Who is David Benavidez and why was he banned from boxing?
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.
READ MORE ON BOXING
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.
Most read in Boxing
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.
Read More on The Sun
Tyson Fury was the most famous professional boxer who was banned from the sport for previous failing a similar drugs test. More
