David Benavidez pitched a near-shutout en route to an 11th round stoppage on Saturday.Boxing 's rising star then issued challenges to Saul Alvarez, Caleb Plant, and Jermall Charlo.- Watch the finish right here.
David Benavidez bludgeoned
The 24-year-old's performance demonstrated why he is considered one of boxing's rising stars as he pitched a near-shutout at the behind-closed-doors Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, en route to a late stoppage.
But the fighter himself seemingly refuses to rest on his laurels. "I rate my performance pretty good but I know I could have done better," he said in a statement sent to Insider.
After surrendering the first round to Ellis, Benavidez appeared to find his distance and rhythm, and through a combination of hand-speed and merciless activity, out-landed Ellis in every round from the second onwards.
Benavidez put on a bigger show from round six onwards as he increased the pace further.
By the time the referee stepped in to award the fighter with a technical knockout victory, he had landed 341 of his 733 shots (47% accuracy) compared to the 184 from 670 (28%) from Ellis.
"Ronald Ellis is a tough competitor," said Benavidez. "I just hope the fans like what they saw. I threw a lot of combinations, punches in bunches.
"There were a lot of times I thought Ellis was going to quit but he didn't. Hats off to him, he's a tough guy.
"It was a little later than I wanted but a stoppage is still a stoppage. I hope the fans got a good show tonight."
Watch Benavidez close the show right here:
-SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) March 14, 2021
Benavidez then put his rivals on blast. "I want all the big guys," he said. "Speaking for the fans too, they would love to see me against all the big guys because as you can see, I love throwing punches.
"I love stopping people so me versus any big name would be an amazing fight. I want [Jermall] Charlo, Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant - all of them."
Victory advanced Benavidez's pro boxing record to 24 win (21 knockouts).