David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux Fight Betting: Canadian’s winning run will end in Glendale

On Saturday, David Benavidez is expected to extend his unbeaten run as a professional boxer when taking on experienced Canadian David Lemieux.

The Gila River Arena in Glendale provides the backdrop for this WBC interim world super-middleweight title, and you can follow the action live on USA Showtime. The TGB Promotions card features some interesting fights, but it's the main event that caught our eye.

David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Benavidez is unbeaten as a professional, with 25 wins from as many bouts, 22 of those coming by way of knockout.
• Lemieux has had almost double the amount of fights as his opponent, with a record standing at 43 wins and four defeats.
• The WBC interim super middleweight world title is on the line here as the division awaits the return of Saul Alvarez from light heavyweight.
• Venue & Location: Gila River Arena (Glendale, Arizona)
• Start Time: The main card will start at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (7:00 p.m. local time), and the Benavidez vs. Lemieux fight is expected to start around midnight Eastern (9:00 p.m. local time).
• How to Watch the Benavidez vs. Lemieux Fight: Showtime

David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux Odds

Odds are from Bovada Sportsbook.

Moneyline

• David Benavidez to win -1400
• Draw +2000
• Davis Lemieux to win +950

Red Flag showing no signs of stopping

David Benavidez enters fight number 26 of his career, boasting 25 wins. He has stopped almost all of the opponents in front of him so far, scoring 22 knockouts resulting in an 88% KO average.

The 25-year-old from Phoenix is currently ranked number five in the US at the weight and seventh in the world, a list topped by Saul Alvarez, who sits ahead of Jessie Hart.

Collecting the WBC title would thrust Benavidez up the rankings, increasing his chances of landing a money-spinning fight with Canelo later this year.

Benavidez won a fight for this belt before but failed to collect the title after missing the weight, meaning he beat Roamer Alexis Angulo by a 10th round TKO, but the strap remained vacant. It was a missed opportunity for Red Flag but one he will be eager to make up for this weekend.

In Benavidez’s last five fights, he has recorded five knockout wins: seventh round, 11th round, 10th round, ninth round, and second round.

Run of knockouts

When looking through the form of Benavidez, it's easy to get caught up in his impressive run of knockout wins. The last opponent to take him to points was Ronald Gavril in Las Vegas over four years ago.

Benavidez has scored only one early stoppage in that run of five KO wins, with the spare coming inside two rounds against J'Leon Love at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington. The other victories during that purple patch were all registered in the second half of bouts, from round seven onwards.

We last saw the favourite in November in Phoenix when he blew away Kyrone Davis in round seven before an appreciative and supportive audience. Benavidez is well-liked, with fans loving his all-action style, ambition and knockout power.

Lemieux has the experience

David Lemieux has seen it all during his time as a professional boxer, racking up a CV consisting of 43 wins and four defeats. Thirty-six of those wins have come by knockout, with half of his defeats inflicted inside the distance.

He may have lost four times, but David has spent the bulk of his career campaigning at the sport's top level. The only men to have beaten him include Billy Joe Saunders and Gennady Golovkin. Fight fans know we can't judge him too harshly on those.

He travels with the confidence that comes from a five-fight winning streak that can be traced back to the loss to Saunders in 2017. Lemieux won three during that run by knockout and the other two on points.

Step up in class

Lemieux has won each of his last two bouts by knockout in the early rounds, including a TKO of David Zegarra in Mexico last time. A third win by early knockout may appeal to followers of the Canadian, but this is a step back up in class for David after beating a list of opponents not in his class.

He took out Francy Ntetu inside five rounds before dealing with Zegarra in two, so there's sure to be interest in Lemieux to win by KO/TKO. Another stoppage in the opening six rounds can be found in the method of victory market.

The stats of both men tell us this could be a shoo-out, with the ambitious young Benavidez aiming to blow away his older opponent. Lemieux sees his experience as key and will plan to knock his more aggressive opponent out as he comes forward.

Benavidez to leave it late

Keeping that run in mind, it would be easy to back Benavidez to score another knockout win, and followers will find Bovada Sportsbook offering that bet. You’ll find it in the method of victory market and is the betting favourite ahead of a rare points win.

The betting value in this fight comes from digging a little deeper, looking beyond the obvious and playing the round group betting. With this market, you are backing Benavidez to win in a certain number of rounds, such as rounds 1-6 or 3-6.

His last four bouts have all been won from round seven onwards, and that's a trend we should follow. Back Benavidez to win in rounds 7-12 or aim a little higher and support him to collect a fourth win in five bouts from rounds nine to 12.

Those bets bring higher risk but also higher reward, but with the expectation that the fight won’t end early, the best combination of risk and reward is backing the fight to go into the fifth round.

David Benavidez vs. David Lemieux Betting Tip – Over 4.5 rounds (-125 at Bovada Sportsbook)