Weight cuts are a part and parcel of life for combat sports athletes who compete below heavyweight. Titles can be won and lost at the weigh-ins itself. David Benavidez has learned this the hard way after he dropped the WBC super-middleweight belt before even having the chance to defend it.
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This is because the 23-year-old pugilist stepped onto the scales at 170.5 lbs, 2.5 lbs over the super middleweight title limit. He expressed his disappointment at failing to meet the contractually agreed weight limit for the first time in his career.
‘El Bandera Roja’ said, “Obviously, I’m very disappointed. This is my first time missing weight. I’m very disappointed losing my title on the scales, but I still have a job to do tomorrow. I lose the title, but I’m still going to win the fight tomorrow.”
David Benavidez will look to win his 23rd consecutive bout
By winning the match, Benavidez will ensure that he takes his unbeaten streak into the eighth year. Also, if he wins, the belt will stay vacant, thus giving him the opportunity to win it for the third time.
David Benavidez won the super middleweight championship for the second time in his career after stopping Anthony Dirrell via TKO. It was his nineteenth career finish in twenty-two fights. He seemed to have successfully put behind the ignominy of a failed drug test that saw him drop the belt and spend time on the sidelines in 2018.
Now, if he is to be called champion, he will have to overcome adversity yet again. This is because he will have to win a belt for the third time at a future date.
Meanwhile, his opponent, Roamer Alexis Angulo, has one professional career defeat. This came in his previous attempt to capture the very belt he fights for tonight.
In June 2018, Angulo lost to Gilberto Ramirez via unanimous decision. The defeat snapped his twenty-three fight unbeaten streak.
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He will look to use the experience to drive him on his return to a title fight. Also, Benavidez’s comments about winning the match may spur him on.
Who will you be backing when the two super middleweight boxers collide at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut? Do you see the title staying vacant or can Angulo claim WBC gold for the first time in his career?
