We are live inside of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley undercard rolls on.
Moments ago unbeaten junior welterweight prospect Jose Benavidez Jr. raised his record to 11-0 with 10 knockouts after slowing breaking down South Carolina’s James Hope. The stoppage was a much-needed confidence boost for Benavidez, who was coming off of a lackluster unanimous decision over Fernando Rodriguez in his previous fight in January.
Prior to that Benavidez had dazzled by reeling off nine straight knockout victories and looking pretty menacing along the way. Signed by Top Rank Promotions at the tender age of 17, there has been much buzz surrounding Benavidez dating back to his success as an amateur in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was an eleven-time national champion. He also gained a bit of notoriety by training alongside Pacquiao, Amir Khan and others briefly but eventually parted ways from the Wild Card Boxing Club.
Against Hope Benavidez was patient and calculated, picking his shots as they came to him before seeing the fight waived off after the 5th. Next up for Jose is a June 11th return to Arizona as he will be headlining a show at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in nearby Chandler.
