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      Who is David Benavidez and why was he banned from boxing?

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      AMERICAN boxer David Benavidez has had a turbulent boxing career, full of highs and lows.The 26-year-old super middleweight boxer seemed to be heading for the top when suddenly it all came crashing down as he was banned from the sport.
      Benavidez has yet to lose a fight in both amateur and professional careerCredit: Getty
      Who is David Benavidez?
      David Benavidez, who will take on Caleb Plant next, was born in Phoenix, Arizona.
      His father is Mexican and his mother is of Ecuadorian-Dominican descent.
      He is known by the nickname “The Mexican Monster”.
      He started boxing at the age of three, coming from a family where the sport is part of family life, his brother Jose Benavidez Jr also being a professional boxer.
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      They are both trained by their father.
      As a youngster he struggled with his dieting and discipline which almost affected his boxing career before he managed to get everything under control.
      After managing to get his training regime under control, his unbeaten amateur career led to him making his professional boxing debut at the age of 16.
      What is David Benavidez’s boxing record?
      Benavidez has the envious record as the youngest super-middleweight title holder in history after winning his first belt at the age of 21.
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      At this stage it must have seemed that the boxer really had the world at his feet in terms of his professional career.
      However, he was to later lose his world title due to a failed drugs test and then also was stripped of it once again for coming in way over the weight for the fight.
      This aside, David Benavidez has a boxing record that any professional fighter would be jealous of, having never been defeated in the ring.
      He has 26 wins, with 23 of these victories coming by knockout.
      Having had an enforced time away from the sport, he seems more focussed and now wants to achieve all he can, with his ultimate goal being unifying the division.
      This was something he was striving towards before his ban from boxing.
      Why was David Benavidez banned from boxing?
      David Benavidez had everything going for him in his professional boxing career and had just managed to put a promotional dispute to bed.
      He had signed a contract with Top Rank but it was disputed that he had already signed a contract extension with Sampson Boxing before this.
      The dispute was resolved when he paid back the the signing bonus he had received from Top Rank and remains under the guidance of Sampson Lewkowicz.
      Soon after this, a random drug test carried out by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing programme.
      The test showed traces of benzoylecgonine, the central compound found in cocaine, and was subsequently banned from the sport.
      Due to the way the testing works, it is believed that he must have used the substance a day or two before the test took place.
      Benavidez was immediately stripped of his title and banned from boxing for four months.
      Since his return to the ring, he has continued his impressive form and protecting his unbeaten record.
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      Tyson Fury was the most famous professional boxer who was banned from the sport for previous failing a similar drugs test. More

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      ‘I’m ready to step in and fight Tyson Fury’ – Joe Joyce desperate to fill gap left as Usyk showdown talks collapse

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      JOE JOYCE is ready to fight Tyson Fury after the Gypsy King’s undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk broke down.But first the Juggernaut must negotiate the challenge of Chinese fighter Zhilei Zhang on April 15.
      Joe Joyce is eyeing a showdown with Tyson FuryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Fury’s April bout with Oleksandr Usyk has been shelvedCredit: Getty
      The 37-year-old Brit is then prepared to take on WBC heavyweight champ Fury, 34.
      Talks between Fury and Usyk collapsed amid a row over the financials for a potential rematch.
      The pair had agreed to an undisputed fight on April 29.
      But while talks for that bout broke down, Joyce reckons a fight between him and Fury “would be very easy to set up”.
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      Both heavyweights are promoted by Frank Warren.
      Speaking to the Daily Mail on fighting Fury, Joyce said: “Yeah I’m ready to step in.
      “I’m scheduled to fight Zhang first – that’s a massive fight – so I’ll do that first. Fury said he wanted to face me if he didn’t fight Usyk. Of course I’ve go to beat up big Zhilei first.
      “It would be very easy to set up. We’re both with Frank Warren.
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      “He’s already said he wants to fight me, it’s a great fight. People are interested in seeing that fight.”
      Reports this weekend claim Joyce is the front runner to face Fury this summer.
      Usyk meanwhile is poised to defend his WBA, WBO and IBF belts against WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois.
      Dubois, 25, is in line for a title shot before WBO interim fighter Joyce, despite the Juggernaut stopping Dubois in their 2021 showdown.
      But a gracious Joyce said: “I’m not surprised by anything in boxing. I just get on with what I need to do and progress in my career and get the best out of it.
      “I’m looking to be in some great fights this year and next year.
      “It can be very frustrating at times, but things go on and fights happen, so let’s make the [Fury] fight happen. Please!” More

