Thu 17-Dec-2009 03:23 
 
Part Two of a Two-Part Profile By Ryan Maquiñana

Introducing Jose Benavidez Jr. - Part Two

Westward Bound…

 On the very first day father and son entered the doors of the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Jose Benavidez Jr. and Sr. left quite a lasting imprint with the numerous promoters and managers in attendance.

 “That day I had about four meetings with four

different people and four offers. Before that, I was talking to Cameron Dunkin,” said Jose Sr.

 Roach was so impressed with Junior’s first sparring session that he eventually offered to become his manager. Eventually, father and son hired him and Jose was able to get his boxing license approved in Nevada.  

However, Jose Sr. and Jr. have yet to sign a promotional contract, with offers from rival giants Top Rank and Golden Boy hanging in the balance.

“Top Rank sent [matchmaker] Bruce Trampler and [he] saw the sparring so he told Bob Arum about it. We went to Arum’s office and they really want to sign him,” recalled Jose Sr. “And I don’t know how [Golden Boy founder] Oscar [De La Hoya] found about it. We met with Oscar and Richard Schaefer in Vegas, and then we met again the following week at the Golden Boy building in L.A., so we’re trying to see what happens.”

Jose Sr. delved a little further into the details regarding his son’s upcoming debut. “We talked with Bob Arum and he said if we sign with him, we’ll fight on the undercard of the next [Kelly] Pavlik fight. Oscar was offering a spot on a card at the Staples Center. We’re ready either way.”

As far as his fighting weight is concerned, while Roach believes Junior will eventually fill out as a welterweight or even middleweight, Jose Sr. revealed that his son would begin his career at lightweight.

“We’re actually looking to fight at 135. A few months ago he was fighting at 132 (the lightweight limit for amateurs), but the only reason why we moved up to 141 was because we were thinking about the Olympics, and that he was going to grow a little bit since the Olympics would be in two to three years.”

On Solid Ground…

In the midst of this newfound attention from media and promoters alike, the usual father might worry about his son resting on his laurels and falling in love with his press clippings.  Not Jose Sr.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen. Since he was little, he’s always been good. The biggest thing with me is building his character. I always remind him that whenever he does something big, he needs to give back to the community. I want him to be a good person, real polite,” Senior beams. “Right now he’s nobody but I think he’s going to be somebody big, and still, I think he should do things like shake people’s hands.”

For every Oscar De La Hoya who fulfilled his potential, there are ten Tony Ayalas or Ike Ibeabuchis who did not. The elder Benavidez is quick to inform his son about their sad stories in hopes of deterring a replication of their misdeeds.

“There’s a lot of people who party and do drugs. I record everything in the news and say, ‘Look at this kid. He had all the talent, but he never made it because of this,’” Jose Sr. laments. “A lot of good things have happened to him, but I don’t see a big change at all. I think that now Junior’s more focused, he’s staying a good person. He knows every time he wins it’s going to get harder and harder. It’s not easy.”

Junior continues to allude to the guidance and wisdom of his father for leading him to where he stands today.

“My dad’s been there since day one,” Junior explained. There were a lot of times when I wanted to quit, but my dad said, ‘No, if you really want it, you’re not going to quit. You have to go all out or you don’t do it at all.’ He’s been with me everywhere, and it’s just great knowing he’s there because a lot of young kids my age don’t have their dads to support them.”

Although still unable to vote or drink a beer, the kid exudes a quiet confidence and maturity usually associated with fighters in the ring twice his age. Jose Sr. himself learned Junior’s life lessons in humility and character the hard way in his early days.

“I kind of grew up by myself. My mom and dad separated and I moved from Guerrero, Mexico, to the San Fernando Valley in California when I was eleven years old. I kind of grew up in the streets,” remembers Senior. “I got married to Jose’s mom when I was thirteen, and he was born when I was fifteen, almost sixteen. Once he was born, he changed my whole life. Since I grew up alone, I didn’t want the same thing to happen to him for him to grow up without a dad. So I decided to move to Arizona to find me a good job when I was about eighteen. He was about two.” 

Jose Sr. is also cognizant of the occupational hazard that comes with a boxing career. While the Central Boxing gym has made a name for itself due to legendary trainer Tommy Brooks and former world champions like Vassiliy Jirov, it was also the training ground for Oscar Diaz in preparation for his tragic fight against Delvin Rodriguez—one that subsequently left him in a coma. The Benavidezes are fully aware of a recurrence of Diaz’s saga.

“As a matter of fact, Junior was [Diaz’s] sparring partner for that fight,” recalled Jose Sr.  “Oh my gosh, Jose was only about fifteen or sixteen I think. After seeing what happened to Oscar, that’s always been a question because every sport is dangerous, but this one is a little more dangerous because you’re getting hit in the head. [Junior’s] got some good defense, and he loves what he’s doing. But I do worry about it.”

Americans have long lamented for a new people’s champion they can call their own. In a story evocative of a father-son combo like Youngstown’s Lenny and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, the Benavidez duo has the potential to bring the mainstream back to professional boxing.

On the precipice of what one hopes to be a long and successful career, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that Jose Benavidez Jr. is still a kid.  But don’t tell him to act his age. 

“I thought about how all these other kids are going to school dances and I’m missing out on this because I’m always training, but it’s all for a good cause. Hopefully one day, I’ll be a world champion and maybe later on I can celebrate. But right now it’s just hard work and hopefully it’ll pay off one day.”

Originally appeared on MaxBoxing.com: http://www.maxboxing.com/news/promo-lead/introducing-jose-benavidez-jr---part-two