Showtime announces full lineup for August 28th David Benavidez vs Jose Uzcategui tripleheader

Showtime’s August 28th David Benavidez vs. Jose Uzcategui card at Phoenix Suns Arena is officially a tripleheader, which will also feature David’s brother Jose Jr. and another Phoenix native in unbeaten super bantamweight contender Carlos Castro.

The press release confirms that whoever wins between former titlists Benavidez (24-0, 21 KO) and Uzcategui (31-4, 26 KO) will become the mandatory challenger for WBC super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. This makes sense for Benavidez, who’s unquestionable one of the best 168-pounders in the game and has yet to taste defeat despite his insistence on shooting himself in the foot outside the ring. It doesn’t fly quite as well for “Bolivita,” who’s essentially accomplished nothing since dropping decisions to Caleb Plant and Lionell Thompson.

“I’m super excited to fight in front of my hometown fans,” said Benavídez. “It’s a dream come true for me to come back home as a two-time world champion. I’m training for Uzcategui like he’s a world champ because he has a lot of experience and he’s a hungry fighter.

I know that he needs this win, but I won’t let that happen. I’m staying dedicated and motivated to win on August 28 on SHOWTIME and I want to look impressive doing it in order to get even bigger and better fights in the future.”

“I’m excited to be back on the big stage for this fight,” said Uzcátegui. “I know what I’m up against with Benavídez. He’s a great fighter, and that’s my biggest motivation. This is going to be a war and I can’t wait to give the people a great fight. Both of us come to brawl, so this is going to be a classic on August 28.”

In the co-feature, Jose Benavidez Jr. (27-1, 18 KO) ends a nearly three-year layoff against Francisco Emanuel Torres (17-3, 5 KO) at super welterweight. The Argentinean is big at 6’0” and unbeaten since 2017, though his résumé isn’t anything to write home about. Definitely not the worst bounce-back opponent for the elder Benavidez, who was once considered a top prospect more promising than his brother.

“I’m really excited to be back in the ring after being out for a while,” said Benavidez. “I feel more mature, motivated and stronger than ever. Fighting alongside my brother and in my hometown, is really a dream come true. I’m really looking forward to making a tremendous comeback. It doesn’t matter who they put in front of me, I guarantee that I’m going to take them out. No one is going to want to miss this night, because me and my brother are bringing the fireworks.”

“I’m very pumped up for this fight,” said Torres. “I want to thank my whole team for this opportunity to participate in such an important fight. This is a great chance for me to go to the next level against a great fighter who’s had an exceptional career. I will work very hard to get the victory on August 14 and raise high the flag of Argentina.”

Castro (26-0, 11 KO) hasn’t seen action since July of last year, when he demolished Cesar Juarez in four to secure a spot on three sanctioning bodies’ top fives. He’ll open the show against Oscar Escandon (26-5, 18 KO), who rebounded from three consecutive knockout losses to Gary Russell Jr., Tugstsogt Nyambayar, and Brandon Figueroa by crushing unbeaten Jhack Tepora in 100 seconds. This will be his first fight since that December 2019 upset.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity to fight an excellent opponent in Escandón,” said Castro. “I’m very motivated to put on a great performance in front of my hometown fans. On August 28, I’m going to be ready to showcase all of my skills and hard work in the ring so I leave with my hand raised.”

“I’m very focused on training for this fight because I know a win can lead me back to another world title opportunity,” said Escandón. “Castro is a good young fighter who has a solid jab and can move. But I think he’s the perfect opponent for me. There are a lot of things we can do to win this fight and I can’t wait to go in there on August 28 and show it.”