Weekend Review: David Benavidez puts Canelo Alvarez on notice with dominating victory

Weekend Review: David Benavidez put Canelo Alvarez on notice with a dominating victory over Caleb Plant on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGGEST WINNER
David Benavidez

Benavidez was Benavidez in the end, a dogged, merciless hunter who almost always bags his prey. Caleb Plant was effective early, sticking, moving, holding, doing whatever it took to blunt Benavidez attack and land enough punches to win rounds. That worked only so long, however. Benavidez continued to stalk his rival and gradually closed the distance in spite of an oversized ring, which allowed him to begin landing an assortment of damaging blows that broke down Plant and resulted in a unanimous decision victory Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The winner’s knockout streak ended at six but he couldn’t have been more dominating down the stretch, winning the last seven rounds on all three cards and outlanding Plant 161-46 in the last six, according to CompuBox. It was arguably the most impressive performance in Benavidez’s career given Plant’s ability and an indication that he is ready to face anyone, including undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) is a better boxer than he might seem to be and a physical freak, which might make him unstoppable. And remember: He’s only 26. He’s probably getting better and better. Frightening thought, huh?

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Caleb Plant

Caleb Plant took a beating from David Benavidez. Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports

Plant had the right game plan. Get in, get out, move the feet and hold when necessary. Those tactics had the Tennessean leading on the scorecards after the first six rounds and in position to deliver a significant upset. Team Plant couldn’t have been more optimistic halfway through the fight. Then things went south. Plant simply didn’t have the wherewithal to withstand the pressure of a particularly good, powerful opponent and faded badly as the fight progressed. We saw that when he fought Alvarez, who stopped him in the 11th round. And we saw it again on Saturday night. Benavidez outlanded him by an average of 17.5-7.6 per round, including the rounds Plant won. Plant landed only 14.6% of his punches, which says something about his limitations and Benavidez defensive skills. The CompuBox numbers aren’t official but they underscore the loser’s ineffectiveness. Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) is a fine, but limited boxer with average punching power who appears to have hit a ceiling. He can beat the Jose Uzcateguis and Anthony Dirrells of the world but not next-level, pound-for-pound-caliber opponents.

 

WORST DECISION?
Chris Colbert UD Jose Valenzuela

The decision wasn’t outrageous but Colbert was definitely fortunate to emerge victorious over Valenzuela on the Benavidez-Plant card. All three judges had the same score after the 10-round 135-pound bout, 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs). Valenzuela won the first round, during which he put Colbert down. That means the judges gave Colbert six of the final nine rounds. That’s hard to swallow. Colbert rebounded from the knockdown to make the fight competitive, landing quick, accurate jabs and combinations at times. However, Valenzuela kept the pressure on Colbert and seemed to land many more power punches than his opponent. That’s why I scored it 96-93 for Valenzuela, six rounds to four in his favor. The Mexican had reason to be upset afterward, particularly because he’s now saddled with consecutive losses. The good news for Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) is that we saw what we saw, a good performance against a good opponent. He’ll be fine. And Colbert, also coming off a setback, took a step in the right direction – even if he didn’t earn it.

 

BIGGEST WINNER II
Jose Ramirez

We shouldn’t read too much into Ramirez’s 11th-round knockout of Richard Commey on Saturday in Fresno, California, because of Commey’s limitations. The Ghanaian is 0-2-1 in his last three fights and 1-3-1 in his last five. That said, Ramirez looked sharp even though he hadn’t fought in a year, attacking Commey from the outset with passion and efficiency. And he punctuated the strong performance by putting Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs) down twice in the penultimate round, the second time with a vicious hook to the body that forced him to take a knee and then quit. That’s how you make a statement. Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) has now won two consecutive fights since he lost a close decision to Josh Taylor in 2021, which cost him his two world titles. He seems to be back to form. What’s next? He’d like to challenge WBC titleholder Regis Prograis, although he recently passed up a chance to face the champion. Ramirez objected to a 65%-35% purse split in Prograis’ favor mandated by the WBC, which does seem to be overly lopsided given Ramirez’s reputation. We’ll see how this plays out.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

