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Benavidez goes back to work, hopes for a shot at Jessie Vargas Phoenix junior welterweight Jose Benavidez Jr., who won the WBC’s interim junior-welterweight title in a controversial decision over Mauricio Herrera on Dec. 13, plans to resume training on Monday. His trainer and father, Jose Benavidez Sr., said he hopes his son’s next fight is in the spring. However, Top Rank, his promoter, has yet to decide on an opponent or a date. “We still have to meet and talk about that,’’ said his father, whose unbeaten son will train at Central Boxing near downtown Phoenix. Unbeaten Jessie Vargas, the WBA’s 140-pound champion and also a Top Rank fighter, is at the top of Benavidez’ wish list. “If everything works out, yes, Vargas is the guy we’d like to fight,’’ the senior Benavidez said. A rematch was speculated after Benavidez (22-0, 15 KOs) won a controversial unanimous decision over Herrera at Las Vegas’ Cosmopolitan in an HBO-televised bout. In the immediate aftermath of the bout, a frustrated Herrera (21-5, 7 KOs) said he wanted a rematch and Benavidez said he would give him one. However, it sounds as if Herrera has changed his mind. Instead, he says he wants a shot at Adrien Broner, who faces John Molina Jr. on March 7 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand on the first card in Al Haymon’s deal with NBC. Herrera, 34, broke into The Ring’s 140-pound ratings at No. 10, despite the loss to the 22-year-old Benavidez, who is not ranked among the top 10. Benavidez’ father said he had no problem with the ranking. “Mauricio is good fighter, a good guy and a good story,’’ he said. “My son learned a lot in that fight. With that experience, I think, he’d knock him out in a rematch.’’ Benavidez is the third Arizona fighter in the state’s history to win a title sanctioned by a major sanction acronym. Junior- flyweight Michael Carbajal, a Hall of Famer, held the IBF, WBC and WBO titles during the 1990s. Louie Espinoza won the WBA’s super-bantamweight title in 1987..

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