Jose Benavidez Jr. may be new to the middleweight division, but he’s ready to make a splash.
On Saturday, Benavidez Jr. stepped away from the fictional heavyweight division of the popular Creed franchise and made his way back down to 160 pounds for his middleweight debut. In front of a few hundred fans piling in to The Theater at the MGM National Harbor, the Los Angeles native put on a rather dominating performance. The multitalented fighter worked his opponent, Sladan Janjanin, to the body repeatedly and sent him to the canvas multiple times. Ultimately, Janjanin’s corner decided to call it quits after the fifth round and save their fighter from further punishment.
“He was tough, because I was hitting him with some hard punches. And I felt that. I dropped him twice. I didn’t think he was going to get back up, because those body shots, when you get hit with then, it hurts. It’s hard to come back and he came right back up, he’s a warrior,” Benavidez Jr. said after the fight.
At 31 years old, Benavidez Jr. is ready to enter the next chapter of his career. After competing with the likes of Terence Crawford at welterweight and Danny Garcia at super welterweight, he is looking to take on the best in the middleweight division. Within the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) stable, he’s set his sights on WBC Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo.
“No, actually, I don’t. I mean, I’ve been training, I’ve been getting ready. I was in David’s camp for when he fought Caleb Plant, so I’ve had a long camp. Like I said, I’m glad to be back But I want (Jermall) Charlo next,” Benavidez Jr. said.
“I want that belt at 160. So tell him to get ready and stop crying.”
Jermall Charlo hasn’t defended his middleweight title since 2021 due to various medical setbacks and mental health challenges. However, he has indicated that he’d like to get back in the ring sooner rather than later. The Texas-born fighter has not identified a particular opponent for his fight back, but Benavidez Jr. is clearly aiming to make himself the first option.
