The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Boxing with Chris Mannix - Boxing Boogeymen

Episode Date: June 13, 2024

Joining Mannix this week is former junior middleweight champion and DAZN broadcaster Sergio Mora. Mannix and Mora discuss a big Tank Davis-Frank Martin fight, David Benavidez's move to 175-pounds, Adrien Broner's loss and why Sergio ranks Subriel Matias as one of the most avoided fighters in boxing. Later, Benavidez joins to talk his move to 175, his feelings towards Canelo, why he thinks he will be even better at light heavyweight and more. ReplyForwardAdd reaction. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was calling you.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball.

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This is boxing with Chris Manning. Or somebody punch him in the face. Anthony Joshua is a composed. and ferocious finisher. Watch this. Hosted by S.I.'s Chris Mannix. That was my moment. Now with interviews, analysis,

and everything going on in the world of boxing. When you have talent, you are given another chance. Here's Chris Mannix. And we are back. Boxing with Chris Mannix, part of the Volume Sports Podcast Network.

I'd welcome in everyone that's listening on the podcast feed. If you are not a subscriber, get over to the boxing with Chris Mannix feed, hit that subscriber. button. Make sure you get this pod in your feed every single week. We've got a great show for you this week. I am down in Puerto Rico for the Subreal-Matias Liam Paro, 140-pound title fight. That's a fight you can watch Saturday on DeZone. I will be on the call for that fight. Sergio Amora, my broadcast

partner, he will join me there, and he will join me in just a few minutes. Sergio and I get into all the news of the week from the Tank Davis-Frank Martin fight to some of the consternation, if you will, that Tank Davis has about the way he's being promoted. We also talk about David Benavides fighting on that undercard. The latest with Ryan Garcia. We look back on another disappointing performance by Adrian Bruner. And I asked Sergio, why on social media this week? He named Subriel Matias as one of the top five boogey men in all of boxing.

Kind of a hot take there from Sergio that we unpacked. here on the show. A little bit later, David Benavides will join me. Benavita is, of course, the former super middleweight champion who has given up the pursuit, for now at least, of a fight against Canelo Alvarez in favor of chasing a 175 pound title. That campaign begins on Saturday against Alexander Vostick. I talked to David about what went into that decision, how he feels about all this Canelo stuff that's out there, and how he thinks his body, his speed, his power, are all going to adjust to 175 pounds. So stick around for that.

Great conversation, as always, with David Benavides. Before we get to them, though, I did want to weigh in briefly on the reports that are out there about Saudi Arabia kind of forming a boxing league. Now, this is something that has been in the water supply for several months now. A lot of people in boxing believed that this was ultimately the end goal for Turkey Al-Ashek and Saudi Arabian officials to consolidate the boxing promoters, to consolidate the boxing talent, and put it all kind of under one umbrella.

Obviously, I think it's a good idea if it can happen because the less entities there are in boxing, the better fights we're going to get. Like there's a reason UFC is as popular as it is. It's because it's effectively a monopoly. It has 90% of the market share. It can make big fights whenever it wants to because it's the UFC. I don't know that boxing can ever become the UFC, even with the Saudi influence and the Saudi money,

but bringing matchroom and Golden Boy and Queensberry and Top Rank and PBC kind of under one umbrella. if they can get it done, it's only going to benefit boxing overall. I also think one big benefit is you get rid of the sanctioning bodies. I'm sorry, we don't need sanctioning bodies. Sanctioning bodies and their belts do more harm than good. The interim titles, the bad mandatories, the unforced mandatories, all the goofiness. Look, in my conversation with Benavides coming up in a few minutes, one thing I asked him was, aren't you a little bit pissed off that the W.

B.C. over the course of almost two years, didn't order a mandatory fight between you and Canelo. He might not have taken it, but the WBC should have at least ordered it, but they didn't because like all sanctioning bodies, they create rules and then they don't follow them. So if a new Saudi League can squeeze out the sanctioning bodies and make one belt or two belts or whatever it is and can eliminate the interim titles, the super champions, the champions in recess, the champions emeritus, whatever the hell else

is out there. That is only going to be a benefit for boxing. Streamlining it, making people understand it, making people know who's a title holder or who's not,

that is big for the sport. So I love that potential as well. Stay locked in on this feed. We're going to do more on the Saudi impact and what they might be planning

a little bit later in this week. I have another guest on a little bit later in the week. to talk about that. But look, it's exciting. There's no question about that. If you can just make these fights between, you know, fighters that are currently fighting under rival promoters umbrella. And you can do it without an 18-month dragout or a three-year dragout and make them when these guys run their prime and then maybe make two or three of these fights, it's only going to benefit boxing short and long term. So we'll talk more about it for sure a little

bit later in the week. But when we come back, I will be joined by my broadcast partner and the former junior middleweight champion of the world, Sergio Amora. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano and our podcast point game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin and Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs.

I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.

Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They hold and Kay Michelle back. from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King,

I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows,

I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Latino hit. Chica, you know what I like about you is that you are transparently ridiculous. Like I saw your tweet this week about how you have been looking forward to this DeZone show with Subriel Matias and Liam Paro. You could not give a damn about Subaru Matteas or Liam Paro. We call the Paro fight against Montana Love.

You're telling me he didn't upset Montana Love. He didn't turn heads. He didn't shock everybody. The kid's likable. He's popular. He's one of these road warriors from Australia. Matias 20-0, 20 knockouts. And it just happened to be.

be in the beautiful lottery of Sanco Puerto Rico come, bienvenilo, if this fight was in Minneapolis,

Minnesota, you would not have tweeted one word of it. You got to Puerto Rico on Tuesday. The fight's

not until Saturday. You got here on Tuesday. Yeah, but they need me for press conferences. Press conferences Thursday.

The way in, the, you know, the zone boxing show. They need the Latin snake here. You know, me and Claudia are doing some things

in Spanish. So yeah, you know, busy, busy schedule, man, you know, some people got to work around here. All right. Sergio Amora, the former junior middleweight champion, DeZone broadcasters here. And we are in Puerto Rico. Are we in San Juan? Technically, no, we're not. Technically, just outside of San Juan. Yeah, you can walk there. I was walking the beaches right now. The Super Real Matias, Liam Paro, 140 pound title fight is on Saturday live on DeZone. We're going to get to that, get to a few other things that are happening this weekend. And we'll start, I guess, with the big fight in Las Vegas. That's also happening on Saturday night.

Tank Davis, 135-pound champion. He will defend his title against Frank Martin. You know, Sergio, a couple of years ago, after the Frank Martin Michelle Rivera fight, I would have been really excited about this fight. But Frank Martin, his last time out didn't look all that great. There's a lot of complicating. factors with Frank Martin right now. He's trained by Derek James.

