Ellis never gave up and had some good moments — quick jabs, some solid power shots — but he started to wear down by the middle rounds.

Ellis took a lot of punishment in Round 8 but survived. However, before the start of the next round, both his trainer and ring doctor made it clear that they wouldn’t allow him to take too many more punches.

He fought bravely the next few rounds but, when Benavidez unloaded a series of punishing blows in Round 11, referee Johnny Callas stepped in to save Ellis from himself.

The official time was 2:03 of the round.

Ellis was upset afterward that he was stopped.

“I could have popped the jab and controlled things a little bit more and not let him smother me,” he said. “Hell yeah, I wanted to finish. I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction. I could have moved a little bit more and not taken so many shots to the head.

“Hats off to him. He did what he had to do. He never hurt me, that’s the funny thing. I took a lot of shots but he didn’t damage me or have me super hurt. I never thought about quitting.”

David Benavidez now has his sights set on the biggest names at 168 pounds. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Benavidez has said he’s willing to work his way into another major title fight but he has big names in his sights, including the biggest – titleholder Canelo Alvarez, who many believe is the best fighter in the world.

He also has mentioned middleweight champ Jermall Charlo and 168-pound rival Caleb Plant as desirable opponents.

“I want all the big guys,” he said. “Speaking for the fans too, they would love to see me against all the big guys because, as you can see, I love throwing punches. I love stopping people. So me versus any big name would be an amazing fight.

“I want Charlo, Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant, all of them.”

In the co-feature, Isaac Cruz (21-1-1, 15 KOs) defeated a surprisingly tough Jose Matias Romero (24-1, 8 KOs) by a unanimous decision in a lightweight title eliminator.

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

FORMER TWO-TIME SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER DAVID BENAVIDEZ RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST RONALD ELLIS ON SATURDAY IN UNCASVILLE, CONN.

***

DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM

  • Date: Saturday, March 13
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
  • Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.

[lawrence-related id=12923]

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

FORMER TWO-TIME SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER DAVID BENAVIDEZ RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST RONALD ELLIS ON SATURDAY IN UNCASVILLE, CONN.

***

DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM

  • Date: Saturday, March 13
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
  • Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.

[lawrence-related id=12923]

David Benavidez took no chances with his weight this time

David Benavidez took no chances with his weight for his fight this Saturday after losing his title on the scales last time out.

Were you surprised that David Benavidez made weight for his fight Saturday? Benavidez wasn’t.

The former super middleweight champion lost his title and some respect on the scales before his defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo this past August at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., coming in a whopping 2.75 pounds over the 168-pound limit.

The 24-year-old blamed difficult conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic for his misstep, at least part. However, in the end, he knew the main culprit was himself and took full responsibility.

He pulled out all stops to make sure the same thing didn’t happen for his title eliminator against Ronald Ellis on Saturday night at the same venue: He weighed in Friday at 167.25, as did Ellis.

What was different this time?

He trained at high altitude in secluded Big Bear, Calif. — about a 2½-hour drive from Los Angeles — for the first time since 2017, which allowed him to focus 100% on training. He watched his diet carefully. And, most important, he was motivated to get it right.

Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) said he weighed 168 pounds four days before the fight.

“There was more at stake at this point because the last time I didn’t make weight,” he said during the final news conference. “I had something to prove to myself and my fans. Also a big key to this training camp is [we] just had my son. Having him around and just being a father made me 10 times more motivated than I already was.

“I’m not only fighting for myself [now]. I’m fighting for my family, for my team, for my people, everybody who follows me and everybody who supports me.”

David Benavidez (left) stopped Roamer Alexis Angulo after losing his super middleweight title. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Benavidez trained in Big Bear in the past, the last time for his fight against Rogelio Medina in May 2017, but he’s now sold on the serene setting after spending three months there for the fight on Saturday.

The spartan conditions seem to be the main selling point.

“Every time I go to Big Bear it’s always one of the best training camps I’ve had,” said Benavidez, who is from Phoenix. “It’s just what goes into there. It’s so secluded up there. There’s only basically the grocery store, the gym and where we run.”

“… I’m definitely going to be going there every training camp I have. The place it takes me mentally and physically is just amazing. I [want] to give my fans 110 percent of myself every time I go in the fight and in training camp too.

“So that’s the decision I made with myself, my team, my dad. … It’s definitely going to help me be in this weight division for way longer.”