The Benavidez-Plant fight was frustrating in a number of respects. First, the ring was a sprawling 22 feet-by-22 feet instead of the standard 20-by-20 in Nevada, as per Plant’s demand during negotiations. He wanted more room to move. Benavidez should be applauded for agreeing to the unusual stipulation; it says a lot about his confidence. However, I was surprised that Nevada officials agreed to it. I always thought they were firm on ring size in the name of consistency. I hope they don’t hand one fighter such a significant advantage again even though it didn’t save Plant in this case. Second, referee Kenny Bayless was awful. Plant’s holding was beyond excessive and Bayless evidently didn’t issue a single warning. He stopped the action to have a doctor look at Plant’s cut in the eighth round even though Benavidez had him hurt, which gave Plant time to recover. And, generally, he was overly intrusive. In other words, he committed the cardinal sin: He became a big part of the story. … For the record: Plant was smart to hold. Bayless just shouldn’t have allowed him to do it as much as he did. … Alvarez appears to be targeting a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September, assuming the Mexican star beats John Ryder on May 6. He wants to avenge his loss, which is understandable. I hope Alvarez changes his mind and faces Benavidez instead. Boxers always say they want to give the fans the fights they want to see. The fans want Alvarez-Benavidez, not Alvarez-Bivol II. Who wins if it happens? I like Benavidez, even against an Alvarez who is 100% healthy. …

Colbert moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for his fight with Valenzuela. It appeared in the early rounds that Valenzuela, a lightweight since 2020, might be too big and powerful for Colbert. However, after the first round, he took everything that was thrown at him – including many punishing blows — and finished the fight on his feet. Still, he said going into the fight that he planned to move back down to the more natural 130 in an effort to win a major title there. Good idea. It’s difficult to be competitive when you’re the smaller, weaker guy. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) overwhelmed previously unbeaten Joey Spencer (16-1, 10 KOs) on the Benavidez-Plant card, stopping Spencer in the seventh round as a result of an accumulation of punches. Ramos put Spencer down late in the opening round and more or less landed at will after that, leading Spencer’s cornermen to stop the fight to save their man from getting seriously injured. We shouldn’t’ get carried away with Ramos victory because Spencer was unproven but he looked scary. First, he seemed to be a division or two bigger than Spencer even though he moved up to 154 only two years ago. And, second, his efficient, methodical destruction of yet another opponent once again belied his youth. He’s only 22. I want to see Ramos against a top contender before making any bold statements about him but his ceiling certainly appears to be high. … Seniesa Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs) demonstrated again that she’s one of the best in the business, shutting out Tina Rupprecht (12-1-1, 3 KOs) to unify two 105-pound titles on the Ramirez-Commey card. All three judges scored it 100-90, 10 rounds to none. The Los Angeles native’s goal is to become undisputed champion, which means she’ll now target the holder of the other two major belts, Yokasta Valle (28-2, 9 KOs).

[lawrence-related id=36360,36333,36328,36307,36309]

Weekend Review: David Benavidez puts Canelo Alvarez on notice with dominating victory

Weekend Review: David Benavidez put Canelo Alvarez on notice with a dominating victory over Caleb Plant on Saturday in Las Vegas.

A critical look at the past week in boxing

BIGGGEST WINNER
David Benavidez

Benavidez was Benavidez in the end, a dogged, merciless hunter who almost always bags his prey. Caleb Plant was effective early, sticking, moving, holding, doing whatever it took to blunt Benavidez attack and land enough punches to win rounds. That worked only so long, however. Benavidez continued to stalk his rival and gradually closed the distance in spite of an oversized ring, which allowed him to begin landing an assortment of damaging blows that broke down Plant and resulted in a unanimous decision victory Saturday at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The winner’s knockout streak ended at six but he couldn’t have been more dominating down the stretch, winning the last seven rounds on all three cards and outlanding Plant 161-46 in the last six, according to CompuBox. It was arguably the most impressive performance in Benavidez’s career given Plant’s ability and an indication that he is ready to face anyone, including undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) is a better boxer than he might seem to be and a physical freak, which might make him unstoppable. And remember: He’s only 26. He’s probably getting better and better. Frightening thought, huh?