He's promoted by Errol Spence. Derek James and Errol Spence are suing each other at the moment. This just feels like a bad matchup for Frank Martin. But let's just ask you that first. How do you see Davis against Martin? I mean, stylistically, it's going to be a difficult fight for Tank Davis. It's going to look similar to when Frank, when a tank Davis fought, what's that guy's named the other Dominican, Hector Louise Garcia, another Southpaw, who was a little taller

or similar size to Martin. He's going to look similar to that, where he's going to have to be patient tank. You know, he can't just go in there. He's going to have to respect the power, you know, the size advantage, the reach, and the skill. Frank Martin is very disciplined, you know, especially behind that jab. And like I said, lefty versus lefty, you know, it could either be a sloppy fight or a patient calculated fight. I think it's going to be the latter.

but yeah i just don't think martin has the the one the resume i don't think he has a power and i just don't think he has enough to get the respect of tank davis who will dissect him slowly just like he did garcia and it should end around the same time nine 10 rounds i think the best case scenario is frank mon goes the distance but i just don't see him uh pulling off a decision yeah the the the best win of martin's career at this point was Rivera win. Before that, he had some good wins. He beat Romero Duno.

He beat Jackson Mariners. Then he goes out and is it a prospect versus prospect matchup with Rivera. He completely outclasses him. Wins wide on all three scorecards. Then you fast forward to July of last year. And he fights Artumbert Hortian. I'm going to try to say that right. Terrible.

It gave him my best shot. But he has kind of a lackluster type performance where he escaped with a narrow decision and you know then it's been almost a year now i know that tank has been off for just as long actually longer uh than frank martin but i just think he's more used to that type of layoff he's more used to this type of fight and again i got to believe that there's there's something to training with a trainer who is suing your promoter right like that the dynamic of that is just a little crazy to me. Yeah, I can only imagine how that camp is, you know, but, you know, there's always a little havoc in every camp and in every team, you know, but, you know, we, we fight through that because we've

been with each other so long. I mean, the chemistry is not always going to be perfect, and you just got to get past it, you know, understand that business comes first before friendship and relationships, and if you can compartmentalize that, which I think they can, they've been doing it for a long time. I mean, Frank Martin has had a successful amateur career, successful professional. professional career he's the goods now he needs to do it on I don't even want to say the championship level because I still don't consider tank a legitimate you know 140 or 135 champion we know the champions are there but he's he's officially a champion now though he got you know kind of the email upgrade he got the email upgrade oh he got upgraded oh great okay so

bacon champion gotcha all right um like I said I still don't but I think he still but I think he's a star he's the man to beat and he he he's the all eyes are on him He's the number one guy at 135 or even 140. Depends what we fights at 140, but at 135 he's a man. And I can understand why he's getting upset or frustrated at his promoter for the fight not being as big as it should. You know, I totally get it. The promotion has been lacking.

The advertisement has been lacking. I mean, there's a lot of promoters that are looking right now at Tank Davis, who's a star, a pay-per-view star, and one of the biggest attractions and punchers in boxing. They're licking their lips saying, hey, they're like Shug Knight at the, at the source of wars hey man you ain't happy come over the death row come over here to match room come over here to awesome a golden boy come promoters are going to want to suit him you know because they they want to show him and give him the big stage and roll out the red carpet from for this fight against barn there's no carpet there's no attention well let's talk about what you said

tank is pissed off about the lack of promotion about this body blew off the grand rivals uh that sort of ceremonial media event that starts uh fight week um it You kind of answered this question, but does he have a point? Like, does he have reason to be upset? Like, ever since kind of Amazon got into the boxing game, we haven't seen them commit a lot of resources to promoting these events. Now, a lot of times these events get promoted a lot during fight week, and I'm sure we'll see kind of a ramp up for it as well.

But to his point, there really hasn't been a lot of mainstream interest in this fight. There hasn't been a lot of mainstream interest in this fight. of mainstream boxing coverage of this, at least not as much as it should be. Look, this is a big card. Like, you know, it's Tank, it's Frank Martin, it's David Benavides, we're going to get to in a minute, taking on Alexander Vostick.

Like, this is a pretty significant card, even one that's on pay-per-view. Does he have a point that this should be promoted more? 100%. And especially on a big boxing weekend where we have, you know, we have Matias Paro and then across the pond, you know, you have, what is,

Smith and React Pork? We have port. Chris Bill and Smith. It's a rematch. An exciting fight. I watched that yesterday. It's a good fight. I'm glad they're having a rematch.

Too bad to wait five years later. But yeah, so there should be more emphasis on everything that Tank is. And David Benavitas too. I mean, Benavita is going to sell. You know, you have to cross promote. You have to bring more than just one side of the audience. You know, Tank has that East Coast, you know, audience. David Benavitas has a West Coast audience.

I think you got to promote to both, man. The Spanish market, the Mexican, the Latino market, the black market. You know, the everything, you know, I think that's where they're going wrong. And, yeah, I haven't seen a commercial on Amazon. I mean, if you're going to have that big of a partner, you know, to advertise and they're not doing it, kind of a disrespect to the promotion. So Tank is going to be 30 years old in November, and he's unquestionably a star in this game. He sells out arenas all across the country.

drives paper views, but his resume remains relatively thin compared to his peers. His biggest win was the knockout against Ryan Garcia, which was more of a big win on a popularity level than it was a notable win. Well said. Yeah. Yeah, for a boxer. This Frank Martin fight is fine, but nobody thinks Frank Martin is among the elite at 135 pounds. You've got Chikor Stevenson out there, Sergio.

He's going to fight July 6th, and that is the last fight of his deal with top rank. He's going to be a free agent. If there was ever a time for Tank Davis to fight Shakur Stevenson, it would be now, right? And to me, if that fight's going to happen, it's going to be on Tank Davis to make it. I think Shakur will make it. I don't think Shigour is going to hold out for every last dollar. I think Shakur knows he's the B side in that fight. If Tank wants it, he can happen.

I'm of the opinion that if he gets through this fight unscathed before the end of the year, he's got to get in the ring with Chachor Stevenson. He's not going to fight Chachor Stevenson. No one's going to fight Chacourer Stevenson. He's everything wrong that every, he's going to make everyone look bad. Chaucor is going to keep beating the guys that put in front of him, making seven-figure seven-figure paydays, and he's going to do it on his terms. He's not going to, tank's not going to fight him.

So get that out of your mind. I think a fight that's more makeable, if it's at one-third. is a Williams a Peta fight or a rematch with Pitbull Cruz or if he moves up to 140, Haney makes a lot of sense. A rematch with Garcia makes a lot of sense. There's a lot of big promotional, successful promotions you can make with all those fights I just mentioned. I just don't think Shakur Stevenson is going to sell on pay-per-view, sell tickets wherever they put that fight. Shakur Stevenson is just one of those guys that is that damn good, that damn talented,

but he doesn't put butts in seats. I think you're wrong. I think a fight with Tank and Shakur sells out every arena in every major city. You look exactly like Frank Martin and Tank Davis. Exactly. As far as the attention, as far as the market they're hitting. Chiquor's an Olympic silver medalist. He's been on the big stage for like six years now.