The fact he was on weight days before the fight would be unusual for most fighters, who generally taper down until the weigh-in. But that was his plan. He wasn’t taking any chances.

And, again, one key was what he put into his body – and what he didn’t.

David Benavidez (left) and Ronald Ellis on Friday made the 168-pound limit for Saturday’s fight. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

“What I had going for me was I was very disciplined on the diet,” he said.” It’s not that I was starving myself the whole time. I was eating very good, fish, egg whites, salad, a lot of water. I didn’t drain myself at all. I probably overate in a lot of cases. I just wanted to get [to Connecticut] at lower weight and that’s exactly what we did. And now it’s paying off.

“I’ve never been this relaxed for a fight. I haven’t even trained this whole time since I’ve been here and I’m still under weight. It feels really good to relax and worry about the fight and not the weight.”

He went on: “I’m not even drained at all trying to make the weight. I’m happy, I’m enjoying every second of being in the bubble, unlike last time I was struggling to make weight. I’m in good spirits.”

Benavidez doesn’t seem to be overly concerned about the backward step he took before the Angulo fight, which he won by a 10th-round knockout. It was a learning experience, as was the loss of an earlier title for testing positive for cocaine.

He’s young, he pointed out several times. And he’s maturing as a person. His goals are simply to maintain his discipline and continue to win, which will eventually force the other top 168-pounders to fight him.

He’s the No. 1 contender for Canelo Alvarez’s WBC title but the Mexican star is focused on unifying titles. And Benavidez said he’d like to face middleweight champ Jermall Charlo this September, which he hopes would lead to a showdown with Alvarez.

No matter what happens, he plans to remain patient.

“I feel everything is working out on my end because I got time on my side,” he said. “I just turned 24 years old. I think the time is running out for these other fighters. I’m the youngest ex-champion in this game, in the super middleweight division. Time is on my side. I have at least 12 years left in this game.

“If they take a fight with me now or later, doesn’t really matter. I’m just going to be ready for whenever the opportunity comes.”

Of course, he must beat Ellis first.

“Things happen,” he said, referring to the weight issue. “It’s just how you come back from your mistakes and how you rebound. I feel like I’ve put all the work in for this camp. I’ve rebounded amazingly.

“Now it’s just time to perform on Saturday and show the fans what I’m really made of.”

[lawrence-related id=18505,18443]

David Benavidez took no chances with his weight this time

David Benavidez took no chances with his weight for his fight this Saturday after losing his title on the scales last time out.

Were you surprised that David Benavidez made weight for his fight Saturday? Benavidez wasn’t.

The former super middleweight champion lost his title and some respect on the scales before his defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo this past August at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., coming in a whopping 2.75 pounds over the 168-pound limit.

The 24-year-old blamed difficult conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic for his misstep, at least part. However, in the end, he knew the main culprit was himself and took full responsibility.

He pulled out all stops to make sure the same thing didn’t happen for his title eliminator against Ronald Ellis on Saturday night at the same venue: He weighed in Friday at 167.25, as did Ellis.

What was different this time?

He trained at high altitude in secluded Big Bear, Calif. — about a 2½-hour drive from Los Angeles — for the first time since 2017, which allowed him to focus 100% on training. He watched his diet carefully. And, most important, he was motivated to get it right.

Benavidez (23-0, 20 KOs) said he weighed 168 pounds four days before the fight.

“There was more at stake at this point because the last time I didn’t make weight,” he said during the final news conference. “I had something to prove to myself and my fans. Also a big key to this training camp is [we] just had my son. Having him around and just being a father made me 10 times more motivated than I already was.

“I’m not only fighting for myself [now]. I’m fighting for my family, for my team, for my people, everybody who follows me and everybody who supports me.”

David Benavidez (left) stopped Roamer Alexis Angulo after losing his super middleweight title. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

Benavidez trained in Big Bear in the past, the last time for his fight against Rogelio Medina in May 2017, but he’s now sold on the serene setting after spending three months there for the fight on Saturday.

The spartan conditions seem to be the main selling point.

“Every time I go to Big Bear it’s always one of the best training camps I’ve had,” said Benavidez, who is from Phoenix. “It’s just what goes into there. It’s so secluded up there. There’s only basically the grocery store, the gym and where we run.”

“… I’m definitely going to be going there every training camp I have. The place it takes me mentally and physically is just amazing. I [want] to give my fans 110 percent of myself every time I go in the fight and in training camp too.