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      Jermaine Franklin spent weeks with Tyson Fury to prepare for major Anthony Joshua clash and sends him harsh message

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      JERMAINE Franklin says he’s confident he’ll shock the world in his next big fight – thanks to a little help from Tyson Fury.The dangerous underdog takes on former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua next weekend in a crunch clash for both fighters.
      Jermaine Franklin is pictured at Square Off Gym in Miramar, Florida, earlier this month where he sat down with The U.S. SunCredit: Romain Maurice for The US Sun
      Franklin is preparing for his biggest fight to dateCredit: Romain Maurice for The US Sun
      While superstar AJ is looking to rebuild his career following two successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Franklin traveled to London last week ahead of their showdown at the 02 Arena with nothing to lose.
      The 29-year-old returns to the English capital after being ‘robbed’ in his previous fight against experienced bruiser Dillian Whyte in November.
      Franklin came out on the wrong end of a very tight points decision which could have gone either way but the experience of fighting in front of a packed crowd with the spotlight shining suited the man from Saginaw, Michigan.
      He put on a performance full of heart, guts and strength and will need to produce more of the same to send Joshua toppling to another damaging defeat.

      But after warming up for the Whyte fight by training with king of the division Fury at his base in northern England, Franklin is ready for anything.
      His camp know Sugar Hill, Fury’s current trainer, so a hook-up was easy to arrange.
      “It was a great experience,” a relaxed Franklin, who invited The U.S. Sun down to his training camp in Hollywood, Florida, said about the time spent in the ring with the self-styled Gypsy King.
      “I got to learn from a world champion, and I just loved the atmosphere. I love to do anything I can learn from. It doesn’t matter if I’m whooping ass or I’m getting my ass whooped.”
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      Fury treated Franklin like royalty – and the American got a glimpse of what it’s like to be king…of Morecambe!
      Fury is based in the small seaside town of Morecambe, 60 miles north of Manchester.
      It’s a long way from Michigan but Franklin felt right at home.
      “We walked around, had some fish and chips and everyone knew him,” he recalled with a smile.
      “But he’s a people person and that’s what I like. I always tell people don’t treat me like I am famous. I’m not arrogant, just a regular guy.
      “Just come and talk to me.”
      While Fury’s size and style makes him arguably the most awkward – and dangerous – fighter in the game, trading sparring blows in the ring was a massive help.
      Joshua is a different kind of prospect but Franklin is ready.
      “Tyson helped me add something to my skills,” he said.
      “Anything that helps me add to my game is great.”
      All eyes will naturally be on Joshua and if the former Olympic champ can rescue his career and – potentially – set up a mouthwatering tussle with Fury.
      Yet Franklin hasn’t just hopped over the pond to make up the numbers. For someone who was left stagnant for two years as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc all over the world, there was a time when landing massive fights like this were nothing but a pipedream.
      Franklin was forced to get a job to provide for his young family and knows if he can follow the lead of Mexican-American Andy Ruiz and stun Joshua once again, massive paydays will surely follow.
      Ruiz was overlooked by AJ in June 2019 – a fatal move that resulted in the Brit losing all his belts in one of the biggest shocks of recent years.
      “I always been looked at as an underdog,” he admitted.
      “So I’m comfortable there. I love to prove people wrong. I have always believed that anything can happen. As an amateur, I was always being told I’m the fat kid. I’ll never make it as a pro.
      “Well, look at me now. Anything is always possible.”
      That said, watching the footage of AJ being battered by unlikely hero Ruiz at Madison Square Garden has been scrutinized by Franklin’s team who are leaving no stone unturned.
      “I’ve seen some mistakes,” concluded the pride of Saginaw who admits he’s a student of the game who’s been watching Joshua go about his business long before this clash was agreed.
      Tyson Fury has helped Franklin prepare for the big showdownCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      “We watched a lot of stuff to know how can we capitalize on certain things that he does. I’ll go in there and try to dominate and destroy – that’s always my mindset
      “I am ready.”
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      Tyson Fury ‘lines up Joe Joyce fight for summer’ with Usyk bout ‘as dead as it gets’, but Gypsy King will NOT retire

