Sampson Boxing to promote rescheduled Benavidez fight?

The postponed homecoming fight of WBC Super Middleweight champ, David Benavidez that was supposed to have been held in April in Arizona apparently may have a new promoter. Or will it?

Samson Lewkowicz of Sampson Boxing released a statement Wednesday afternoon that they have obtained a promoter’s license in Arizona and that he intends to step in and put on the Benavidez title defense there, when boxing can resume:

Promoter Sampson Lewkowicz Receives Promoter?s License in Arizona; Ready to Promote WBC S… https://t.co/n2cRW4T8ht pic.twitter.com/f26Dcmf9ad

— Andre Courtemanche (@bigmediabuzz) April 8, 2020

Lewkowicz said,

“This will be a huge fight for the David Benavidez and for the state of Arizona when it happens, and I am ready to help make it an unforgettable event for the people of Phoenix and fans around the world. I thank the Arizona Department of Gaming for professionalism and accessibility. Everyone stay safe, stay inside. When the pandemic finally ends and boxing returns to normal, this will be another event I am very proud to be part of.”

Benavidez who is unbeaten (22-0) and just re-captured the WBC 168 lb. championship in September of last year and is scheduled to fight 26 – 1 contender Roamer Angulo.

The fight was announced by Premier Boxing Champions and Showtime Boxing to be a main event on the premium cable network for April 18th. However just like the rest of the sport coming to a complete stop because of the Coronavirus outbreak, the fight was postponed.

Benavidez, who is from Arizona, will be a huge fan favorite in making a title defense in Phoenix.

However despite Lewkowicz making his statement about obtaining a boxing license, he stopped short of claiming that he actually has an agreement with the fighters to put the fight on.

And, it’s worth noting that Lewkowicz attempted to get the rights to another prominent title fight, between unbeaten, Scottish Unified Jr. Welterweight Champion Josh Taylor and Thai contender Apinun Khongsong earlier this year. (Sampson Boxing is Khongsong’s promoter)

However, after getting the winning bid with the International Boxing Federation and putting down the initial $132,000 deposit, Lewkowicz missed the next payment and was unable to secure the fight.

Top Rank Boxing now has the rights to the Taylor-Khongsong fight, whenever it can be held

As for Benavidez, he won back the WBC Super Middleweight title last fall with a TKO over Anthony Dirrell after previously having lost his title due to testing positive for cocaine. This happened during training, as he was slated to defend his title against Dirrell in September 2018. Benavidez wassubsequently stripped and suspended by the WBC for four months.

Then, Dirrell  (31-1-1) ended up capturing the vacant WBC belt in February of 2019, when he won a technical decision over Avni Yildirim.

Benavidez is trained by his father Jose, Sr. and his older brother Jose Jr. challenged Terence Crawford for the WBO Welterweight title losing on a 12th round TKO in September 2018.