 

BIGGEST LOSER
Caleb Plant

Caleb Plant took a beating from David Benavidez. Joe Camporeale / USA TODAY Sports

Plant had the right game plan. Get in, get out, move the feet and hold when necessary. Those tactics had the Tennessean leading on the scorecards after the first six rounds and in position to deliver a significant upset. Team Plant couldn’t have been more optimistic halfway through the fight. Then things went south. Plant simply didn’t have the wherewithal to withstand the pressure of a particularly good, powerful opponent and faded badly as the fight progressed. We saw that when he fought Alvarez, who stopped him in the 11th round. And we saw it again on Saturday night. Benavidez outlanded him by an average of 17.5-7.6 per round, including the rounds Plant won. Plant landed only 14.6% of his punches, which says something about his limitations and Benavidez defensive skills. The CompuBox numbers aren’t official but they underscore the loser’s ineffectiveness. Plant (22-2, 13 KOs) is a fine, but limited boxer with average punching power who appears to have hit a ceiling. He can beat the Jose Uzcateguis and Anthony Dirrells of the world but not next-level, pound-for-pound-caliber opponents.

 

WORST DECISION?
Chris Colbert UD Jose Valenzuela

The decision wasn’t outrageous but Colbert was definitely fortunate to emerge victorious over Valenzuela on the Benavidez-Plant card. All three judges had the same score after the 10-round 135-pound bout, 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs). Valenzuela won the first round, during which he put Colbert down. That means the judges gave Colbert six of the final nine rounds. That’s hard to swallow. Colbert rebounded from the knockdown to make the fight competitive, landing quick, accurate jabs and combinations at times. However, Valenzuela kept the pressure on Colbert and seemed to land many more power punches than his opponent. That’s why I scored it 96-93 for Valenzuela, six rounds to four in his favor. The Mexican had reason to be upset afterward, particularly because he’s now saddled with consecutive losses. The good news for Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) is that we saw what we saw, a good performance against a good opponent. He’ll be fine. And Colbert, also coming off a setback, took a step in the right direction – even if he didn’t earn it.

 

BIGGEST WINNER II
Jose Ramirez

We shouldn’t read too much into Ramirez’s 11th-round knockout of Richard Commey on Saturday in Fresno, California, because of Commey’s limitations. The Ghanaian is 0-2-1 in his last three fights and 1-3-1 in his last five. That said, Ramirez looked sharp even though he hadn’t fought in a year, attacking Commey from the outset with passion and efficiency. And he punctuated the strong performance by putting Commey (30-5-1, 27 KOs) down twice in the penultimate round, the second time with a vicious hook to the body that forced him to take a knee and then quit. That’s how you make a statement. Ramirez (28-1, 18 KOs) has now won two consecutive fights since he lost a close decision to Josh Taylor in 2021, which cost him his two world titles. He seems to be back to form. What’s next? He’d like to challenge WBC titleholder Regis Prograis, although he recently passed up a chance to face the champion. Ramirez objected to a 65%-35% purse split in Prograis’ favor mandated by the WBC, which does seem to be overly lopsided given Ramirez’s reputation. We’ll see how this plays out.