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      TYSON FURY will NOT retire from boxing after a fight with Oleksandr Usyk fell through, reports claim. Instead the Gypsy King could fight fellow Brit slugger Joe Joyce this summer.
      Tyson Fury is not looking at retiring from boxing, reports claimCredit: Getty
      Joe Joyce has been tipped as the front runner to take on Fury this summerCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Talks between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk over an undisputed bout on April 29 fell throughCredit: Getty
      Boxing fans had been eagerly anticipating an April 29 undisputed heavyweight bout between Fury and Usyk.
      But talks collapsed amid a row over the financials for a potential rematch.
      And now ESPN reporter Mike Coppinger says the fight is “as dead as it gets”.
      Both fighters are said to be moving on and pursuing alternative bouts after talks fell through.
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      But Coppinger confirmed Fury is “not looking at retirement”.
      It’s claimed Fury already has venues on hold for the summer in the event of his return to the ring.
      And Joyce is said to be the front runner to face Fury, with Anthony Joshua and Andry Ruiz Jr also in the mix.
      The Juggernaut faces China’s Zhilei Zhang at the Copper Box on April 15 but is a potential opponent for Fury this summer.
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      Joyce, 37, is unbeaten as a professional and boasts some impressive scalps, including victory the slugfest with Joseph Parker last September.
      While Joyce has been tipped as a potential next opponent for Fury, Usyk is set to take on Daniel Dubois when he returns to the ring.
      Reports claim talks for the fight are set to get underway next week.
      However, a mega showdown between Fury and Usyk could still take place at the back end of this year or early in 2024. More

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      World Champion boxer Tyson Fury reveals surprising career switch

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      TYSON Fury is hoping to become a knock-out as a property tycoon — by starting a firm to buy, sell and lease real estate.The world heavyweight champion boxer, 34, is ­taking a leaf out the book of his aunt Maureen who owns travellers’ caravan sites across the country.
      Our mock up of property magnate Tyson
      World Champion boxer Tyson Fury is making a surprising career moveCredit: Getty
      Dad-of-six Tyson, known as The Gypsy King, will run Greenway Balmoral Ltd from his £500,000, six-bedroom former home in seaside town Morecambe, Lancs — the HQ for all his businesses.
      He and wife Paris, 33, live in a £1.7million mansion nearby — but Tyson launched his new career by buying a house close to that of brother, Tommy, 23, and the fellow boxer’s girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague, also 23.
      His plan to flatten the Cheshire home and build a six-bed with a pool were thwarted by roosting bats.
      Tyson now plans to extend the original building. It is not clear if he aims to make it his main home or sell it.
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      It is believed patriotic Tyson may have named his new firm in tribute to the Queen, who died at her Balmoral estate in September.
      He and Paris laid flowers at Buckingham Palace with a card reading: “Great may your bed be in Heaven”.
      His auntie Maureen, who won permission for a 100-mobile home site in 2018, runs her property empire through Fury Developments Ltd. More

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      Watch boxer Michael Gomez Jr send rival flying in fiery weigh-in as security are forced to intervene

