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Unbeaten David Benavidez will look to reclaim the WBC super middleweight belt on Saturday night when he takes on David Lemieux. Benavidez (25-0 with 22 knockouts) is a heavy favorite per the fight odds at SugarHouse Sportsbook. Lemieux (43-4 with 36 knockouts) is a former middleweight champion, but he isn’t being given much of a chance by the oddsmakers in this bout.
The interim WBC super middleweight title will be on the line this Saturday, May 21, 2022, from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. David Benavidez will face David Lemieux for the belt on Showtime with the main card starting at 10 p.m. ET. Ring walks are expected to take place at midnight, so brew a cup of coffee if you are on the East Coast.
David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux Betting Odds at SugarHouse Sportsbook
David Benavidez -1667
David Lemieux +875
Draw +2000
Fighter Breakdown – David Benavidez
The unbeaten David Benavidez has been dominant throughout his career. He turned pro in Mexico just before his 17th birthday, and he knocked out six of his first seven opponents in the first round before heading north of the Rio Grande to fight after his 18th birthday. Benavidez’s second fight in the United States saw him knock out Rollin Williams in the first round to claim the NABF junior light heavyweight championship at just 18 years old.
Benavidez continued his dominance and ended up knocking out 17 of his first 18 opponents. That led to Benavidez receiving a major title fight at the age of 20. He faced off against Ronald Gavril for the WBC super middleweight title in what proved to be the toughest test of his career. Benavidez won a split decision over Gavril, prompting a rematch for the title five months later. The new champion was much more decisive in that fight, winning a comfortable unanimous decision over Gavril in his first title defense.
Unfortunately, things began to go awry for Benavidez at that point. He was set to defend his title against Anthony Dirrell in September 2018, but he tested positive for cocaine ahead of the fight. That led to the WBC stripping the title from Benavidez, and he was forced to serve a four-month suspension. He proceeded to take out that frustration with a second-round TKO of J’Leon Love in March 2019 before challenging Dirrell for the belt six months later. Benavidez was dominant in a ninth-round TKO of Dirrell, reclaiming the strap.
Benavidez was once again stripped of the title after failing to make weight in what would have been his first title defense. He had no trouble beating Roamer Alexis Angulo, stopping him in the tenth round, but there was clear frustration from both his camp and the WBC. He had to face two lower tier boxers in his 2021 fights before challenging for a title once more.
Fighter Breakdown – David Lemieux
While David Lemieux has been boxing much longer than his opponent on Saturday night, he is a prohibitive underdog by the boxing betting odds. However, there are some similarities between the fighters as Lemieux knocked out his first 20 opponents. He compiled a 25-0 record before losing back-to-back fights against Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine, derailing his hopes of an early title shot.
Lemieux was forced to prove himself again, and he had to win his next eight fights in order to finally receive a chance at a belt. He squared off against Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the vacant IBF middleweight title, and he was able to claim the strap with a unanimous decision win. That led to a unification bout with the great Gennady Golovkin, but Lemieux was no match for GGG and was knocked out in the eighth round.
After losing the championship, Lemieux won his next four fights in order to earn another title shot. He took on Billy Joe Saunders in his native Quebec in December 2017 with the WBO middleweight belt on the line, but he lost a unanimous decision that was never close.
Lemieux will challenge for a super middleweight belt for the first time this weekend. He won five straight fights to earn this shot, but he needed a split decision to get past Max Bursak. Lemieux is at a massive size disadvantage though, and that will be tough to overcome against Benavidez. The underdog is 5’9 with a 70-inch reach, while Benavidez is 6’1 with a 74.5-inch reach.
