• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
    • Become a print subscriber
    • Sign up for e-Newsletter
    • e-Editions
Saturday, June 3, 2023
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Opportunities
      • Legals
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
  • News & Features
    • National
    • Local
    • Special Editions
      • MLK Legacy
      • Black History Month
      • The MSR Celebrates Women’s History Month
  • All Sections
    • Opinion
      • Mellaneous by Mel Reeves
      • Word on the Street
      • Reaching Out From Within
    • Health + Wellness
      • Minnesota Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Sports
      • Timberwolves/NBA
      • Lynx/WNBA
        • 20 in 20
      • Twins/MLB
      • MN Wild/NHL
      • Vikings/NFL
    • Business
      • Small Business Month Celebration
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
    • Arts + Culture
    • Photo Galleries
    • MSR Forefront Digital Roundtable Series
      • MSR Forefront Highlights
    • Go Green
    • Education
    • Bulletin
    • Jobs & Opportunities
      • Legals
  • Events
    • Submit an event!
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • e-Editions
No Result
View All Result
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
No Result
View All Result

Benavidez’s Bloody TKO Of Lemieux Sends Message To Rivals

by zenger.news
May 24, 2022
16
SHARES
323
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

The 6-foot-2 David Benavidez (left) displayed an amalgam of speed, searing accuracy, double-fisted power and finishing skills against the 5-foot-10 David Lemieux on the way to scoring Saturday's third-round TKO victory for the WBC's vacant 168-pound title. (Esther Lin/Showtime)



By Lem Satterfield

Mike Tyson once called David Benavidez “The Mexican Monster.”


The reason was evident in Benavidez’s vicious blood-letting of former champion David Lemieux Saturday night at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) relentlessly battered Lemieux (43-5, 36 KOs) before a boisterous partisan crowd near his hometown of Phoenix.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

The victory earned him the WBC’s vacant interim title and cemented his status as “The Boogeyman” of the 168-pound division. The bout was mercifully halted by referee Harvey Dock at the 1:31 mark of the round at the request of Marc Ramsay, Lemieux’s trainer.

Benavidez displayed an amalgam of speed, searing accuracy, double-fisted power and finishing skills as the 5-foot-10 Lemieux’s 70-inch reach couldn’t prevent his five-fight winning streak (3 KOs) from ending.

“Mike Tyson gave me that name, ‘The Mexican Monster,’ so what do you think I’m gonna do?” said Benavidez, 25, whose sixth straight knockout made him a division titleholder for the third time. “I just feel that I’m the strongest 168-pounder, and nobody can mess with me.”

“I’m a three-time world champion in the 168-pound division,” said Benavidez, who out-landed Lemieux in power shots (58-24), jabs (16-2) and by nearly three-to-1 in total punches (74-to-26). ”I’m the youngest guy. I’ll put my belts up against anybody, and I’ll guarantee I’ll knock everybody out.”

David Benavidez (left) drew blood from David Lemieux (right) during the second round of Saturday’s third-round TKO victory on the way to his sixth straight knockout win to earn the WBC’s vacant 168-pound title and becoming a divison champion for the third time. (Esther Lin/Showtime)

The exit was the fastest in the career of Lemieux, who was also stopped in the seventh and eighth rounds by Marco Antonio Rubio (April 2011) and Gennady Golovkin (October 2015).

- ADVERTISEMENT -

With 13 seconds left in the first round, Benavidez’s left hook rocked Lemieux backward into a corner of the ring. There, Benavidez fired and landed 26 unanswered blows to Lemieux’s head and body before the round ended.

“After the first round, I was okay. He got me with some good shots. I came back, but I’ve gotta give him respect,” said Lemieux, 33, who is 9-3 (five KOs) in his past 12 bouts.

“David Benavidez is a helluva fighter. Much respect. He’s got good hands, good movement. Congratulations…,” Lemieux said. “We’ll talk to my team [about whether or not to retire], but definitely tonight was not my night.”

Lemieux was literally saved by the bell ending the first round, according to Showtime interviewer Jim Gray.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

“The referee, Harvey Dock, told me he was going to stop the fight right at the end of the first round when the bell rang,” Gray said. “Because the bell rang, he decided to let Lemieux go back to the corner and continue.” Lemieux was walked by Dock after the first round to his corner, where Ramsay told him, “You’ve gotta do something, or else I’m gonna stop the fight.”

A three-punch combination — a left uppercut, straight right and a piston-jab — 18 seconds into the second dropped Lemieux beneath a bottom rope.  Lemieux used the ropes to pull himself back into the ring, rising at the count of four before Dock told him, “You’re on a short leash. Show me something.”

The Canadian fought on, forcing Benavidez backward despite bleeding from a cut over his right eye with a minute remaining in the second round.

“[Lemieux] is a special type of breed. He’s a great fighter and a tough champion,” said Benavidez, admiring Lemieux’s resilience. “There are some fighters out there who when they’re about to get stopped, their whole body shuts down.”

But Ramsay had seen enough following Benavidez’s third-round head-swiveling left hook, overhand right, left uppercut combination all to the head of Lemieux as Dock separated the fighters, signaling the end.

