At the weigh-in today in Los Angeles, David Benavidez (21-0, 18 KO's) the undefeated former super middleweight champion tipped the scales at a lean 167.5 pounds to the 167.6 pounds of the current WBC Super Middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (33-1, 24 KO's).
A few words were exchanged at the face-off but calm remained, but the calm before the storm could be seen in the eyes and the body language of the young Benavidez. It is now only hours away from the fight that could steal the show, there is no doubt about it.
David Benavidez who was the youngest Middleweight champion in boxing history and former WBC Super Middleweight champion is ready to regain the belt that was taken away from him. It was not taken away from him by another boxer, it was taken away from him by the World Boxing Council.
As young people always do, he made a mistake and failed a random drug test for the banned substance benzoylecgonine, the key ingredient in cocaine after his fight against Ronald Gavril in his first defense of his WBC Super Middleweight title in 2018.
He had just defended his WBC Super Middleweight title for the second time and had made boxing history as the the youngest active world titleholder in boxing history.
And age is what will be one of the major differences in his fight as the co-main event of the unification welterweight fight this Saturday between Errol Spence, Jr. and Shawn "Showtime" Porter at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Their is only one fighter in this day and age that defies time and that is Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao, the current WBA Welterweight champion and the only eight division champion in boxing history. A feat that know one will ever do in this century.
Unfortunately, Anthony Dirrell (33-1, 24 KO's), the current WBC Super Middleweight champion is twelve years older than the hard hitting Benavidez. You may say, he is only thirty thirty four years old, but in boxing, he is already an old man. And because of that, the taller, younger Benavidez is expected to make it a short night for Dirrell and he will be stopped, according to Benavidez.
At the weigh-in, and on a video shown just before the weigh-in, Benavidez said "I guarantee you I am going to get a knockout." And not only that, he went on to say "I have the opportunity to become the youngest two-time super middleweight champion in history.....I am going to give him a beating."
SEE VIDEO BELOW: Benavidez / Dirrell starts at 18:20 of Video.