What are you talking about? It's a much bigger fight than Fram Martin. What's his biggest fight? Chacore. Um. Um, what's his biggest fight? Blanking on his resume. He's a two-division title holder, though.

I guess who? My point, exactly, Mr. Sports Illustrated. So there you go. There you go. And can you imagine to a casual fan that you're trying to sell that to? I mean, Jamel Herring was a good win for him. Good. He has good wins.

He just doesn't have great wins. That's because nobody will fight him, though. Tank Davis doesn't have great wins either. He has a solid resume, but not on a championship level, but he's a puncher. That's something that Shakur is not. So when you're knocking out guys, you don't. It doesn't matter who they put in front of you. You're knocking him out.

And he's exciting to watch. So Tank is going to be popular because of the power, that little aura that he brings. That Mike Tyson, you know, mystique, but he's likable. You know, once he starts smiling, you know, so he's going to be a star no matter who he fights. But you have to have a good B-side. And like what I just said earlier, when you cross-promote with different cultures, that's when it's a big fight. I mean, think about the biggest fights in history.

You know, if you go back to like Larry Holmes and when he fought the gentleman, and Jerry Corey. Huge fight. Corey wasn't on his level. It was a huge fight. Oscar de La Jolla, Floyd Mayweather. Huge fight. Two different cultures.

You know, Mayweather beat him easily. That's what you... I mean, look at Rocky and Drago. All right. That's not a real fight, okay? You lose me. You know what I'm trying to say, though.

You lose me when you say that Frank Martin in terms of mainstream appeal is on the same level of Shikor. He's not. more well-known commodity than Frank Martin is. If those two got together, they would sell out a building in a hot minute. Maybe it doesn't do a million pay-per-view buys, but it does like four or five-hundred thousand. Yes, it does.

Yes, it does. If it's promoted properly, of course it does. That is a big fight. That's got a fight that Tank Davis, frankly, needs. Like, you mentioned Pitbull Cruz. And if I was going to make the most likely options list for Tank after this fight, pit bull would probably be at the top. Right? Like he's fighting, hold on. He's fighting on August 3rd. He's going to defend his title. If he does it successfully, there will be buzz for a rematch with Tank at 140. It would give chance, a tank a chance to become a real two division world champion. It would sell a lot of tickets because frankly Pitbull Cruz saws way more tickets than I thought he did.

Oh yeah. So it would be a pretty... Because he brings the Mexican audience. They'd love to see a little Pit bull aggressive fighter that gave hell to Tank Davis. And he always comes to fight. This guy's a power punching a little menace, a record machine. People want to see that. People don't want to see a guy bouncing around the ring. Wait, so you want to see the rematch between Esau Cruz and Tank Davis more than you want to see Shakur against Tank Davis? No, no, no.

I didn't say that because I'm a boxer. I'm talking about for the casual fan, man. The casual fan that's going to pay for the pay per view. They're not going to pay for Shakur Stevenson. I'm going to pay for Shakur Stevenson because I think he's one of the best boxers, pure boxers in boxing. And I think he's one of the most avoided. for good reason because he's that damn skilled.

I just don't think skill sells in pay-per-view. And skills don't put butts in seats because they're not going to go out there and look for the knockout. That's all I'm saying. Look, I had that type of style, not on the same level as the brilliant Stevenson, but I wasn't a puncher. You know, so I had to make punchers look bad by moving. That's what Stevenson does.

The only difference is Stevenson has that Olympic pedigree, the silver medal. He's a champion on the championship level. He can turn it on and put it on a. another gear whenever he wants, but he doesn't, and that's the knock on him. And I just don't think people are going to want to pay for a guy that can win on three gears only. I don't know. If top rank is, quote, not in the way anymore after July 6th, and Shakur's a free agent, if you're not going to make that fight now, you're never going to make it. And that, to me, is the kind of legacy defining fight that Tank Davis needs. He can make a pile of money fighting anybody wants, but in November,

he's turning 30, and the number of signature wins. that he has you can count on a couple of fingers he does not have even one i guess the pedraza fight back of one 30 was a good win but a marquee statement win i got a name for you that's going to cross everything that i just mentioned and it's a legitimate name and threat and champion tank versus loma chenko what's what's the difference between lomachenko and chakur loamma has been on the on the bigger stage i think loma chanko is a bigger draw than chakur uh i think he's more well known he's been in bigger fights. He's been in bigger fights, yeah.

But I think you're dramatically underestimating, like the... Not that Chikor's the most popular guy in boxing, but he's pretty well known at this point. That's why you couldn't name the champions he's beat. Well, when you're avoided as much as he is, that's right, let's move on. Also on this card is David Benavides,

who has given up the pursuit of Canelo Alvarez for now in pursuit of a title at 175. He'll take on Alexander Vostick, Vostov, of course, known as the former title holder lost his belt in a fight against Archer. Betterbev. He's been on the comeback trail, a couple of fights into it, and now he takes on David Benavides. Sergio, David Benavides is a big guy generally. Do you think his style, his power is going to be the same at 175 as it was at 168?

I think his speed would carry over. I think his size would be fine. I don't think his power is going to be enough. Whenever you're dealing with a fighter like Betterbeyev, who's knocking out everybody at that weight division, whenever you're dealing with a brilliant mastermind boxer like Bevo, it's not going to be enough. So the speed's going to carry, the side's going to carry, but the power isn't. So the guys that he's normally, you know, beaten down at 168, he's not going to be able to beat down like that at 175. Benavita is not a one-punch knockout artist.

He puts you down with speed. And at 168, it's hard to see speed like that. He reminds me of a super middleweight Diego Corrales, you know, short shoulders, long arms, and he peppers you in a little square right in front of you, and he goes from up to bottom, you know, and he just, he surprises guys with that hand speed for as big as he is. So I think he'll be able to compete with everyone else in the top 10 at 175. But those guys that I just mentioned, those big dogs better be a bevo. No, I don't think he's ever going to be able to, you know, knock them guys over.

why not like i just told you he doesn't have the size he doesn't he's not out jab bevel what do you mean doesn't have the size he's like six foot three like between him benavides benavides no he's not just like you're not six foot three okay i am six foot three between benavides and gilberto ramirez were the two guys i could never fathom getting all the way up all the way down to 168 benavides is huge right he's the mexican monster that's in part of because he is a big guy. I could never understand how he made 168 as often as he did. In fact, he lost his title once on the scale because he wasn't disciplined enough to make

168. Going up seven pounds, I think he's only going to make him better. It's going to make him less fatigued in these fights because he's not cutting as much weight. And I think he's got plenty of size and plenty of power to do similar damage in that weight class. I don't know how you look at him and say he's not big enough. Is Demetri B. Ball a big guy? No.

He's talked about going back. Back down to 168 if Canello would give him a chance down there. We're not talking about huge, massive super middle weights that Benevitas would be competing against. Bivo has the, if you look at him in person, you'll see the mass difference, the shoulder size difference. Benevitas is not a big, a big guy. I don't know what you're thinking about. He's 6'2. Box rec has enlisted at 6'42.