- ADVERTISEMENT -

“Once I get guys as tough as David Lemieux, that pushes me to work even harder to better myself and my style,” Benavidez said. “There’s always room for improvement. I’ll only get better from here. Every day I strive to be as great as I can be at everything — defense, offense. I’m gonna keep working. I keep maturing.”

Reflecting on his in-the-ring success, Benavidez said that when he first started he “thought one world title was impossible, and now, I’ve got three.”

“The sky’s the limit right now,” he added. “It’s been a crazy ride. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career. But we’ve always maintained that hard work and done the best that we can, and now it’s paid off with me being a three-time world champion,” Benavidez said.

“It’s surreal. It’s a dream, man, that everybody came out to see me. I’ll give it all of my heart to you guys every night. When the going gets tough, the beast comes out of me. I know I’m the best super middleweight in the world already, but this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Who’s next?

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz named Caleb Plant, Jermall Charlo and WBA 168-pound champion David Morrell, a Cuban southpaw, as likely opponents.

“We have three options for November—- Plant, Morell and Charlo,” Lewkowicz said. “Don’t fantasize. Canelo will not take a fight against the real champion of the people. He looked so bad [against Bivol.]”

“I know I’m the best super middleweight in the world,” said David Benavidez (left), who floored David Lemieux (right) during the second round of an eventual third-round TKO victory and his sixth straight knockout to earn the WBC’s vacant 168-pound title on Saturday. (Esther Lin/Showtime)

“I’m right here waiting for them. I’m not scared of anybody. I’m waiting for them to sign the contract, so my hat’s off to David Lemieux because he’s the only one who had the balls to take the fight with me. Those guys talk big like everybody’s scared of them, but I’m right here trying to get into fights with them. But if I don’t get the fights, I’m interim title holder now,” said Benavidez, who believes Alvarez is ducking him and that Charlo fears him.

“If they really believe in their skills then put their 0’s on the line. I’m willing to do it. But what really motivates me is that I can bring 10,000 people into the stadium. I give the fans the action, the fights and the excitement they want to see. I think Caleb Plant and Jermall Charlo are fights that can happen by the end of this year. I was the No. 1 contender and the one who was supposed to fight Canelo, so I definitely feel like I deserve that fight.”

Edited by Richard Pretorius and Matthew B. Hall

Recommended from our partners



The post Benavidez’s Bloody TKO Of Lemieux Sends Message To Rivals appeared first on Zenger News.

Support Black local news

Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.

Donate Now!

ADVERTISEMENT
Previous Post

VIDEO: Slow Mow: One Horsepower Lawn Mower Is A Cut Above The Rest

Next Post

What are NFTs and why should Black people care?

zenger.news

You Might Also Like

Opinion

2023 legislative session will have a profound and lasting impact

Black Business Spotlight: 5enses Design & Home Staging
Black Business Spotlight

Black Business Spotlight: 5enses Design & Home Staging

Mobile campaign aims to heighten mental health awareness
Local

Mobile campaign aims to heighten mental health awareness

Know your operator: Tamica Washington
Local

Know your operator: Tamica Washington

tan and black dogs
Bulletin

What’s too hot for animals left outside in the summer?

Kick off summer with hot new (and old) movies and TV shows
Arts & Culture

Kick off summer with hot new (and old) movies and TV shows

Next Post
What are NFTs and why should Black people care?

What are NFTs and why should Black people care?

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

The Latest News

2023 legislative session will have a profound and lasting impact

Black Business Spotlight: 5enses Design & Home Staging

Black Business Spotlight: 5enses Design & Home Staging

Mobile campaign aims to heighten mental health awareness

Mobile campaign aims to heighten mental health awareness

Know your operator: Tamica Washington

Know your operator: Tamica Washington

tan and black dogs

What’s too hot for animals left outside in the summer?

Kick off summer with hot new (and old) movies and TV shows

Kick off summer with hot new (and old) movies and TV shows

Minneapolis
◉
72°
Clear
5:29 am8:53 pm CDT
SatSunMonTueWed
90/68°F
90/68°F
88/64°F
81/59°F
81/59°F
Weather forecast Minneapolis, Minnesota ▸
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Upcoming Events

Apr 6
April 6 @ 7:30 pm-June 3 @ 9:00 pm Recurring

Wit by Margaret Edson

Apr 14
April 14 @ 9:00 am-August 12 @ 5:00 pm

Paper Is People: Decolonizing Global Paper Cultures

Jun 3
June 3-June 4

FANS Ultra Race

Jun 3
10:00 am-12:00 pm Recurring

Re-Imagining Station: Frequencies for Healing and Illustrating African Diasporic Consciousness with Jamie J. Philbert

View Calendar

Read our latest e-Edition!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Subscribe

  • Home/Office Delivery
  • Weekly e-newsletter
  • e-Editions

Support

  • Donate
  • Subscribe
  • MSR Newsstand Locations

Connect

  • About
    • MSR Staff
  • Contact
  • Send a news tip
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

No Result
View All Result
  • News & Features
    • Local
    • National
  • All Sections
    • Arts & Culture
    • Health & Wellness
      • MN Cancer Alliance Breast Cancer Gaps Project
    • Business
      • Black Business Spotlight
      • Finances FYI
      • Small Business Month Celebration
    • Opinion
    • Sports
  • Events
  • Obits
  • Sister Spokesman
  • Donate
  • Subscribe

© 2023 Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder