By Adam Baskin: WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez will reportedly face the slick former two-time world champ Demetrius Andrade on November 24th on Showtime pay-per-view.
Benavidez is essentially a big light heavyweight/cruiserweight-sized fighter who is barely able to melt down to 168 to use his size to beat the smaller opposition super middleweights.
Recently, Benavidez’s popularity has taken a hit due to him not accepting the challenge from the talented WBA ‘regular super middleweight champion David Morrell Jr., who publically called him out in a shaming process.
In making weight for his last fight against Caleb Plant, Benavidez looked drained to the point where he was unrecognizable.
Against Andrade, Benavidez will focus on using his mammoth size, power, and combination punching to overwhelm him.
The southpaw Andrade is the much better boxer, and he’ll be attempting to capitalize on Benavidez being less than full strength due to the ordeal he’ll be undergoing to get down to 168.
The winner of the Benavidez-Andrade fight will be the mandatory for WBC 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez. It’ll then be up to the World Boxing Council to order Canelo to defend against the winner.
This would be an excellent fight if the outcome would determine a guaranteed opponent for Canelo to defend against, but unfortunately, there’s no certainty that the Benavidez-Andrade winner will get that opportunity.
As such, this fight is likely going to be a big waste of time for both, aside from the money they’ll make from the PPV sales on Showtime. The WBC needs to show time backbone and order Canelo to defend against the winner rather than letting him sit on the belt year after year.
“November 24 is the date on which David Benavidez will face Demetrius Andrade (WBC Interim Super Middleweight World title),” said Julius Julianis on social media.
Last year in May, Benavidez obliterated David Lemieux by a fourth round to win the interim WBC 168-lb title. Now, 16 months later, the WBC still hasn’t ordered Canelo to defend against Benavidez, and he’s forced to face Andrade, hoping that win will lead to a fight against Alvarez, and it probably won’t. Either the WBC will fail to order the fight, or Canelo will vacate if they do.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) will be the favorite against the 2008 U.S. Olympian Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs), but that doesn’t matter.
In Benavidez’s last fight, he looked poor against Caleb Plant, getting out-boxed and looking terrible in the first six rounds; if it wasn’t for Plantgassing out like he always does, Benavidez would have lost, and his career would be in dire straights.
Andrade has been forced to make this move in facing the 26-year-old Benavidez because he’s been avoided by Canelo.
Unable to get fights against Alvarez at 154, 160 & now 168, Andrade is determined to chase Alvarez to the ends of the earth to add his pelt to his collection.
Canelo should do himself a favor and vacate all his super middleweight titles so that he can pick & choose whoever he wants without the worry of being ordered to face dangerous mandatory contenders.
