By: Hans Themistode
David Benavidez has never officially lost his WBC super-middleweight world belt. Now, he will officially have a chance to get back at least part of what was forcibly taken away.
The 25-year-old will face former middleweight champion and 168-pound defending champion David Lemieux on May 21, in Phoenix, Benavidez’s hometown, for the temporarily vacant WBC crown.
In 2018, Benavidez saw his first championship come to an end after a rather lengthy suspension due to a failed drug test which discovered the presence of benzoylecgonine, the ingredient main in cocaine.
Benavidez will reclaim his world title when he returns, following an injury-time win over Anthony Dirrell. In the end, his championship title was only fleeting as he was stripped of his newly won title for failing to weigh in before a game against Roamer Alexis Angulo.
Despite his transgressions, Benavidez vowed to become a better fighter and a better man. So far, so good that he has spent the whole of 2021 in the winner’s circle. In the first quarter of the year, Benavidez punished Ronald Ellis, leading to the goal in the penultimate round. Before the year was over, Benavidez beat Kyrone Davis until he was forced to wave the white flag in ninth place.
As for Lemieux, he became sick and tired from pressing down to the 160-pound average weight limit. Since moving 8 pounds north, Lemieux has won three in a row, the latter two of which come before the final bell rings.
The winner of Benavidez and Lemieux’s upcoming battle will be in the top spot to challenge the current undisputed super-middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez.
