The interim WBC super middleweight belt will be up for grabs the third weekend of May. David Benavidez is an enormous favorite per the boxing betting odds against David Lemieux, as Benavidez (25-0 with 22 knockouts) has been a juggernaut during his career. However, he can’t just look past Lemieux (43-4 with 36 knockouts) as the underdog previously held the IBF middleweight title.
Showtime will be the home of the biggest title fight this weekend too after promoting the Jermell Charlo rematch with Brian Castano last weekend. David Benavidez and David Lemieux will face off for the interim WBC super middleweight title from Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The main card is slated to start at 10 p.m. ET.
David Benavidez vs David Lemieux Betting Odds
David Benavidez -4050
David Lemieux +1164
It’s extremely rare to see a favorite this big in a title fight. However, David Benavidez has been a one-man wrecking crew throughout his career. If you want to bet on Benavidez, you will need to put down a whopping $4,050 to win $100 at this price. Meanwhile, a $100 bet on Lemieux would return $1,164 if he were to pull off the upset.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
David Benavidez vs David Lemieux Preview
The next big thing in boxing may be David Benavidez. He already has a great nickname (El Bandera Roja), and he is 25-0 at 25 years old. Benavidez didn’t fight a lot as an amateur due to weight issues, but he has put those behind him and is one of the most promising young fighters.
Benavidez scored knockouts in 11 of his first 12 fights, and he finished his opponent in the first round nine times. That kind of power led to him running his record to 18-0 with 17 knockouts, setting up a title fight with Ronald Gavril. The Romanian boxer has been his toughest opponent to date, but Benavidez won a split decision against him to win the WBC super middleweight belt and defended the title in a rematch with a unanimous decision victory. Two of the judges had Benavidez winning every round in that fight.
Unfortunately, his title reign was short lived after Benavidez tested positive for cocaine following knockouts of J’Leon Love and Anthony Dirrell. He was stripped of the title and forced to serve a mandatory suspension. Benavidez has made quick work of his last three opponents in order to potentially reclaim the title on Saturday night.
David Lemieux has been solid throughout his career. He won his first 25 fights as a professional boxer before dropping consecutive bouts to Marco Antonio Rubio and Joachim Alcine in 2011. Lemieux shrugged off those defeats and put together eight straight wins to set up a title fight with Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam for the IBF middleweight title in June 2015. He won a unanimous decision to claim the belt.
Lemieux then leapt at the chance to face Gennady Golovkin, but GGG was too much and knocked him out in the eighth round to unify the middleweight division. He won four straight fights to set up another title shot, but Billy Joe Saunders won a unanimous decision over Lemieux in December 2017. This is by far Lemieux’s toughest opponent since that point.
It's going to be very difficult for Lemieux to win this fight. Benavidez is 6’2 with a 74.5-inch reach, while Lemieux is 5’9 with a 70-inch reach. That is a huge disparity at this level, and most analysts are calling for a Benavidez knockout win.
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