Welterweight contender Jose Benavidez Jr. was shot on Thursday morning while out for a walk in a Phoenix neighborhood. His injuries are not considered to be life threatening, according to Sgt. John Howard, a spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.
"He was apparently walking in his neighborhood and was approached by a stranger, who asked him a question and then shot him," Howard told ESPN. "That is what he said. He was taken to a local hospital. He should recover. His injuries are not life threatening."
Howard declined to specify where on his body Benavidez, 24, was shot. TMZ, which first reported the news, said it was in his leg. No arrests have been made.
Benavidez (25-0, 16 KOs), a former interim junior welterweight titleholder, is coming off a strong performance in a 10-round decision win against Francisco Santana on July 23 in Las Vegas on the Terence Crawford-Viktor Postol HBO PPV undercard.
"We were just made aware of the situation," said Carl Moretti, vice president of Top Rank, which promotes Benavidez. "Obviously we don't know all there is to know, but our concern is strictly for Junior's well-being at this point."
