David Benavidez’s journey to becoming a three-time super-middleweight champion has been put on hold.
ESPN reports, and DAZN News has confirmed, that Benavidez came down with COVID-19 and his Aug. 28 WBC title eliminator bout with former 168-pound titlist Jose Uzcategui from the Footprint Center in his hometown of Phoenix has been postponed. DAZN News has reached out to Showtime to confirm whether the card is still going to happen but has received no response at this time of writing.
Benavidez (24-0, 21 KOs), 24, lost his WBC belt the first time after testing positive for cocaine in August 2018. Then, after winning the strap back from Anthony Dirrell in September 2019, Benavidez lost the title on the scale when he came in almost three pounds overweight for his fight with Alexis Angulo.
Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KOs) lost his IBF title to current champ Caleb Plant via unanimous decision in January 2019. Since then, the 30-year-old from Venezuela has won three of his last four contests. Uzcategui has already competed twice in 2021. In March, Uzcategui dispatched Josue Obando via eighth-round TKO. He returned less than three months later to score a second-round knockout over Jamie Hernandez in June.
If the card does move forward without Benavidez, it will feature his brother Jose, who returns for the first time since a 12th-round stoppage loss to WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford, taking on Francisco Torres.
The opening fight of the main card is set to be Carlos Castro facing off with Oscar Escandon.