A new opponent has been finalized for David Benavidez on November 13.

The unbeaten Benavidez, who is ranked No. 1 at super middleweight by The Ring, will face Kyrone Davis at Footprint Center in Benavidez’s hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) announced Thursday afternoon. The 10-round bout will headline a three-bout Showtime telecast (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT).

The announcement came on the same day original opponent Jose Uzcategui had to withdraw from the fight after failing to pass a pre-fight drug test. ESPN and BoxingScene reported the banned substance Uzcategui for which he tested positive was recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO).

The clash between Benavidez and Uzcategui was originally planned for August 28, also at the Footprint Center, but was moved to November 13 after Benavidez tested positive for COVID-19.

Benavidez (24-0, 21 knockouts) most recently fought on March 13, stopping once-beaten Ronald Ellis in Round 11. The fight took place almost seven months after Benavidez stopped Roamer Angulo after Round 10. Despite the one-sided beating he dished out, Benavidez lost the WBC title the day before after weighing almost three pounds above the 168-pound limit.

The 24-year-old has been mentioned as a possible opponent for the winner of the unification fight between The Ring Magazine champion Canelo Alvarez and IBF titleholder Caleb Plant. Benavidez is the mandatory challenger for the WBC title Alvarez holds.

Davis (16-2-1, 6 KOs), who resides in Wilmington, Delaware, defeated Martez McGregor by unanimous decision over eight hard-fought rounds in his most recent bout on September 5. In his previous fight on February 27, Davis fought to a controversial draw against Anthony Dirrell.

The 26-year-old is unbeaten in his last four bouts after losing by unanimous decision to the late Patrick Day in March 2018.

In the co-feature, Jose Benavidez, the older brother of David Benavidez, will square off against Argentina’s Francisco Torres (17-3, 5 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight bout.

Benavidez (27-1, 18 KOs) has not fought since losing by stoppage to WBO welterweight titleholder Terence Crawford in October 2018.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.

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