Jose Benavidez Jr 28-2-1 (19) has hit back at claims he is not big enough to compete with WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo 32-0 (22) ahead of their 163-pound 10-round non-title bout at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 25.
The 31-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona has lost two bouts in his 13 year pro career that started at junior welterweight. The first was an unsuccessful challenge to Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31) for the WBO welterweight title in 2018 that he lost by 12th round knockout, while the second was a majority decision loss to former world title holder Danny ‘Swift’ Garcia 37-3 (21) at junior middleweight in July last year.
Benavidez boxed at middleweight in his last bout when he knocked out journeyman Sladan Janjanin 36-15 (26) of Bosnia and Herzegovina in five rounds in August.
Benavidez blamed the result of the Crawford and Garcia fights on weight drain, saying he will perform better against Charlo with the extra poundage.
“Weight had a lot to do with it,” Benavidez said. “When I fought Terence Crawford, you know, I was fighting at ’47 when I was fucking 14 years old. So then [at] ’54 I felt a bit stronger. It’s not that. They’re world-class fighters, the best of the best. But I feel like at this weight I’m good.
“I’m good, I feel strong and my whole life I’ve been sparring, been fighting bigger guys. And I feel just it’s time for me. I actually feel my man strength and I feel like I’m actually in a great place right now.”
Two of Benavidez’s last four fights have taken place at the 160-pound weight limit.
“I’ve actually fought at 160 a few times before,” he said. “I mean, I walk around at 180, you know, 180-190. [Welterweight] 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. But now I feel I don’t really gotta lose much. I feel strong. I’m ready. I’m ready to get this show on the road.”
Benavidez Jr has been in camp with his undefeated brother David, who faces Demetrius ‘Boo Boo’ Andrade in a 12-round bout on the same card on the Showtime pay-per-view broadcast.
Along with his kin, Benavidez has been sparring other big bodied boxers to get him accustomed to Charlo’s physicality.
“I’ve been in a tough training camp,” Benavidez said. “I’ve been training for a while now. I’ve been sparring my brother. We’ve had a lot of great, you know, big sparring partners. I’m talking about big guys that actually hit hard. And I just feel strong. I feel ready. I’m motivated more than anything.”
