Boxing: Danny Garcia defeats Jose Benavides by unanimous decision

In his debut at 154 pounds, Danny Garcia beat Jose Benavidez Jr. on Saturday by majority decision.

Garcia returned from the ring for 19 months and showed that he was the boxer who had the advantage in this fight. The judges gave him cards 114-114, 116-112 and 117-111 for the win.

Garcia allowed Benavidez jr to dominate the center of the ring, but he took it upon himself to keep him under pressure. As soon as his opponent approached, Garcia was waiting for him with minute combos. Effective work throughout the 12-round match ensured that he stood as the best player on the two judges’ cards in a battle whose judgment seemed clear.

Benavidez tied with Francisco Emmanuel Torres in November 2021.

Before facing Torres, Benavides lost in a championship fight for the WBO belt led by Terence Crawford in the 12th round.

In Garcia’s case, he took some time to recharge after losing to world champion Errol Spence Jr by unanimous decision in December 2020. Garcia was trying to wrest the WBC and IBF titles from Spence Jr’s tears in the ring after his victory while Garcia looked back to his struggle with anxiety during the year Past.

“It was the stress of life, being a boxer and wanting to be a good father. I am a boxer and that’s what I love. I got over that anxiety and here I am tonight,” he said.

Garcia was previously the unified lightweight champion and eventually the WBC welterweight champion.