 

RABBIT PUNCHES

The Benavidez-Plant fight was frustrating in a number of respects. First, the ring was a sprawling 22 feet-by-22 feet instead of the standard 20-by-20 in Nevada, as per Plant’s demand during negotiations. He wanted more room to move. Benavidez should be applauded for agreeing to the unusual stipulation; it says a lot about his confidence. However, I was surprised that Nevada officials agreed to it. I always thought they were firm on ring size in the name of consistency. I hope they don’t hand one fighter such a significant advantage again even though it didn’t save Plant in this case. Second, referee Kenny Bayless was awful. Plant’s holding was beyond excessive and Bayless evidently didn’t issue a single warning. He stopped the action to have a doctor look at Plant’s cut in the eighth round even though Benavidez had him hurt, which gave Plant time to recover. And, generally, he was overly intrusive. In other words, he committed the cardinal sin: He became a big part of the story. … For the record: Plant was smart to hold. Bayless just shouldn’t have allowed him to do it as much as he did. … Alvarez appears to be targeting a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in September, assuming the Mexican star beats John Ryder on May 6. He wants to avenge his loss, which is understandable. I hope Alvarez changes his mind and faces Benavidez instead. Boxers always say they want to give the fans the fights they want to see. The fans want Alvarez-Benavidez, not Alvarez-Bivol II. Who wins if it happens? I like Benavidez, even against an Alvarez who is 100% healthy. …

Colbert moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for his fight with Valenzuela. It appeared in the early rounds that Valenzuela, a lightweight since 2020, might be too big and powerful for Colbert. However, after the first round, he took everything that was thrown at him – including many punishing blows — and finished the fight on his feet. Still, he said going into the fight that he planned to move back down to the more natural 130 in an effort to win a major title there. Good idea. It’s difficult to be competitive when you’re the smaller, weaker guy. … Junior middleweight contender Jesus Ramos (20-0, 16 KOs) overwhelmed previously unbeaten Joey Spencer (16-1, 10 KOs) on the Benavidez-Plant card, stopping Spencer in the seventh round as a result of an accumulation of punches. Ramos put Spencer down late in the opening round and more or less landed at will after that, leading Spencer’s cornermen to stop the fight to save their man from getting seriously injured. We shouldn’t’ get carried away with Ramos victory because Spencer was unproven but he looked scary. First, he seemed to be a division or two bigger than Spencer even though he moved up to 154 only two years ago. And, second, his efficient, methodical destruction of yet another opponent once again belied his youth. He’s only 22. I want to see Ramos against a top contender before making any bold statements about him but his ceiling certainly appears to be high. … Seniesa Estrada (24-0, 9 KOs) demonstrated again that she’s one of the best in the business, shutting out Tina Rupprecht (12-1-1, 3 KOs) to unify two 105-pound titles on the Ramirez-Commey card. All three judges scored it 100-90, 10 rounds to none. The Los Angeles native’s goal is to become undisputed champion, which means she’ll now target the holder of the other two major belts, Yokasta Valle (28-2, 9 KOs).

[lawrence-related id=36360,36333,36328,36307,36309]

Chris Colbert survives knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by questionable decision

Chris Colbert survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by a questionable decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Unanimous decision for Chris Colbert?

The boos that emanated from the MGM Grand when Colbert was awarded the nod over Jose Valenzuela after their 10-round lightweight bout on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant fight Saturday might’ve been justified.

Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, putting Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) on the canvas and hurting him with a wide left about 30 seconds into the fight.

Colbert survived the rest of the round and never took a shot quite as big as the one that knocked him down but he absorbed many more hard, eye-catching shots from the hard-punching Valenzuela, who generally pushed the action.

To his credit, Colbert, the quicker, slicker boxer, had some success when he jabbed and fired off combinations from the outside and he got the better of some inside exchanges, too.

However, Valenzuela continued to land heavy punches with consistency, which is why Boxing Junkie scored it 96-93 for him, six rounds to four.

The judges saw it differently, evidently favoring Colbert’s jab and quick combinations over Valenzuela’s heavy blows. All three had the same score: 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert.

Valenzuela, who was shocked when the decision was announced, made it clear to Colbert that he believes he was cheated out of a victory.

