At the tender age of 22, David Benavidez became a two-time world super-middleweight champion at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Mexican star wore down Anthony Dirrell to regain the WBC title at 168 pounds.
A cut opened up in the sixth round over Dirrell’s right eye as the American struggled with the height and strength of Benavidez.
David Benavidez
In the end, the gash was telling. After taking the punishment for three rounds and surviving two corner checks of the cut, no fewer than two ringside physicians jumped on the apron to urge referee Thomas Taylor to act.
Benavidez is on top of the world once again.
Mario Barrios moved closer to a bonafide world title shot with a unanimous decision win over Batyr Akhmedov.
Dropping Akhmedov in the fourth and last rounds, those knockdowns proved crucial to Barrios gaining victory.
Akhmedov came on strong in between hitting the canvas, but it was Barrios who got the win 116-111, 115-111, and 114-112 with the judges.
In the Pay-Per-View opener, Josesito Lopez exploded on John Molina Jr. in the opening thirty seconds of the contest.
An early right hand began an unraveling by Molina, who was down twice and really should have been counted down again late in the first round.
Sensing the end could be nigh, Lopez looked for huge shots in the second in a bid to get Molina out of there.
Weathering the storm, Molina managed to stay in the bout despite shipping punishment through to round five.
Molina enjoyed his most successful session in that fifth but Lopez remained in control.
PUNCHER’S CHANCE
More solid shots connected in the sixth as Lopez kept up the pressure, and Molina looked for one big equalizer to give him a chance.
The seventh spelled the beginning of the end as Molina took heavy punishment and went down yet again.
In between the seventh and eighth, the ringside physician wanted Molina pulled out, but the tough Californian asked for one more round.
Lopez then stepped in with serious punches in the eighth, and Ray Corona had seen enough.
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