I've called one of his fights before. I've sized them up before. I've stood next to him many times. Especially when he's making weight, he doesn't look. I mean, if you don't shrink in height when you're making weight. When you rehydrate, then he maybe looks a little bit. But he's soft. Not how it works.

Even at 168, when he's in peak shape, he looks soft. He doesn't have a six-pack. He's soft. Can you imagine him going up 10 pounds to 175? It's seven. He's going to be softer. He's going to be softer. You know, so no, I just don't think he beats the big dogs, but he competes with the rest.

That's to answer your question, no, Benavides won't beat a better be of or a bevo, but he can maybe pick up a vacant strap if it's released by one of them two monsters. I don't understand the not big enough. one of the strongest guys or was one of the strongest guys at super middle weight he won he's won 24 of his 28 fights by knockout no he doesn't have uh the same kind of one punch knockout power that some of these other guys have but he beat the bejesus out of caleb plant last year he beat the daylights on demetrius andre last year he beat two guys that were among the top fighters in that weight class and he beat them going away i mean the caled

the plant fight, one of those score cars a little bit too close. The Andrade fight, that was after the first couple of rounds, that was lopsided. I just think he's got more than enough strength, more than enough speed. He's going to throw a ton of punches when you're in the ring with him, so you're going to have to compete with that. Does he have the chin

to hold up to a better BF shots? I don't know the answer to that. He has been knocked down before, but we just saw a B-ball fight a couple of weeks. So I picked up his first knockout in six years. Like his power ain't what it used to be. So I think he's a great chance. In fact, if Betterbiev is not able to go in October because of injury reasons, I want Benavides to step right in there. I want to see Benavides against Bebole in Saudi Arabia,

October of this year. I would love to see that fight, but him moving up to 175 is going to look similar to when Sula Ramirez moved up to 175. He was knocking everyone out at 168, became a champion. But at 175. No, he did. His first five fights were decisions. Look it up. Oh, my God. No, they weren't. No, they weren't. He wasn't knocking them out at 17. Do you do any prep work for this show? No, but I have a good memory. You don't.

Okay. So, look it up. I'm looking it up. Who do you knock out of 175? Knocked out Tommy Carpensey. Ramirez, all right. His first three fights, did he get knocked out? Actually, he knocked out everybody, Sergio 175.

He moved up. He knocks out Tommy Carpense. He knocks out Alfonso Lopez. He knocks out Sullivan Barrera. He knocks out Yuneski Gonzalez. He knocks out Dominic Bosel. He goes, decision with Joe Smith at Cruiserweight. So literally,

Every fight that he had at 175, he won by knockout. Do you do any research before you prepare to come on the air? But not Joe Smith. At 190 something, he didn't. Look, I think, I think you're dead wrong. I think, do you think Benavia stopped Vostick? Yes. What the hell?

That's a former champion at 175. Vostit got, he got retired because he got beaten down. Got one loss. And I got so surprised because he, he had so much left in the tank but when you get beaten down like that you get shell shock you know and then inactivity you start questioning yourself so yes i think he stopped someone like vostick i just don't think he can he can hurt or or get the respect or the power with with everyone else as far as better be of him bevo i just don't see it you called all of those zirta ribera's fights

you were there when he knocked out dominic bozell in southern california you were there when he stopped unesky gonzals how do you not remember these things I have pugilistic dementia. And you have a computer in front of you, and I don't. But I knew he had won those fights by knockout. Anyway. All right. More serious topic.

We saw Ryan Garcia get into some trouble this past weekend. He was arrested at a Los Angeles hotel for allegedly vandalizing the hotel room. According to reports, there was about $15,000 worth of damage when Ryan wouldn't pay. He was arrested by the Los Angeles area. police department you know there was a statement that was put out by members of Ryan's legal team that said he was going through some stuff right now which is the most obvious statement you don't you could possibly make um your reaction i guess to the recent developments with ryan garcia i think my reaction is just like everyone else we're concerned you know we're concerned

with with uh not only the the stability uh the mental health of ryan garcia but now you know the physical health, you know, because he's drinking a lot. He's doing, God knows what else he's doing. You know, he takes prescription medication. He smokes weed. I mean, this is a cry for help, in my opinion. I've been 25 years old, Mannix. I won the contender when I was 25 years old. And I got seven figures in my bank account when I was, you know, 25 years old. I had, you know, the face recognition when I was faced, you know, 25. I got the invites of the Playboy mansion i know what it is on a smaller scale a lot smaller because i'm nowhere near as handsome as ryan garfield i'm not even sure it was a smaller scale though because of how many people i'm talking about

money back then on money yes but 20 million first fight with tank but visibility yes and i was you know i was in these uh in these playboy mansion parties i was you know the the in hollywood scenes i was in Vegas i was i was doing all that man and it takes its toll on you because you got everyone telling you how great you are and no one telling you how real you are you know keeping you grounded because even the team that's supposed to keep you grounding they're you know riding your coattails and the gravy train with you they they're they're experiencing that life as well so they're not going to tell you hey man let's go to that playboy mansion party but you got to wake up in the morning train it's not like that man so ryan garcia has a wrong

people in his corner even his father man i mean i hate to say it but his father seems like a cheerleader as well um so i just think he really needs an honest voice and if it's not going to be his family Who is it going to be? A therapist, a medical doctor? He has to get the respect out of somebody that's been through there, been there, done that, and tell him, look, man, you're going to lose it all. You will lose it all.

Not only because, you know, you'll lose it inside the ring, you'll lose it outside of the ring in legal, you know, in the legal hiring lawyers and stuff like, gambling. You know, you see him on his Instagram gambling $20,000 a hand? That is ridiculous. Who are you to be doing that? It's going to go fast. You only do $2,000 a half.

The tax, man, I lost $1,000 yesterday. Did you know there's a casino here? Yes. It's called the Sheridan Casino. I lost $800, man. So yes. But that's neither here or there. I need to read those C.EF can go back tonight.

But yeah, man, I've been there with Ryan Garcia on a smaller scale. But I had people like my brothers, you know, I had people like my coach John to get in my area, to coach Dean. And, you know, they will have a little bit of fun with me. But it's like, all right, man. got to get to work now. Hey, you're getting carried away now. Hey, man, you only got seven weeks to prepare. Hey, you better be, you know, you got to put some, some fear into him. And Ryan Garcia talks about the fear of God, but then he lives another lifestyle. So it's hypocritical. And people

don't like that, man. His own fans are turning against them because if you're going to be holier than now, you're going to act like it, man. You're going to act like it. So he has the world in the palm of his hand and it's slipping away with the decisions he's making. And it will cost them. Not maybe. It will cost him. And it's costing them already. I think he needs to step away from boxing for a while. And he's probably going to be forced away from boxing in the next couple of weeks and months. I was in New York this past weekend for the top rank show, Xander Zayas, Shushu Carrington. And while I was there, I was talking to some people that are in and around the New York State Athletic Commission.

