Jose Benavidez was in attendance for yesterday’s virtual press conference, formally announcing his July 30 fight against Danny Garcia. And speaking to the media about the impending fight, Benavidez makes it clear how big of an opportunity this is for him as a one time hot prospect who’s career hasn’t panned out as it was expected.
“A win over Danny Garcia is a big step for me,” Benavidez said. “The winner of this fight is going to go back up in the rankings. We’ve both lost before and I think that’s made us stronger fighters. We’ve learned from our mistakes. We’re going to be throwing bombs all night long. Stay tuned, because this is going to be Fight of the Year, I guarantee that.
“I want to thank Danny for giving me this opportunity. He’s a great champion, a power-puncher and I’m ready. I’ve been training hard and I’m ready to get it on.”
And leading into this main event fight on Showtime, Benavidez says he’s taking things very seriously, expecting Garcia to come in as the best version of himself. Therefore, Benavidez says he’s preparing for the occasion.
“I take every fight as if I’m fighting the best of the best,” Benavidez continued. “I don’t focus on the record or anything. I just focus on what I have to do. The Puerto Rican and Mexican fans are going to be out there and it’s going to be a great show. I’m training hard and I’d be ready to go tomorrow.
“Danny Garcia is one of the best of the best. I felt like Danny Garcia was a bigger name than a possible Erislandy Lara fight, so that’s why I chose him. I grew up watching Danny and I’ve wanted to fight him for a while. This is going to be fireworks.”
Benavidez is most recently coming off a majority draw against Francisco Torres last November, but believes he was trying to look for the stoppage too much which ended up backfiring on him a bit.
“I was too focused on trying to knock the guy out in my last fight,” Benavidez recalled. “I just have to stick to my game plan and do what I do best. I feel a lot stronger and more mature now. The knockout is going to come on its own. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to end the night victorious.
“My last opponent was just running and running, and I’m looking forward to going toe-to-toe with Danny. I’m staying in shape and I’m focused. I hit hard, he hits hard, so there’s going to be a knockout whether we look for it or not.
“I want to fight the best of the best. I don’t duck or dodge anyone. I don’t care about the record. I train to win. This is an interesting fight with Danny and it’s a fight the fans are going to want to see. Danny was the perfect pick for this opponent.”
As for his expectations for the bout, Benavidez says he believes in his ability and that he intends to keep his focus in order to pull off the win in this outing, fighting for more than just himself.
“I know what I’m capable of and I know what I can do,” Benavidez said. “The most important thing is staying focused in training. I feel like this is the most motivated I’ve been since the beginning of my career. I’m working hard for my daughters. It’s not about me anymore.”