Touch paper lit for Benavidez vs. Lemieux punchers BOOM!

Undefeated two-time world champion David “Bandera Roja” Benavidez, from Phoenix, Arizona, is taking on former world champion David Lemieux from Canada Saturday evening, for the World Boxing Council interim super middleweight title, at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

The 25-year-old Benavidez (25-0, 22 KOs), who comes into this fight after knocking out his last five opponents, is trained by his father Jose Benavidez. In 2017, he became the youngest super middleweight champion in boxing history by defeating 20-year-old Ronald Gavril.

Hailing from Montreal, Canada, David Lemieux (43-4, 36 KOs) has won five straight fights, including three wins in the super middleweight division.

Lemiux became world middleweight champion in June 2015, defeating Hassan N’Dam, before losing a unification fight against Gennady Golovkin later that year.

Lemieux is a power puncher who has beaten quality contenders including Curtis Stevens, Gabriel Rosado, Gary O’Sullivan and Glen Tapia.

Both fighters passed the official weigh-in this Friday. Benavidez weighed 166.4 pounds, while Lemieux registered 166.2 pounds.

The fight, which is part of the Premier Boxing Champions series, will be televised on Showtime.

Don’t miss the action 💥#BenavidezLemieux for the WBC Interim Super Middleweight title 🏆

Tomorrow night 10pm ET/7pm PT on @Showtime pic.twitter.com/gsLH8piwWY

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) May 20, 2022