And there's a pretty strong consensus that at a bare minimum, the results of the Haney fight is going to get overturned to a no contest. And Ryan Garcia will be slapped with a six-month suspension. That's the bare minimum. I think there's a decent chance it could be longer than a six-month suspension. I don't think it's going to be a disqualification. That's what Haney's team is pushing for. but I think it will be overturned to a no contest.

Look, Sergio, we were around Ryan Garcia in 2021 when he had to step away from the game because of mental health issues. Like, we didn't even see that. It happened in real time. That was stuff that was happening with Ryan Garcia privately. Right now, he just seems like a guy that is completely unraveling. And when you see him as active as he is on social media, constantly pushing tweets out there, sometimes these tweets make absolutely no sense. You just wonder like, where does this end? Like, when does the crash really come?

You're seeing some small crashes, right? Like you're seeing little things happen, like this arrest. Like, does there have to be something bigger? And look, I know, I know that Ryan is going through some other stuff. in his personal life his mom lisa was recently diagnosed with breast cancer we obviously hope for the best with her but that that's got a way on him as well he's got some personal stuff as well at his own life life life with his ex-wife uh there's just a lot going on with ryan garcia right now but before he even thinks about getting in the ring putting past like when he's allowed to get back in the ring

before he thinks about getting back in the ring he's got to get his mind right he has got to get his focus back or else this could end with something a lot worse than an arrest you know manix the greeks used to say i think it was aristotle i don't know if he was greek but they used to say if you want to punish him man make his dreams come true you know so for ryan garcia all his dreams came true you know he he fought the biggest fights he made a boatload of money his face is plastered everywhere everyone knows his name he's super popular social media but it's It's a gift and a curse, and it's turning against him now. So everything that made him, you know, as popular and as rich as he is, now it's turning against him.

So you live by social media, you're going to die by social media. And this kid is not, how can I say this without being disrespectful? You could tell he's a smart kid. He just doesn't articulate his intelligence well. You could tell that he's gifted. You could tell that he's talented, but he has, he's emotionally immature. I think that's what's happening here And he needs to grow up and he needs a solid figure that he respects and a voice that just

Slaps some sense into him because it's gonna end bad man It's gonna end bad It could end up in a way like the next guy I want to talk about That's Adrian Broner who we saw this past weekend on a low-level Don King show in Southern California Going up against Blair Cops. I don't don't want to disrespect the show. I actually like the show going into it. I mean, Michael Hunter against Cassius Cheney. I was interested in that. Big win by Michael Hunter. Yeah. And then you have Blair Cobbs against Adrian Bruner. Adrian Brunner gets knocked down in the second round. Loses a

tooth when he gets knocked down, which I haven't seen too often before. And loses once again. You know, it was kind of a typical Adrian Bruner fight where he didn't let his hands go and that ultimately cost him. Like all of his losses over the last few years and even some of his wins have been as a result of him not being willing to let his hands go. Sergio, I watched that fight and look, he made the weight at 147. He didn't look like he was in good shape. He didn't like anything like the Adrian Bruner we saw fighting at 130, 135, 140 and even when he won a belt at 147. I said a couple of weeks ago before that fight that if Bruner lost to Blair Cobbs, then that would be the end for Adrian Bruner.

He's been on social media saying it's not over, I'll be back, but he's 34 years old, Sergio. And if you can't beat Blair Cobbs at 34 years old at Welterweight, I don't know who you're beating. And he's never shown the kind of discipline you need to succeed at the highest level. So do you feel any differently? Is this and should this be the end for Adrian Bruner? It's not going to be the end because he needs money.

So he's going to be one of these tragic boxing figures that made a lot of money. And Adrian Bruner did make a lot of money without him. And, you know, in fights where he got overpaid. And he got accustomed to that money. He thought he was always going to be rolling in. And then, you know, his baby mamas came asking for money, child support, legal issues, alcohol and drugs and spending money and buying everything think it's never going to run out and he ran out

so he's going to be fighting again you'll see and the thing about Adrian Broner is that he's not getting knocked out Chris man he's never been knocked out he's got a good chin so and he's always in a fight so no matter if he's fighting Pacquiao or Mikey Garcia or Medina the guy could take a wallop he could take a punch he's gonna keep coming so watching Blair Cobbs put him down like that in the second round was because he's already 34 and past his good

good days but uh but he still has the name he still talks a lot of shit he still market himself but he's gonna he's gonna keep fighting because he needs money it ain't gonna be a big name it's gonna be another small show probably on don king you know don king will give him another slot and it'll probably be against a another Blair copse type opponent maybe an Alexis rocha or something like that you know somewhere someone that's probably gonna beat him again uh Adrian Brunert's sad man what happened to him because you know he had all the talent but he's lazy so what's drilled down on that Adrian Broner is a four-division world champion. You can never take that away from him.

That is on his resume forever. But if you examine his resume, it's not as impressive as it ultimately looks. You look at some of the wins he had in world title fights. 2011, he beats Vicente Rodriguez. That was a very average fighter. 2012, he beats Antonio DeMarco. That was a good win. 135 pounds.

That might be the best win of Adrian Bruner's career. 2013, he goes up to 147, fights Polly Malinaji, gets a split decision win there. Polly towards the end at that point of his career, not really a welterweight either, but you give him credit for winning that fight. And then 2015, he gets a piece of the 140-pound crown, a vacant belt, when he beats Khabib Akhavirtiev in a fight in Cincinnati, Ohio, his hometown. So he's got the four titles, and he beat Ashley Thea Fiathe. as well after that.

So he's got four division titles. But none of them came against marque guys, and really only one was super impressed. That was the DeMarco win. So you talk about his skill set. Was he ever really good, or was he the most carefully

and well-matched fighter of the Al-Haman era? No, Adrian Bruner was damn good. He was damn good. He just wasn't great. He came short against great fighters. He was exciting. He talked a lot of smack he had a good backing uh i mean look even in his last fight rick ross is uh you know walking him out to the ring so he's still popular even at this stage of his career you know so he's the bad

guy people are going to pay for the bad guy you know and the bad guy's always going to come up short but people are going to want to pay to see that uh adrian broner has never stylistically uh as a boxer watching him he's just lazy man he just doesn't move his feet he thinks he can avoid every shot with his upper body doing that shoulder roll and he doesn't punch enough so that's why he gets outworked by all these fighters um even fighters like malanaji we talk about malanage maranage is tough as nils he could take a big punch he's been in there with some great fighters and malanaji was giving him issues you know so adrian broner on the elite level wasn't great nowhere near it but on a smaller scale against those smaller champions and he's a champion i mean he's always

going to be down in history as a champion and is he the worst four division champion in boxing probably but he's still a four division champion right so you still got to put some some kind of respect on those accolades uh but yeah if you dissect it it's disappointing adrian broner could have been a lot more a lot more if he was just uh had more discipline and more hunger well discipline's the key word right like he was never a disciplined guy outside the ring he didn't take his craft as seriously as he should and ultimately cost him you mentioned some of those step-up fights Like, when he fought in these step-up fights, more often than not, he lost pretty wide. I mean, he got beat badly by Marcos Maidana.

