After testing positive for a banned substance, Jose Uzcategui is out of his scheduled Showtime super-middleweight clash with David Benavidez.
In a statement released on Thursday, two days before the fight, Showtime released little information on what had transpired.
All they did say is that Benavidez will now face another opponent. Therefore, it’s all change hours before the event.
“Unbeaten two-time world champion David “El Bandera Roja” Benavídez will make his homecoming return to Phoenix, Ariz.
“He faces 168-pound contender Kyrone Davis in a 10-round match that headlines live on SHOWTIME Saturday, November 13 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Footprint Center,” stated the new Showtime information.
“Benavídez was initially scheduled to face former world champion Jose Uzcátegui.
“However, world title challenger Uzcategui was forced to withdraw due to a failed pre-fight drug test,” they added when skating around what had happened.
BENAVIDEZ INFO
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. It will feature the much-awaited return of longtime contender José Benavídez.
Benavidez is the older brother of David Benavídez, facing Argentina’s Francisco Emanuel Torres in the 10-round super welterweight co-main event.
Tickets for the live event, promoted by Sampson Boxing and TGB Promotions, are on sale now. They are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com.
Still just 24-years-old, Benavídez (24-0, 21 KOs) enters this fight, knocking out his last four opponents, including a September 2019 knockout of two-time super-middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell.
Benavídez is trained by his father José Sr., alongside his brother and former title challenger José Jr.
In 2017, he became the youngest super middleweight champion in boxing history as he defeated Ronald Gavril on SHOWTIME at just 20 years old.
Representing his native Phoenix, Benavidez is returning to fight there for the first time since 2015 on November 13.
He went from a 15-year-old prodigy sparring Gennady Golovkin and Peter Quillin to a world title contender with a 10-fight knockout streak from 2015 through 2017.
This run included a highlight-reel knockout of Rogelio Medina with a seven-punch combination that earned him his first title opportunity.
A native of Monmouth, N.J., Davis (16-2-1, 6 KO) most recently won an exciting September clash against Martez McGregor, triumphing by decision after eight action-packed rounds.
Davis had previously been impressive against the toughest test of his career, as he fought two-time super-middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell to a split-draw in February.
It was the 26-year-old’s debut at super middleweight after beginning his career at middleweight. Davis had won five of his six previous outings heading into the Dirrell clash.
Furthermore, he is trained by renowned coach Stephen Edwards in Philadelphia, Pa., alongside former unified world champion Julian Williams.