“At the end of the day, I’m not the judge and I’m not a sore loser,” Colbert said. “I’m a man. I can take it on the chin like a man. He’s a sore loser. I out-boxed him and hit him with more jabs.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a man and he had his spurts. He hit me with some good shots but then he stopped and I jabbed and I jabbed and I jabbed. He got the knockdown but it’s a 10-round fight.”

Said Valenzuela: “I beat him. … I thought I won. I was hitting him with the harder shots. I dropped him. I dominated. But it is what it is. It’s boxing.

Colbert, who moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for the fight, bounced back from his one-sided unanimous decision loss to Hector Luis Garcia in February of last year.

Meanwhile, Valenzuela has now lost two in a row. He was stopped by Edwin De Los Santos in September.

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Chris Colbert survives knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by questionable decision

Chris Colbert survived a first-round knockdown to defeat Jose Valenzuela by a questionable decision Saturday in Las Vegas.

Unanimous decision for Chris Colbert?

The boos that emanated from the MGM Grand when Colbert was awarded the nod over Jose Valenzuela after their 10-round lightweight bout on the David Benavidez-Caleb Plant fight Saturday might’ve been justified.

Valenzuela (12-2, 8 KOs) couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, putting Colbert (17-1, 6 KOs) on the canvas and hurting him with a wide left about 30 seconds into the fight.

Colbert survived the rest of the round and never took a shot quite as big as the one that knocked him down but he absorbed many more hard, eye-catching shots from the hard-punching Valenzuela, who generally pushed the action.

To his credit, Colbert, the quicker, slicker boxer, had some success when he jabbed and fired off combinations from the outside and he got the better of some inside exchanges, too.

However, Valenzuela continued to land heavy punches with consistency, which is why Boxing Junkie scored it 96-93 for him, six rounds to four.

The judges saw it differently, evidently favoring Colbert’s jab and quick combinations over Valenzuela’s heavy blows. All three had the same score: 95-94, six rounds to four for Colbert.

Valenzuela, who was shocked when the decision was announced, made it clear to Colbert that he believes he was cheated out of a victory.

“At the end of the day, I’m not the judge and I’m not a sore loser,” Colbert said. “I’m a man. I can take it on the chin like a man. He’s a sore loser. I out-boxed him and hit him with more jabs.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m a man and he had his spurts. He hit me with some good shots but then he stopped and I jabbed and I jabbed and I jabbed. He got the knockdown but it’s a 10-round fight.”

Said Valenzuela: “I beat him. … I thought I won. I was hitting him with the harder shots. I dropped him. I dominated. But it is what it is. It’s boxing.

Colbert, who moved up from 130 pounds to 135 for the fight, bounced back from his one-sided unanimous decision loss to Hector Luis Garcia in February of last year.

Meanwhile, Valenzuela has now lost two in a row. He was stopped by Edwin De Los Santos in September.

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David Benavidez, Caleb Plant make weight, throw more verbal shots

David Benavidez and Caleb Plant made weight for their pay-per-view fight Saturday in Las Vegas and took more verbal shots at one another.

David Benavidez and Caleb Plant on Friday made weight for their 168-pound pay-per-view fight Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and took advantage of one last opportunity to exchange trash talk.

Benavidez came in at 166.8 pounds, 1.2 under the division limit. Plant weighed 167.2.

Their obligatory stare down didn’t last long but it was dramatic. They were jawing back and forth when Plant stuck a finger in his opponent’s face, prompting Benavidez to push Plant backward.

At that point personnel on stage stepped between the fighters and separated them.

“We were just exchanging pleasantries, telling each other how much we like each other,” Plant said sarcastically during his interview. “He’s been talking a lot, saying how much he’s going to whoop my ass and this and that.

“We’re going to see tomorrow. You know what’s up.”

Benavidez then interjected something from across the stage. Plant (22-1, 13 KOs)  responded, “Shut up.”