He got beat clean by Sean Porter. He got beat pretty wide by Mikey Garcia. Mani Pacquiao beat him pretty wide. Now, after the fact, just like he did with Blair Cobbs, Brona was like, I didn't lose that fight. No way I lost that fight. But it's pretty clear to everybody that he did. He lost all those fights. And it was largely due to a lack of punchout puts.

winless in four of his last six fights and you could point to the same exact thing every single time he does not let his hands go maybe that's because he doesn't want to get hit anymore maybe he never did but you know when you're not willing to throw punches at an elite level you're not going to beat any of of these top tier guys so I look I think there was talent there no doubt about it but I do think the matchmaking for him was brilliant he was put in with the exact right type of guys that he could beat. And every time he stepped up, it generally speaking didn't go his way. All right. Last thing for you. We are in Puerto Rico. We've got a big show this weekend. I saw you, Sergio Mora, on Twitter, just burping out another terrible take. You said, boxing's five

boogey men, in a way, agreed. Better B.F? Sure. Benadineviz? Just trashed him, but okay. Jana Beck, not so much. And Subriel Matias, as one of Boxing. boxing by boogeyman. You had 80 replies to that, most of them telling you you're an idiot and that you should put other people in that list. Why do you put Superel Matias on your list of boogeymen? Because Mattias is knocking out everyone they put in front of them. He's one of the handful of guys that has a 100% knockout ratio. All right. So that's scary power, right, when you're knocking out everybody. That's one. Two, he's a world champion now. He's he's nonstop aggression. He's always looking to beat you down. And the main thing why I say the word

boogeyman is because his last five opponents, there were winners. They were undefeated guys. You know, so there were guys that I want to think four last five were undefeated. Yeah. So there were winners. And he beat them down. He made them, I don't want to say quit, submit. He made them submit. Either the corner stopped it, the referee stopped it, the doctor stopped it, or the look in his eyes were pleading for someone to stop it. This dude's a monster, all right? Subraille Matillas is a fucking monster. He belongs in the boogeyman list.

Now, I'm not talking about greatness and pound-for-pound level championship, like Terrence Crawford, you know, a boogeman type. No, Crawford is pound-for-pound number one. He's no boogeyman because everyone wants that paycheck. Canelo is, you know, a paycheck. All these guys are names. I'm talking about the lack of name, the lack of marketability and popularity,

and all the power and dangerous skill they bring to the table. That's a boogeman where it's a lot more risk than reward and no one wants to mention your name and even though you're a champion. That's why I put Janibik there. He's a unified champion. Yet, fighters who are looking to become champion

don't mention his name. That's a boogeyman. Matias is going to be on that same page, watch and learn. If he gets past Paoro, which is going to be a tough fight, by the way, but if he does get past Paolo,

Matias, in a loaded division with a lot of loaded names, people are going to not mention his name for good reason. Boogieman. And, uh, Benavides, Mexican monster.

Mike Tyson named them that. You're telling me that Mike Tyson wasn't a boogeyman in this day? Absolutely. Boogieman recognized boogeyman. All right. So I don't know what it is. Anytime you put a list out there and you know this more than anybody, people are going to shit on it because they have their own take.

That's my list and I'm sticking to it. Okay, but you look at your list of the five boogeyman. In a way, undefeated. Better Biev, undefeated. Benevides, undefeated. Janubeck, undefeated. Matias, not undefeated. He was outboxed and knocked.

down in a fight. I know you've watched that fight at this point as you've been doing your prep for the show. When Petros Ananian is outboxing you and putting you down, doesn't that take some of the shine off you? He never went down. A roast album up, one, and two. Oh, which is the same. It's... No, it's not. It's a knockdown. It doesn't go down. It counts. Well, then correct your words, Chris Manick. Stop. It's a it's considered a knockdown. He didn't go down. He never...

So Tyson Fury didn't go down either? Apples and oranges. He never went down. Just like Jake Lamata. Never put me down, Ray. Yeah, so these are names I'm sticking by because they're champions are doing it on the championship level, man. And if people aren't going to mention your name, they want that title shot. What the hell? What are we doing here? What are we doing if it's not fighting for a championship, and it's there for you?

Janembek is calling all these fighters, and no one's looking this way. Matias is going to be in the same boat. Okay, but talk to me about the Ananian fight then, because that stands out. Look, he avenged that loss and went back. avenged it. He did. And he made him quit. He made him resign. But did that fight expose anything in Matias to you? Well, I can't wait to talk in the fighter meetings, but I was going through some old interviews of Matias and he was saying he was on vacation when he got that call, smoking weed. Okay? So he was living. So he was enjoying his life outside of boxing when he got

the call and then he had a five or six weekend. So yeah, everybody always say that though. Like every time somebody loses, it's like, how many fighter meetings have you been in with where it's like what happened in that last fight oh i got out of three weeks notice i was out of shape of blah like i hear that all the time and i almost never believe it and neither do you by the way i don't think you really talking about i've been part of it yes of course i believe it but is it's a viable excuse i bet he's won some fights where he came off vacation if he would came back and struggled in the rematch and i would say it was nonsense he cleaned his clock yeah but he did not because he took it serious and he took this guy serious so no i believe everything

he says and i can't wait to watch this guy fight in in person because every time i do i'll watch his fights, the commentary is like, hear his shots. I love hearing that. When a boxer, normally it's a champion analyst saying, you could hear the thud on his punches. That's a scary part. You know the punches all sound different. No, heaviness sounds like a

thud, man. It hits you anywhere, and that's what I can't wait to hear and see from this killer in Matthias, man. And look, Paro is not going to stand in front of him. So Matias is going to have to show more than just power. Porrow better not stand in front of him. He's not. He's not. Paul's going to give him a difficult fight. This is going to be

difficult fight and it might be a close fight until it's not because i i just think if if paro comes to win which he is he's probably going to get stopped late but uh i won't be surprised if parol take some early rounds and make it really difficult for matthias to have to come back from behind to do something special the ergeshev fight was really impressive because erguship came into that fight undefeated and i know i still have the text messages you thought ergushev was going to win at that first round you thought urgeshev was going to rock and roll right through subri el matthias but one thing like matias it was almost a mohammed ali type rope adope right like he was just letting urgeshev unload everything he had over the first two rounds and then he picked up the pace and beat him down

look i don't like to use the word quit either often with fighters but you could see the look of no mas on the face of ergeshev in the corner after what that fifth or sixth round when he finally said no that was him basically saying i don't want to do this anymore this guy's too strong too tough hits too hard. I threw everything at him and I couldn't knock him out. That was an undefeated, heavy-handed 140-pounder. Paro's got to have some kind of game, better have some kind of good tactical game plan here

because you're not going to be able to hurt Matthias. You're not going to be able to knock out Matthias. You better have a game plan to win seven of the 12 rounds on the scorecards because otherwise it could be a short night for you. No, he's going to have to move, man. If he stands in front of him, it's going to be bad news because Matthias doesn't have to hit you solid. Like he proved in his last couple of fights. He can glaze you, glance you with a shot, and you're going to get rocked.