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      MICHAEL GOMEZ JR flattened super-featherweight rival Levi Giles across the weigh-in stage on Friday.The 28-year-old son of Manchester cult hero Gomez Sr weighed in at 9st 4lbs for the English title battle in his hometown.
      Michael Gomez Jr flattened super-featherweight rival Levi Giles across the weigh-in stage
      The second-generation star looked the part in sunglasses and baseball cap, after Giles scaled in at 9st 2lbs.
      But then it turned ugly as Gomez Jr launched a two-handed shove on his Grimsby rival and he ended up decked across the platform.
      Security jumped in to separate the two rival teams and thankfully tensions cooled to allow the remaining fighters to hit the scales, ahead of the headline bout between WBO cruiserweight world champ Lawrence Okolie and David Light.
      Gomez has been hyped-up for the Sky Sports showdown so it was little surprise tempers flared.
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      He said: “I don’t take backwards steps, I like to get involved.
      “I think in this fight, one of us gets taken out, one of us hits the canvas. Obviously I am planning for that to be him. 
      “My coach has been watching a lot of tape on him and feels like he doesn’t react well to getting hit hard and put under heavy pressure. 
      “If that’s the case then it’s going to be a bad day at work for him in Manchester Arena on March 25, because I hit hard and I bring the pressure.”
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      Gomez Sr is a local legend after brilliant battles with the likes of Alex Arthur, Amir Khan and Ricky Burns.
      But his boy wants to leap out of his shadow with a convincing performance inside the ring.
      He said: “This is an opportunity for me to make my own name in the sport and prove how good I am in my own right and carry on the family legacy of big nights in the Manchester Arena.
      “I’m looking forward to it – I can’t wait to get in there and show what I am about.”
      Michael Gomez Jr during the weigh-inCredit: PA More

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      Five biggest boxing fights that never happened including Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua and huge test for Mike Tyson

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      BOXING fans took another gut punch following the collapse of Tyson Fury’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk.The historic title unification would have seen all four heavyweight belts at stake for the first time in history.
      Tyson Fury facing off with Oleksandr UsykCredit: REUTERS
      But despite terms being agreed, talks broke down at the 11th hour amid a row over financials for a potential rematch.
      It proved to be a far too familiar story with yet another blockbuster bout facing the KO.
      Here, SunSport runs down five infamous tales of when fights failed to materialise.
      Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua
      Eerily similar, Britain’s two best had everything in place to unify the belts in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.
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      But Fury was contracted to a trilogy bout against Deontay Wilder, which the American forced through following a lengthy court case.
      AJ instead went on to fight and lose to Usyk, who kept onto the belts in their subsequent rematch.
      It set him up to replace Joshua in a fight with Fury – who had beaten Wilder again – but we have all seen the sad state of recent affairs.
      Although in a shock twist, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn hopes the collapse of talks with Usyk could see Joshua instead fight Fury next.
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      Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua have failed to fightCredit: AFP
      Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder
      The year is 2019 and it is Fury looking on from the outside with Joshua and Wilder owning the WBA, IBF, WBO and WBC titles respectively.
      And sports streaming service DAZN and Hearn were ready to prise Wilder over to jump ship.
      He was said to have been offered a three-bout deal – including a pair of fights with AJ – worth around £80m.
      But Wilder opted to reject it and stay with PBC and Showtime, going on to twice lose to Fury in their trilogy epic following their 2018 draw.
      The Bronze Bomber remains on the comeback trail with a score-settling showdown with Joshua among his current options.
      Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua are yet to fight
      Lennox Lewis vs Vitali Klitschko II
      Lewis was taken to the brink of defeat by Klitschko in their 2003 classic.
      But Klitschko was pulled out in round six following a horror cut, declaring Lewis the winner.
      The Ukrainian was ahead of the judges scorecards and in control of the bout, causing demand for a rematch.
      Klitschko went on to defeat Kirk Johnson and become mandatory for Lewis’ WBC title.
      But the British legend would later announce his retirement in 2004, causing the rematch to fall through.
      Vitali Klitscchko was beaten by Lennox LewisCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Lennox Lewis vs Riddick Bowe
      The heavyweight stars looked on course for a big rematch after Lewis beat Bowe in the 1988 Olympics.
      But the two could never see eye to eye in the professional ranks, meaning their super-fight went to waste.
      Quite literally when Bowe held a press conference in 1992 to throw his WBC belt in the bin to avoid facing Lewis.
      It meant Lewis was crowned the champion by the WBC but he never got the chance to share the ring with Bowe again.
      Only last year did the two appear to squash their near-four decade long feud as Bowe approached Lewis at a fight night and shook his hand.
      Riddick Bowe throwing the WBC belt in the binCredit: PA:Press Association
      Mike Tyson vs George Foreman
      Foreman was on a comeback trail in the 90s while Tyson struggled to keep consistency in his career.
      They even shared the same card in 1990 and looked on a collision course to clash.
      But Tyson would spend three years in jail for a 1992 while Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champ in history aged 45.
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      But by the time Tyson was released, Foreman soon lost his titles and later admitted he never really wanted to fight Iron Mike.
      He told ESPN in 2019: “If he missed you with his left, then missed you with his right, he’d bite you. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that. I didn’t want him.”
      George Foreman with Mike Tyson and Sugar Ray LeonardCredit: Facebook More