“He tried to put his finger on my face,” Benavidez said. “I had to push his ass back. But he knows what’s up. When his [handlers] have to pick him up off the f—ing ground when he’s bleeding all that blood ….

“We’re ready for tomorrow, 100 percent ready.”

Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) was asked about coming in well below the division limit.

“It’s speaks for itself,” he said. “I’ve been on weight the whole week. And I”m ready. I’m ready to take this mother—er’s head off.”

The weights for the other fights on the pay-per-view portion of the card are as follows:

  • Jesus Ramos (153.2) vs. Joey Spencer (153.2), junior middleweights.
  • Jose Valenzuela (134.0) vs. Chris Colbert (134-6), lightweights.
  • Cody Crowley (145.2) vs. Abel Ramos (146.0), welterweights.

[lawrence-related id=36261,36250,36246,36241,36237,36175,36155]

David Benavidez, Caleb Plant make weight, throw more verbal shots

David Benavidez and Caleb Plant made weight for their pay-per-view fight Saturday in Las Vegas and took more verbal shots at one another.

David Benavidez and Caleb Plant on Friday made weight for their 168-pound pay-per-view fight Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and took advantage of one last opportunity to exchange trash talk.

Benavidez came in at 166.8 pounds, 1.2 under the division limit. Plant weighed 167.2.

Their obligatory stare down didn’t last long but it was dramatic. They were jawing back and forth when Plant stuck a finger in his opponent’s face, prompting Benavidez to push Plant backward.

At that point personnel on stage stepped between the fighters and separated them.

“We were just exchanging pleasantries, telling each other how much we like each other,” Plant said sarcastically during his interview. “He’s been talking a lot, saying how much he’s going to whoop my ass and this and that.

“We’re going to see tomorrow. You know what’s up.”

Benavidez then interjected something from across the stage. Plant (22-1, 13 KOs)  responded, “Shut up.”

“He tried to put his finger on my face,” Benavidez said. “I had to push his ass back. But he knows what’s up. When his [handlers] have to pick him up off the f—ing ground when he’s bleeding all that blood ….

“We’re ready for tomorrow, 100 percent ready.”

Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) was asked about coming in well below the division limit.

“It’s speaks for itself,” he said. “I’ve been on weight the whole week. And I”m ready. I’m ready to take this mother—er’s head off.”

The weights for the other fights on the pay-per-view portion of the card are as follows:

  • Jesus Ramos (153.2) vs. Joey Spencer (153.2), junior middleweights.
  • Jose Valenzuela (134.0) vs. Chris Colbert (134-6), lightweights.
  • Cody Crowley (145.2) vs. Abel Ramos (146.0), welterweights.

[lawrence-related id=36261,36250,36246,36241,36237,36175,36155]

Hector Luis Garcia has biggest opportunity – and challenge – yet against Gervonta Davis

Hector Luis Garcia has his biggest opportunity – and challenge – yet against Gervonta Davis on pay-per-view Saturday.

Can Hector Luis Garcia do it again?

The Dominican stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing rising star Chris Colbert in February and then did the same against Roger Gutierrez to win a 130-pound title in August, completing a breakthrough year for the 2016 Olympian.

He faces an even bigger challenge at 135-pounds on pay-per-view Saturday in Washington, D.C.: Gervonta Davis.

“Davis in my opinion is a top pound-for-pound fighter and one of the biggest punchers in boxing, so I know going into this fight that I’m an underdog,” Garcia said. “Not a lot of people are giving me a chance in this fight, but that’s what motivates me. I was in the same situation going into the Colbert fight, but this time I had a real training camp.

“I believe my style will give ‘Tank’ problems. I’m a southpaw with many tricks, and I will be using all of them when I step in the ring on January 7.”

Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) will have to use all of them against Davis, who is a significant step up from Colbert.

Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is one of the best boxers in the world and a knockout artist. The latter can’t be said for Colbert, who didn’t have the punching power to give the hard-charging Garcia a reason to back off.

Plus, Garcia will be moving up in weight for the fight. He fought at 126 as recently as December 2020.

That’s why Garcia is around a 10-1 underdog (average of multiple betting outlets). And it’s why a victory would be all the more meaningful for the 31-year-old.

If Garcia has his hand raised Saturday, he will have transitioned from a relative unknown to a two-division champion and conqueror of one of the sport’s biggest stars in a span of only three fights.

“A victory against ‘Tank’ will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the world,” Garcia said. “I already believe that in my own mind, but the world will realize how good I am after this fight. I didn’t get here by myself. I want to thank my team for all their support.

“Getting this fight has changed my life forever, but winning it will do wonders for everyone on my team.”

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Hector Luis Garcia has biggest opportunity – and challenge – yet against Gervonta Davis

Hector Luis Garcia has his biggest opportunity – and challenge – yet against Gervonta Davis on pay-per-view Saturday.

Can Hector Luis Garcia do it again?

The Dominican stunned the boxing world by easily outpointing rising star Chris Colbert in February and then did the same against Roger Gutierrez to win a 130-pound title in August, completing a breakthrough year for the 2016 Olympian.

He faces an even bigger challenge at 135-pounds on pay-per-view Saturday in Washington, D.C.: Gervonta Davis.

“Davis in my opinion is a top pound-for-pound fighter and one of the biggest punchers in boxing, so I know going into this fight that I’m an underdog,” Garcia said. “Not a lot of people are giving me a chance in this fight, but that’s what motivates me. I was in the same situation going into the Colbert fight, but this time I had a real training camp.

“I believe my style will give ‘Tank’ problems. I’m a southpaw with many tricks, and I will be using all of them when I step in the ring on January 7.”

Garcia (16-0, 10 KOs) will have to use all of them against Davis, who is a significant step up from Colbert.

Davis (27-0, 25 KOs) is one of the best boxers in the world and a knockout artist. The latter can’t be said for Colbert, who didn’t have the punching power to give the hard-charging Garcia a reason to back off.

Plus, Garcia will be moving up in weight for the fight. He fought at 126 as recently as December 2020.

That’s why Garcia is around a 10-1 underdog (average of multiple betting outlets). And it’s why a victory would be all the more meaningful for the 31-year-old.

If Garcia has his hand raised Saturday, he will have transitioned from a relative unknown to a two-division champion and conqueror of one of the sport’s biggest stars in a span of only three fights.

“A victory against ‘Tank’ will solidify me as one of the best fighters in the world,” Garcia said. “I already believe that in my own mind, but the world will realize how good I am after this fight. I didn’t get here by myself. I want to thank my team for all their support.

“Getting this fight has changed my life forever, but winning it will do wonders for everyone on my team.”

[lawrence-related id=34956,34924,32210,28453]

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10 best performances of 2022 … so far

Boxing fans have been blessed by a series of outstanding performances in the first half of 2022, which ends at midnight on Thursday. Boxing Junkie painstakingly went through results day by day since the start of the year to determine the best of the …

Boxing fans have been blessed by a series of outstanding performances in the first half of 2022, which ends at midnight on Thursday.

Boxing Junkie painstakingly went through results day by day since the start of the year to determine the best of the best. And we came up with what we feel are the 10 top performances so far.

Here they are, in reverse order.

10 best performances of 2022 … so far

Boxing fans have been blessed by a series of outstanding performances in the first half of 2022, which ends at midnight on Thursday. Boxing Junkie painstakingly went through results day by day since the start of the year to determine the best of the …

Boxing fans have been blessed by a series of outstanding performances in the first half of 2022, which ends at midnight on Thursday.

Boxing Junkie painstakingly went through results day by day since the start of the year to determine the best of the best. And we came up with what we feel are the 10 top performances so far.

Here they are, in reverse order.