You're going to get hurt. And it keeps you hurt because he throws 80 punches around. And those are power punches. That's a boogey man if I had never seen one man. I mean, and he has that tall lanky body power, you know, kind of like, you know, like, I'm not going to say Thomas Hurons, but like a Kelly Pavlik, you know, tall, long arms, lanky, skinny. but they have that power, you know, it's a scary power. Felix Trinidad, his fellow Puerto Rican, you know, a skinny, skinny fighter. You know, he didn't look intimidating.

He didn't look too muscular. He was knocking everyone's lights out. So, yeah, mixed between Trinidad and Pavlik is what I see when I see Matias, but it's high praise. He still needs to do it against the big names, but for right now, 20-0-20 knockouts, and he overcame his first defeat by knockout. Hey, he's a good. This is an IBF title fight.

which means there's a second day weigh-in for both Matthias and Paro, the IBF. Right now, the only sanctioning body that does second-day weigh. This has been a source of controversy, Sergio, for weeks and months now. As we talk more and more about weight and rehydration. As a fighter, how do you feel about the second-day weigh-in? I don't like it. I fought for the IBF title when I fought Daniel Jacobs, and I hated it. You always have it in the back of your mind.

You can't just eat and drink and be at peace. after weighing because you're thinking about okay I had two glasses of Geterade now you got to go to the scale I'm going to go eat my meal got to go to the scale I got to go to the scale I got to go off my food go to the scale it's a pain in the ass because you're gonna go over 10 pounds every fighter in this IBF weighing the rehydration they go over the 10 pounds now they just have to taper themselves before they go to sleep so if they're like 11 pounds over good 11 and a half good maybe even 12 you're good because that's going to be waterway you already made the weight so that those two pounds are going to be hard to come off but it's still a pain in

the ass to have to get up and be worried about the damn weight you already made weight it shouldn't it's a terrible terrible thing some people like it i personally isn't the counterpoint to that like if you rehydrate more than 10 pounds in 24 hours you shouldn't be fighting at that weight anyway nonsense my skinny ass always rehydrated to 11 to 12 pounds when i was in my greatest shape. So no, that's nonsense, man. And what was I put in the weight? You can even tell when I gained the weight or rehydrated. In no world is it healthy to gain more than 10 pounds in a day? Like, that's not a healthy thing to do. It's water weight, man. It's water weight. You don't understand when you're when you're cutting weight. It's all liquid. It's not food. I've got Burger King

weight. That's what I. That's different. But see, it's liquid weight, man. You can lose four pounds in one hour when you're when you're hydrated. When you're dehydrated and cutting weight and you're you're doing it the wrong way, you can't even lose one pound. But when you're full of, when you're full of energy and water and you're in good shape, believe me, man, three pounds is nothing to lose. It's pretty easy. You can ask any boxer. So that 10 pound weighing, I hate it, because it just doesn't let you focus on the task in hand,

which is the fight that you're going to have. You're still thinking about that damn weight, the scale the following day. So you're worried about the scale, and you're worried about your opponent, and you're worried about losing a chance to win a belt. It's too much stress going into a fight. All right. Last thing for you, I made appearance this week on Bill Simmons podcast, and he had some words for you on this show.

I want you to take a listen. What do you want to plug? Boxing podcast? Boxing podcast. Sports Illustrated. Boxing with Chris Mannix, where this kind of conversation, Bill, you get every single week on the pod with me and Sergio Amora mostly.

Sergio could sell your jokes like 20% better. I'm leaving this in the pot. Hey, Sergio. Sergio, be a better teammate sometimes. I don't know. Somebody's got to say it, right? Come on, Sergio. It's a give and take business.

All right, Chris Maddox, good to see you. So we've got a show on Saturday, Sergio. Are you going to lighten up and roll with the jokes a little more? I roll with punches. I don't roll with jokes, Chris Maddox. You come at me. I'm coming at you twice as hard. Go back to the beach.

And when we come back, my conversation with David Benavides. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series

because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. the bougie style of Housewives show.

I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewives franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about.

As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, They want entertainment.

To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines

ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, David Bedavides, two-time super middleweight champion. On Saturday, he will move up to light heavyweight, take on Olegia Dervostek as he campaigns for a new belt in a new weight class. So, David, is it kind of bittersweet? to be moving up to 175, and you accomplished a lot at 168, two-time, you know, champion.

Nobody took the belts off you, but, you know, you're moving up to 175 without getting that one big fight you were looking for. Yes, I guess you could say that. Like I said, I'm not going to wait for anybody to make any fight happen. I've been waiting long enough. It's been three years, and this has been a fight that everybody's the whole world of boxing wants to see. So since we couldn't make that happen, we're doing the next best thing, going up to 175

and campaigning there. So you're a big guy anyway, but has it been nice this week not having to worry about those extra seven pounds? No, yeah, definitely. This has probably been the most favorite thing about my camp so far that I'm going to lose the extra seven pounds. And I feel great, man. I feel strong, fast, and ready to rock and roll this Saturday.

So take me through kind of this decision to move up to 175 and to face Bostic. You beat Andrade last year. You had a fighter of the year kind of campaign with two. big wins in your weight class. What got you to this point that you made the decision to move up? Just basically frustration, just, you know, a fight that I was promised that was going to happen, that never happened, you know, just me, and it's not like me asking for something I didn't earn. I rightfully earned it. You know, I fought for the interim title, fought two great fighters at 168, and it was just, it just looked like, you know, the fight wasn't going to happen. And it showed,

Canelo showed that there was no interest for him making the fight. So like I said, I don't want worry about one fighter too much. So I went to go make my own lane and at 175, I feel great. I feel strong and I definitely do feel like I could take over the whole weight class. That win over Andrade was definitive. That was an undefeated former title holder at 160 and you beat him comprehensively. Did you believe after that kind of win that you were going to get that Canelo fight? I felt like it was going to happen because you know, you got two great performances back to back. Why wouldn't it happen? And especially if people want to see it, you know, I thought it was going to happen but like I said

Connello has his own agendas he wants to do his own things and you know gets the fights that he wants to get so I'm not going to be waiting for another fighter and like I said now we're here find out 175 and this is going to put me in the spot to fight you know for the world titles at 175 all of them so I'm

I mean no I really don't feel like I lose anything I feel like you know I even I gain more experience just coming up to 175 this is a weight class I've been wondering to fight out for a long long time and I feel like this is going to be the best half of my career at this weight class. We just saw the IBF order Canello to face William Skull, who no boxing fan could pick out of a lineup. You're a two-time WBC 168-pound title holder.

