By Ian S Palmer
Former WBA Featherweight Champion Xu Can (Can Xu) of China is back in the ring this Friday, October 7th when he meets Brandon Leon Benitez of Mexico. The 10-round fight from Plant City, Florida can be seen live on Proboxtv.com. Can last fought in July, 2021 when he was stopped in the 12th round by Leigh Wood and lost his title. Benitez last saw action in December when he dropped Anthony Chavez in the first round on his way to a 10-round unanimous decision.
The baby-faced Xu Can hails from Suzhou, China and fights out of Beijing. He’s now 28 years of age and carries around a record of 18-3 with just 3 Ko’s. Although he’s nicknamed ‘Monster,’ it’s quite obvious he isn’t a power puncher with a current knockout ratio of just 14.3 per cent. He has 178 rounds of experience under his belt since turning pro in 2013 as a 19-year-old.
Can stands 5-feet-9-inches tall with a wingspan of 69 inches. His first loss came in June, 2014 when he dropped a four-round split decision to Neeraj Goyat in his third pro bout. He lost again by a six-round majority decision to Bao Dong just three months and two fights later. Can was 3-2 at that point of his career then reeled off 15 consecutive wins before losing to Wood the last time out.
He has wins over the likes of Josh Baillie, Hurricane Futa, Kris George, Chaiyong Sithsaithong, Isaias Santos Sampaio, Corey McConnell, Ramiro Blanco, Spicy Matsushita, Jack Asis, Nehomar Cermeno, Jelbirt Gomera, Shun Kubo and Robles. Along the way he’s won the WBA Oceania Super Lightweight Title as well as the WBA Oceania, and WBA International Super Featherweight Titles and the WBA International Featherweight Crown.
Can’s a tough boxer with a solid chin even though Wood stooped him. He has fast, accurate hands and has fought all the way up to 140 lb. division earlier in his career. He won the World Title in January, 2019 when he beat Jesus Rojas by unanimous decision and has defended it against Shun Kubo and Manny Robles. He has an entertaining style even without power but has fought just once in the past three years.
The 24-year-old Benitez enters the ring with a record of 18-2 with 7 Ko’s and has fought 100 rounds since making his pro debut in 2014 as a 16-year-old. He’s 5-feet-8-inches tall with a 67-inch reach which means he gives up one in ch in height to Can as well as two inches in reach. Benitez doesn’t really possess too much in the way of power either with a current knockout ratio of 35 per cent.
His first pro loss came at the hands of Irvin Perez by way of third-round stoppage in 2017 with his second defeat coming via an 8th-round stoppage to Saul Sanchez two years later in a shot at the vacant WBO Latino Bantamweight Title. Benitez lacks experience against top-notch opposition and just 10 of his 20 opponents have entered the ring with winning records.
Prediction…
Can has fine boxing skills and is fan friendly even though he lacks power. However, his inactivity could be a problem as he’s going to have some ring rust. However, Benitez lacks experience against upper echelon boxers. This should be an interesting bout since Can is still just 28 years old and needs a win get back back into title contention or to get a possible rematch with Wood. Can needs to stay focused, get off to a quick start and throw as many punches as possible to make sure the outcome isn’t in doubt. He’s the better boxer overall and should be able to pull it off.