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      Anthony Joshua needed to be ‘helped up’ after being knocked out by David Price with a ‘big right hand’ in sparring

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      DAVID PRICE claimed Anthony Joshua had to be “helped up” after he knocked him out with a “big right hand” in sparring. The pair of British heavyweights were former training partners at Team GB’s Sheffield HQ.
      Anthony Joshua once admitted to being dropped in sparring by David PriceCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      And one session in 2011 stands out among them all as Price floored then-amateur champion AJ.
      Opening up on the incident, Price told iD Boxing: “I just caught him with a big right hand and down he went.
      “He had to get helped up, type of thing, and ushered out the ring.
      “And it was no big deal to me at the time, and there was no shame in that happening to you if I hit you.”
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      Joshua was one year away from winning Olympic gold in London, which later paved the way for two unified world title reigns in the professional ranks.
      And in 2018 he admitted to being put down by Price, just hours after leaving a police cell.
      Joshua revealed: “I had come out of a police cell the day I went up to training. I won’t use it as an excuse.
      “I was coming up to training camp, Thursday to Sunday, because I was on a development course.
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      “But I got nicked on the way to training camp – for just trouble – and I got out on the Saturday.
      “I started sparring as soon as I got up there, straight from the station, I do think he was very good at the time, very strong and I was making too many mistakes.
      “Those circumstances don’t help when you’re sparring an elite fighter.
      “I even had to get the train to Sheffield because they took my car – just to show my commitment. What I learnt was you cannot stop someone like me.
      “They say you have two types of fighters; those that get dropped and stay down.
      “But the ones you have to be wary of are the ones who keep on coming. You just cannot stop someone like that.
      I just caught him with a big right hand and down he went. David Price on flooring Anthony Joshua
      “I learnt it will take more than just power or durability to stop me.”
      Joshua, 33, is now set to return in the spring of 2023 following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, 36.
      AJ is scheduled to fight Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on April 1.
      Meanwhile Price, 39, is currently retired and insisted he only ever made the sparring tale with Joshua public to chase a fight with the star.
      He said: “I never ever mentioned it until I started getting mentioned as a potential opponent for him in 2016 when he fought Erik Molina.
      “I was in the IBF top ten so it could have been a voluntary defence for him and I was calling for the fight and people were laughing at the thought of me fighting him, and that’s when I thought I’ll spill the beans then and let the people know that he isn’t indestructible.
      “Because at that time people thought AJ was the terminator and that he would never ever be hurt.
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      “Or it was this new generation of fans that people were talking about him and I thought I’d just let the cat out the bag type of thing.
      “Only for my own benefit, not to try and put him down it was to try and gain something from it myself. But it didn’t work out anyway, I didn’t get the fight.”
      David Price opened up about dropping Anthony Joshua in sparringCredit: Getty More