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Click Here to Watch David Benavidez’s Post-Fight Interview
Uncasville, Conn. – March 13, 2021 - Former two-time world champion David Benavidez kept his perfect ring record intact with an 11ste-round technical knockout victory against veteran Ronald Ellis in their WBC Super Middleweight Title Eliminator main event on Saturday night’s SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast, live on SHOWTIME from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., in 'n Premier Bokskampioenskap-byeenkoms.
Phoenix’s Benavidez (24-0, 21 Uitklophoue) flashed brilliant hand speed, accuracy and power as he dominated Ellis (18-2-2, 12 Uitklophoue) van Lynn, Massa., oor 11 rounds before referee Johnny Callas finally waved off the fight at 2:03 of the penultimate round. The 24-year-old star held a significant lead on all three scorecards (99-91, 98-92 x2) at the time of the stoppage.
“I rate my performance pretty good but I know I could have done better,” said Benavidez, who extended his perfect record to 24-0. “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, hy is 'n moeilike man. It was a little later than I wanted but a stoppage is still a stoppage. I hope the fans got a good show tonight.”
A boxing prodigy turned youngest super middleweight world champion in boxing history, Benavidez turned in a masterful performance as evidenced by his punch stats, landing 289 van 532 power punches thrown for an eye-popping connection rate of 54%. Benavidez connected on 50 punches in the 11ste round which ultimately led to the stoppage. Both fighters combined to throw 1,403 stoot. Following his dominating win on SHOWTIME, Benavidez is one step closer to reclaiming a super middleweight world title.
“I want all the big guys,” Benavidez added. “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. Ek wil [Jermall] Charlo, Rumo Alvarez, Kaleb Plant, all of them.”
Ellis, 31, showed tremendous determination and a very sturdy chin as he absorbed the constant onslaught from the former two-time world champion. Often working off the ropes as Benavidez pressed the action, Ellis landed 89 van sy 334 jabs.
“I could have popped the jab and controlled things a little bit more and not let him smother me,"Het Ellis. “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. Hy het my nog nooit seer, 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.”
The sports world lost an icon today as the death of Marvelous Marvin Hagler was reported hours before the live telecast began. A member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Hagler, wat was 66 jaar oud, fought in the first main event ever on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on March 10, 1986. Hagler was honored with a ceremonial 10-count prior to tonight’s main event. Click Here to Watch SHOWTIME’s Tribute to Marvin Hagler
Benavidez reflected on Hagler’s passing after the fight: 'Ek het Marvin al een keer ontmoet en hy was 'n groot kampioen. Iemand het my vertel dat hy die eerste geveg op SHOWTIME gevoer het. Iemand in my span het my 'n paar uur voor die geveg laat weet dat hy geslaag het. Dit is hartseer en hy sal gemis word. Hy was 'n ware legende. ”
In die mede-hoofren, Isaac Cruz (21-1-1, 15 Uitklophoue) van Mexikostad behaal 'n eenparige beslissende oorwinning oor Argentinië s'n Matias Romero (24-1, 8 Uitklophoue) in 'n WBA liggewig titel eliminator van 12 rondes. Dit was die eerste keer dat die 22-jarige Cruz gegaan het 12 ronde in sy professionele loopbaan. Die beoordelaars se telkaarte lees 114-113, 115-112 en 118-109. SHOWTIME se nie-amptelike puntemaker Steve Farhood het die stryd aangeteken 115-112, rondes gee 10 deur 12 na die opkomende ster.
'Ek is nie gelukkig oor die styl van die geveg nie, maar ek is tevrede dat ek die oorwinning huis toe geneem het en dat ons op die nr. 1 plek in die WBA,"Sê Cruz. 'Ek het nie geweet wat gaan gebeur nie [so ver as die beoordelaars]. Ons het die geveg te alle tye gedwing en dit sou vir die beoordelaars baie onmoontlik gewees het om iets aan my te doen toe ek die stryd was. ”
Dwarsdeur die 36-minute-verhouding, Cruz het voortdurend druk op sy teenstander toegepas wat tot Romero gelei het, die meer ervare professionele, om buitensporig vas te hou in 'n poging om die druk te stuit. Ondanks die feit dat hy gereeld deur skeidsregter Harvey Dock gewaarsku is, die 24-jarige Romero is nooit gestraf nie. Tydens die onstuimige wedstryd, egter, Cruz was in die sesde ronde 'n punt vas vir 'n lae slag.
