Jose Benavidez makes a sour return to the ring against Francisco Torres
After a full three years away from the sport, super welterweight fighter “Merciless” Jose Benavidez Jr (27-1-1, 18 KO’s) submitted a lackluster return to the ring. The flat performance came against the challenge of Francisco Emanuel Torres (17-3-1, 5 KO’s), who should have won, but was branded with a majority draw.
The soggy performance was especially disheartening given that Merciless was fighting in his hometown. Not only that, he was competing on his younger brother’s, David Benavidez, undercard. Jose Benavidez was looking to bounce back from his only career loss. Three years prior, in his last duel, Benavidez was toppled at the hands of WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Instead of finding new glory, the older Benavidez brother pitched an uneven showing that caused his own hometown crowd to turn on him.
As for Torres, this will certainly go down as an unofficial victory in the eyes of the fans. Sure he’d like to have the win on his ledger, but there is a good likelihood that he’ll be able to spin this performance into another solid payday. It will certainly be interesting to see how Merciless is moved going forward.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE!
Throughout the first period, Benavidez plodded along like he’d been inactive for every bit of those three years. Despite his choppy movements, Merciless was the one pressing forward providing the pressure while Torres supplied the volume. Neither man landed anything of real consequence. Torres mainly opted to work behind his jab while fighting off the back foot. Benavidez stalked and threw wide hooks with a concentration on the body.
During the third period, Merciless fell into more of a groove. He even managed to nail Torres with a series of right-hands while pinned to the ropes. Benavidez was warned for a late punch after the bell and a low blow in the beginning of the fourth. Benavidez followed up the beneficial third round by losing steam in the fourth. He continued slowly marching forward in his crude and methodical style, and he ate a significant amount of leather for his trouble.
Over the next couple of rounds, each fighter maintained their status quo. Yet, the sparse and largely unimpressive offense drew increasing boos from the crowd. For the entire tenth and final round, Merciless fought like an enraged schoolyard bully. With his hands by his hips, Benavidez persisted with his slow walking Michael Myers routine. Trouble was, he was eating a steady diet of noteworthy shots. When the final cards were read, Benavidez received a bit of help from the judges and was gifted with a majority draw.
By: Bakari Simpson