“So that’s the decision I made with myself, my team, my dad. … It’s definitely going to help me be in this weight division for way longer.”

The fact he was on weight days before the fight would be unusual for most fighters, who generally taper down until the weigh-in. But that was his plan. He wasn’t taking any chances.

And, again, one key was what he put into his body – and what he didn’t.

David Benavidez (left) and Ronald Ellis on Friday made the 168-pound limit for Saturday’s fight. Amanda Westcott / Showtime

“What I had going for me was I was very disciplined on the diet,” he said.” It’s not that I was starving myself the whole time. I was eating very good, fish, egg whites, salad, a lot of water. I didn’t drain myself at all. I probably overate in a lot of cases. I just wanted to get [to Connecticut] at lower weight and that’s exactly what we did. And now it’s paying off.

“I’ve never been this relaxed for a fight. I haven’t even trained this whole time since I’ve been here and I’m still under weight. It feels really good to relax and worry about the fight and not the weight.”

He went on: “I’m not even drained at all trying to make the weight. I’m happy, I’m enjoying every second of being in the bubble, unlike last time I was struggling to make weight. I’m in good spirits.”

Benavidez doesn’t seem to be overly concerned about the backward step he took before the Angulo fight, which he won by a 10th-round knockout. It was a learning experience, as was the loss of an earlier title for testing positive for cocaine.

He’s young, he pointed out several times. And he’s maturing as a person. His goals are simply to maintain his discipline and continue to win, which will eventually force the other top 168-pounders to fight him.

He’s the No. 1 contender for Canelo Alvarez’s WBC title but the Mexican star is focused on unifying titles. And Benavidez said he’d like to face middleweight champ Jermall Charlo this September, which he hopes would lead to a showdown with Alvarez.

No matter what happens, he plans to remain patient.

“I feel everything is working out on my end because I got time on my side,” he said. “I just turned 24 years old. I think the time is running out for these other fighters. I’m the youngest ex-champion in this game, in the super middleweight division. Time is on my side. I have at least 12 years left in this game.

“If they take a fight with me now or later, doesn’t really matter. I’m just going to be ready for whenever the opportunity comes.”

Of course, he must beat Ellis first.

“Things happen,” he said, referring to the weight issue. “It’s just how you come back from your mistakes and how you rebound. I feel like I’ve put all the work in for this camp. I’ve rebounded amazingly.

“Now it’s just time to perform on Saturday and show the fans what I’m really made of.”

[lawrence-related id=18505,18443]

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background.

FORMER TWO-TIME SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER DAVID BENAVIDEZ RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST RONALD ELLIS ON SATURDAY IN UNCASVILLE, CONN.

***

DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM

  • Date: Saturday, March 13
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
  • Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.

[lawrence-related id=12923]

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background

David Benavidez vs. Ronald Ellis: time, how to watch, background.

FORMER TWO-TIME SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLEHOLDER DAVID BENAVIDEZ RETURNS TO THE RING AGAINST RONALD ELLIS ON SATURDAY IN UNCASVILLE, CONN.

***

DAVID BENAVIDEZ (23-0, 20 KOs)
VS. RONALD ELLIS (18-1-2, 12 KOs)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rohyvIb6MVM

  • Date: Saturday, March 13
  • Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (main event later in show)
  • Where: Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn.
  • TV/Stream: Showtime
  • Division: Super middleweight (168 pounds)
  • At stake: No titles
  • Pound-for-pound ranking: None
  • Odds: NA
  • Also on the card: Kudratillo Abdukakhorov vs. Javier Flores, welterweights; Issac Cruz vs. Jose Ramero, lightweights; Jamontay Clark vs. Terrell Gausha, super middleweights
  • Prediction: Benavidez KO 7
  • Background: Benavidez is already a two-time 168-pound titleholder at 24, having most-recently lost his belt on the scale before stopping Roamer Alexis Angulo in August. The strapping, hard-punching Arizonan is a prime candidate to face one of the super middleweight titleholders – currently Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and Billy Joe Saunders – but he must keep winning the meantime. Ellis is a capable boxer-puncher who is coming off a fourth-round stoppage of Matt Korobov that ended prematurely when Korobov injured his ankle in December. He outpointed Immanuwel Aleem a year before that. Benavidez has stopped J’Leon Love, Anthony Dirrell and Angulo after back-to-back decisions over Ronald Gavril in 2017 and 2018.

[lawrence-related id=12923]