Boxing champ Michael Carbajal still Arizona's greatest as sport rises with talent

There might never be anyone in the state of Arizona who can surpass, or even reach the level of success that Michael Carbajal found in boxing.

From the heart of Phoenix just a couple of blocks away from downtown, Carbajal is the most decorated fighter the state has ever produced, with six world championships, an Olympic silver medal and a 49-4 career record. All of which landed him in the Boxing Hall of Fame.

But Carbajal is humble about all of it and seems less concerned with maintaining his status in Arizona boxing history as he is helping develop the next generation of fighters from his 9th Street Gym.

Meanwhile, another Phoenix product who has been a world champion hopes for a huge resumé-boosting win Saturday in Las Vegas, as David Benavidez aims to knock out Caleb Plant as he predicted and get a shot at another future Hall-of-Famer, Canelo Alvarez.

"Right now Benavidez is the best of all the Arizona fighters that I've seen," Carbajal told The Republic from inside his gym on Wednesday. "If he can get that fight with Alvarez, that would be perfect. I hope he does."

Can the 26-year-old undefeated Benavidez (26-0) keep his winning streak going? And beyond that, can Benavidez reach Carbajal's success level? Benavidez is a long way from even thinking about that kind of legacy, but his place in Arizona boxing is important to him.

"It does matter to me a lot. But for me to think about it right now, I'm not doing that because I don't feel like I've done anything yet," Benavidez said before he left for fight week in Las Vegas. "I mean, I've won three titles, but I don't feel like it's anything right now until I'm done. And my dream is to have seven or eight or 10 world titles, that's what we want to do. And that's really realistic. We could really do that. But ... I'm not thinking about where I'm at in history right now. I'm thinking about just doing everything I was going to do. And by the time I'm finished in boxing, I will be one of the greatest in my generation."

Before Carbajal and even for a time after his prime, there wasn't a strong tradition of boxing throughout the state. But with Benavidez, his older brother José, Jesús Alejandro Ramos and his uncle Abel, plus a group of several up-and-coming prospects who have made impressive showings, current times find the sport thriving locally.

"Michael built a tremendous legacy. He was always in exciting fights. And he fought often in Phoenix, you know, fought often at home. So that's a big legacy to try to match up to," said Steve Farhood, a Showtime Boxing analyst and historian. "Michael was marvelous. He was a champion for a long time. And I think if Phoenix wasn't a boxing town before him, it certainly became one because of him."

There can be no question that Phoenix is as big a boxing town as there is in the U.S. at present. Major events put on by Showtime, Top Rank and DAZN have seen large crowds who were rewarded with memorable performances in main events. Add to that Dana White's professed affinity for UFC events in the area and Bellator MMA having been in town fairly recently, and combat sports have a home in Arizona.

The local scene is going strong and is pushing fighters from small venues to Las Vegas big fight undercards, as is the case for Jesús Ibarra of Apache Junction, who is scheduled on the non-televised portion of Benavidez-Plant on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

If Benavidez is the top active fighter from Arizona at present, the next face of boxing from the state is Jesús "Mono" Ramos, who fights in the co-main on Saturday before Benavidez-Plant.

"Ramos vs. Joey Spencer, another undefeated young fighter with big upside, will be a "make or break" fight for Ramos," Carbajal said.

Read more:Benavidez, Ramos boxing families front and center Saturday in Las Vegas pay-per-view

"He's the best one we have right now to make it to become world champion," Carbajal said. "He has good boxing skills and he has some power in there. That's what you need, you need that power and good boxing skills, and you'll make it."

Farhood said Benavidez needs a win on Saturday to stay undefeated, then a fight with Alvarez to become a "transcendental star."

For Phoenix-area fighter Elijah Garcia, who at 19 is now listed on Premier Boxing Champions' roster of fighters (which means his career will get a push from Showtime), Carbajal and David Benavidez are Arizona's top fighters past and present.

"The fights David Benavidez is making right now in his career are leading him to greatness that could put him on the same level of respect as Michael Carbajal for Arizona’s greatest fighters in history," Garcia said in an e-mail. "I think this fight for David against Plant is a great move for David Benavidez and if he wins this fight, it will open more doors for David to continue to show the world that he is one of the best. Also, Jesús Ramos is on the list of upcoming legends of fighters from Arizona. He is taking action on some really good fights and he will definitely be on his way to be one of the greatest in Arizona as well."

Garcia (14-0) is coming off a win in Ontario Calif., earlier this month and returns to Las Vegas on April 22, where the middleweight will be on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia card at T-Mobile Arena.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Michael Carbajal still the best in Arizona boxing history