Is there any frustration on your part that the WBC didn't do what the IBF did and order you as is mandatory? Yeah, definitely, because they should have been done that. The WBC should have been ordered and mandated it. I see a lot of people saying that why didn't I? activate my my um my um well i forgot what that phrase is called why didn't i activate my number one contender spot you know i but i didn't think like i had to do that i didn't feel like i had to do a press conference to say you know what i'm going to activate my number one spot and now it's to be time for me to fight for the title i thought once you win the the title eliminator and the w bc and some title i think they just i thought they just gave it to you automatically but since this is

not happening with the wbc you know at least that i bf is doing something right yeah i i don't think there's a button you push that activates your number one contender status. I'm just curious, did you ever get an explanation? I mean, you are a Mexican-American fighter. Canelo Benavides fight is one of the biggest fights that can be made in boxing. The WBC could have played a role in that. Did you ever get an explanation, whether it's from Mauricio or somebody else, about why they didn't push that button? To be honest with you, I never got any explanation from nobody. But like I said, I'm not going to, you know, I'm not going to cry about anything now. This time, I'm at 175 and I feel strong here.

There's a lot of great fights to be made here. We're just ready to keep it going. Yeah, and to your credit, David, you never do cry or wait around. I mean, you beat Caleb Plant last year. Then you take on Demetrius Andrea, a guy that nobody wanted to face. So you talk to talk about keeping it moving and then you walk the walk. But as we're kind of here now, as you're out of the 168-pound weight class, is it a surprise to you that we have not gotten that fight?

two years ago when you were kind of banging on the doorstep, did you believe then that eventually it would have happened? Yeah, I definitely thought it was going to happen at some point. And I still believe it may still happen at some point. I just feel like it's too big of a fight to leave on the table like that. And like I said, I just feel like Canello's getting the easier fights. He's picking off the easier fights one by one, and then he's waiting for the big fight.

As when this fight is going to happen, I don't know when it's going to happen, but I definitely do believe in my heart is going to happen 100%. I just don't know when. Now, do you believe as I do that when Canelo's out there saying, I want $100 million, $150 million, $200 million, he's talking to one guy, David. He's talking to one guy, and that's the guy over there running boxing in Saudi Arabia, Turkey Al-Asheek. Do you believe that?

Do you believe he's sending a message that if a boxing power broker like Turkey Al-A-Sheek wants to see that fight, he's got to come to the table with a pile of money? I definitely do feel like that's what he's doing. He's throwing his price out there. but also like another thing that people don't talk about, you know, Canelo should actually thank me because I don't see him asking those numbers for anybody else around. I'm not seeing him asking that for Terrence Crawford, Dmitri Bevo, Edgar Berlanga, anybody, you know what, if anybody, his last fight, well, he made $30 million.

And I'm not saying nothing about that. That's a lot of money. But he's not asking $150, $200 million like he is for me. So as for him saying that I bring nothing to the table, that's the whole lie. You know, that's why he's asking those big numbers for me because he knows this is a big fight. No, no question. You bring the most to the table of anybody at 168, even at 175. I mean, we've seen Canelo versus Bebo. Your numbers would be a lot better at 175 or 168. Talk to me about 175, though. I mean, I know you've only, it's a training camp,

but do you feel any different at this weight, you know, not having to go through what you have to go through to make 168? Yeah, to be honestly, surprisingly, I feel faster at this weight class. I think this is just a more natural weight class I should have been at this whole time. You know, I spent 10 years at 168. I won three titles. there, you know, did everything I was supposed to do. We were waiting for that big fight. But now I feel like really, I feel like I get more out of my workouts. I feel stronger.

I pushed through the whole workout. And I just feel really good, man. And I'm just very excited to perform for all my fans, June 15th. Yeah, it's almost been shocking over the years. You and Zerto Ramirez, I never understood how you squeezed down to 168 all those years, man. You're big guys. And you made it.

To your credit, you made that weight. It's impressive. But I couldn't believe that you were able to do it. So Vostik, you know, experience. guy, former world champion. Was this the kind of test you were looking for in your first flight to kind of see what you're made of at this weight class? Yeah, to be honest with you, I'm just looking for the best fights.

It doesn't matter. I'm not coming into this weight class scene. Oh, yeah, I'm going to just test the waters first. I just told him to give me the best fight you could possibly make happen. And I just want to keep the rhythm going, you know, from the last coming up from 168, having two great fights. And now coming up to 175, I just want to fight the best in the world. And I'm definitely going to show everybody that I,

am the best in the world. You're a main eventer. You're a headliner. What was your reaction when they said, we can do this fight, but it says the co-main event on Tank Davis, Frank Martin? I had no problem with it.

I was actually hoping something like this would happen. It was my, I had a thought that it would, you know, it would be a cool thing if it happened a couple years ago, but because we both became main event fighters, you know, I didn't think it was ever going to happen. So when they gave me the call,

I think in February about this fight, I'm like, oh, man, this is going to be a treat for the fans. So that's where I'm at this point. I don't really care about being the co-main event. I know I'm a main event fighter, but, you know, sometimes you have to make that sacrifice for the fans. And the fans are really going to be the ones we're going to win.

This is probably going to be the biggest event, PVC this whole year. So I'm very excited to be a part of this. You know, I was in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago now, and Turkey Al-Asheek announced the Better Beaville fight for October. And look, I think a lot of us, probably you hope that happens too. It's a great fight. We want to see an undisputed champion at 175.

But we don't know. about BetterBef. Like BetterBeev's health is a big mystery. If he can't go in October, are you David Benavides ready to step in and fight Dmitri Beavle? A hundred percent. I'll definitely be ready to fight Dimitri Bebo by October. What did you think of Bebo's performance last time out? I thought it was a good performance. I felt like he was getting caught in the first couple rounds and he was getting that jab kept landing on him all night until, you know, Bebo ended up finding, you know, his rhythm. But Bebo is a great fighter. You know, I have nothing, nothing bad to say about him is a great fighter and as you can see, you know, once he turns it up, he doesn't stop until you're finished.

And it definitely would be a great fight, especially since I know him personally. We had a lot of great sparring wars together. So it definitely would be a hell of a fight. Do you think he's changed it all as a fighter over the last couple of years? We know the knockouts haven't come for him quite as frequently, but do you see a different fighter than maybe the one you sparred with years ago? To be honest to you, I see him slowing down a little bit, but once these types of fights get ready or to get made happen, I got to always think that the best Demetri Bivol is going to come out. Even with Alexander Bosnick, I'm preparing for the best Alexander Bosnick there is. And that's just the way I prepare for the fights.

I feel like me just, you know, thinking in that terms, that's how I prepare for the best, best of the best, and that's how I come 100% prepared. I like how you keep it moving, Dave. You don't wait around for anybody. It's back on track on the 15th of June. Amazon Prime, pay-per-view. David Benavides, Oxender Vostick, terrific card from Las Vegas. Catch up, man. Look forward to watching you on Saturday.

Yes, sir. Take care, brother. That's it for this week's episode. My thanks to Sergio Amora and David Benavides for joining the show. As always, subscribe, rate, review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you download podcast. And if you are looking for Sergio Amora, I think you can find him just outside at the beach. Chris Menick, we're going to do your mendigo podcast. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends.

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