Top Rank will air their scheduled May 15th event from the US Airway Center in Phoenix on TruTV. The card features action as two super lightweight bouts are on the schedule. The main event bout is for the interim WBA World super lightweight title and features undefeated Jose Benavidez (22-0) facing veteran Jorge Paez Jr (38-5-2). The co-feature is also at super lightweight as undefeated Antonio Orozco 21(15)-0-0 takes on veteran Emmanuel Taylor 18(12)-3. Benavides already holds the interim title, having picked it up in December of 2014 when he defeated veteran Mauricio Herrera in a fight many experts gave to Herrera. For Benavides, that was his first fight at 12 rounds, as his first 21 wins came in four, six and eight round bouts. At just 22 years old and under the tutelage of trainer Freddie Roach, he is considered to have a bright future ahead of him and he has been brought along right. He does not have anyone on his resume with the experience of Paez, who is getting his first shot at a world title after 45 career fights and a slew of regional titles on his resume. Though he does not have the extensive amateur background that Benavides boasts, he has been around boxing all his life. His father is former world champion Jorge Paez, one of Mexico’s most recognizable boxers from the 1990’s and his resume includes a win over a then undefeated Omar Chavez, the son of the great Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Though he is a veteran with a wide experience advantage, Paez Jr is still just 27 years old and he will be the hardest test of young Benavides career. The co-main event is scheduled for 10 rounds and features Orosco looking to move his record to (22-0) over a name opponent. Emmanuel Taylor is known for his long amateur record that saw him win multiple PAL and Junior Gold Gloves National titles. Taylor is (2-2) in his last four fights alternating wins over Victor Manuel Cano and Karim Mayfield with losses to Chris Algieri and Adrien Broner. Taylor is still just 24 years old, and a win here would help him avoid the fate of his older brother, Maxwell, who lost seven of his last eight pro fights after his record was right about where Emmanuel’s record is now. This fight was originally scheduled for March of this year, but Orosco withdrew when he was cut in training. Orosco gets a lot of props for his last outing, where he defeated former world champion Steve Forbes. Forbes was 37 years old at the time, and he has been (3-11) over the course of his last 14 fights so to say that he is past his prime is an understatement. In contrast, Taylor put up a credible showing against Broner in his last outing, and Broner is ranked in the top 10 of the weight class.