'Hy was 'n vegter wat nie slae wou uitruil nie,”Het Cruz bygevoeg, met verwysing na die aanhoudende beklemming. 'Ek was baie keelvol vir die klinkers - daar was nooit 'n waarskuwing teenoor hom nie. Ek het my bes daar buite gedoen. Nie die beste manier waarop ek dit wou doen nie, maar dank God dat ons die stryd gewen het en ons die oorwinning huis toe neem. '
Romero het gedurende die geveg 'n effektiewe jab aangebied, landing 89 van 282, maar dit was Cruz se kragpons wat hom uiteindelik die oorwinning besorg het. Kruis, wie is nou die nr. 1 mededinger vir 'n wêreldtitel wat op 135 pond, geland 145 van 459 krag stoot, insluitend 91 liggaam skote.
'Ek is natuurlik nie gelukkig met die besluit nie,”Het Romero gesê na aanleiding van sy eerste professionele verlies. 'Ek het gedink miskien was dit 'n loslootjie. Oor die algemeen is ek tevrede met my prestasie. Hy is veronderstel om die 'Pit Bull' te wees en ek het die ent gegaan. You have to take the opportunities when they are presented and I wish I would have had more time to get ready for this fight.”
In the evening’s opening bout, Cleveland se Terrell Gausha (22-2-1, 11 Uitklophoue) scored an impressive second-round technical knockout over fellow Ohioan Jamontay Clark (15-2-1, 7 Uitklophoue) van Cincinnati. Gausha, 33, did not land a single power punch in the opening round but worked well behind the jab, winning the round on two of the judges’ scorecards. As the second round neared completion, Gausha beautifully countered a lunging left hand from the southpaw Clark which sent the 26-year-old to the canvas for the first time in his professional career. Clark beat the count but moments later was met by a barrage of unanswered punches in the neutral corner. Referee Arthur Mercante jumped in and called a halt to the bout at 2:44 van die tweede ronde.
“I knew Jamontay was a tough kid, I’ve been watching him since Cleveland so I knew about him already,” said Gausha. “I felt like I had a chance to knock him out but I didn’t know how the fight would play out. But I feel I did good, executed the game plan. My coaches had been studying film and we executed.
“I just took my time,” added Gausha. “I was setting traps. I knew he would be open eventually, but I had to be cautious too because he’s a rangy guy, has a good left hand. But I knew there were holes in his game and we executed and when the opportunity presented itself, we landed that big right hand.”
With his emphatic stoppage win, die 2012 Olympian emerges as a contender for a title shot in the super welterweight division. In his first and only world title shot in 2017, Gausha dropped a unanimous decision to current super welterweight world champion Erislandy Lara.
“I know I made a statement tonight,” added Gausha. “I put the division on notice. I’m locked and loaded and I’m ready. I want to be a world champion so I’m looking to fight whoever I need to fight to get to the belts.”
Saterdag se Showtime KAMPIOENSKAP boks telecast will replay Sunday at 8:55 voormiddag. ET/PT on SHOWTIME and Monday at 10 namiddag. ET on SHOWTIME EXTREME.
Veteran sportscaster Brian Custer hosted the telecast. Versatile combat sports voice Mauro Ranallo called the action ringside alongside Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein and three-division world champion Abner Mares. Two Hall of Famers rounded out the telecast team: boxing historian Steve Farhood as unofficial scorer and world-renowned ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. The telecast was available in Spanish via Secondary Audio Programming (SAP) with former junior middleweight world champion Raúl “El Diamante” Marquez and Alejandro Luna calling the action. The executive producer was four-time Emmy® award winner David Dinkins, Jr. The director was Bob Dunphy, son of legendary Hall of Famer Don Dunphy.
The event was promoted by TGB Promotions and Sampson Boxing.
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