By Robert Segal: Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza says the fight between unbeaten super middleweight contenders David Benavidez & Demetrius Andrade is “close” to being done for November.
Espinoza is cautiously optimistic about the fight getting done. The way he was talking, it sounds like there are some hurdles that need to be overcome before the fight gets made.
The southpaw Andrade really wants this fight because he views WBC interim super middleweight champion Benavidez (26-0, 23 KOs) as beatable, and he needs a win over him to become mandatory for champion Canelo Alvarez.
The talked about date for the Benavidez vs. Andrade fight is on November 24th, and it will reportedly be televised on Showtime PPV.
Benavidez’s dad, Jose Sr., has said repeatedly that they want the fight and that they chose the 2008 Olympian Andrade (32-0,19 KOs). However, according to Andrade, they haven’t signed the contract, and he’s just waiting for them.
Keys to Benavidez winning:
- Fast pace: Pushing a fast pace is an important element for Benavidez to win because Andrade has shown to have stamina problems in some of his recent fights.
- Pressure: Without putting nonstop pressure on Demetrius, Benavidez will have a difficult time getting to the former two-division world champion.
- Combination punching: If Benavidez can put his shots together, it’s going to tire out the 35-year-old Andrade in the later rounds, and this will make it easy to get a stoppage.
- High output: Andrade is a fighter who doesn’t throw a lot of punches, and he’s going to struggle if Benavidez can throw a lot of shots like he did in his last fight against Caleb Plant.
Benavidez-Charlo close for November
“We’re getting close to making that fight for November. We’re not done yet. Anything can happen. I don’t like to create expectations before things are in place, but it is going in the right direction,” said Stephen Espinoza of Showtime to K.O. Artists Sports about the negotiations for the David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade fight for Showtime PPV in November.
Benavidez wants this fight, but his dad, Jose Benavidez Sr., seems nervous about it, and it’s understandable. He realizes David is close to getting the title shot against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, which will make him incredibly rich.
Losing to Andrade would likely permanently ruin Benavidez’s chances of getting the Canelo fight, so Jose Sr. may be having second thoughts about letting David go through this. It’s the same thing we saw with Benavidez when he was poised to fight David Morrell Jr.
Initially, Jose Sr. wanted the fight against Morrell Jr., but after he saw him destroy Aidos Yerbossynuly and Yamaguchi Falcao, he backed off completely. You can argue that fear took over with Jose Sr., as had to realize what Morrell Jr. could do to Benavidez’s career if that fight had taken place.
“Boo Boo understands that if he beats Benavidez, he’s got everybody’s attention,” said coach Calvin Ford to MillCity Boxing Youtube channel. “That’s the challenge of being great. With Boo Boo making that move, he’s trying to say, ‘This is my move right here.’
“For us to be getting this fight, Andrade is saying, ‘I’m taking the chance.’ I already know who he is, so he’s putting everything on the line. You see what I’m saying about boxing. We’re getting it.”
Andrade has to take the chance of fighting Benavidez because this is the quickest way to a title shot against Canelo. At 35, Andrade is too old to go in another direction and play it safe.
“That’s going to be a good fight because Canelo wouldn’t fight him [Benavidez]. The Charlos wouldn’t fight him. I was saying, ‘I wonder what’s up with Boo Boo because he’s been quiet. That news that you just gave me, God dang.
“That’s jumping out the window when stocks are falling. I salute him [Andrade] on this one. When you look at it, it’s people avoiding Benavidez. Boo Boo, he understands his situation,” said Ford.
Andrade can become “most feared” at 168
“I know what’s going on. He’s saying, ‘Y’all want me to fight these dudes,” Ford said. “I’ll fight him,’ and if he pulls it off, now he’s going to be the most feared dude.”
Benavidez is one of the most feared guys in the 168-lb division, but the real boogeyman is David Morrell Jr. He’s a guy that even Benavidez is hesitant to tangle with.
The winner of the Benavidez-Andrade fight will be able to put more pressure on Canelo to finally face them. Andrade has been trying to get a fight with Canelo for most of his 15-year career.
“After this fight with Canelo, we’re going to see some serious fighting. I said it before. The Tank fight [vs. Ryan Garcia] is when everybody start fighting,” said Ford. “The only way you’re going to get those types of bills you have to fight nothing but the best.
“Of course,” said Ford when asked if the winner of Benavidez vs. Andrade will get Canelo’s attention. “But Canelo is worried about his fight in front of him [Jermell Charlo]. Right now, he can’t be thinking about Benavidez or [Andrade].
“He got to do what he got to do with his fight coming up. Then, after that fight is over, everybody is going to be sitting in front of the TV to see how that fight [Benavidez vs. Andrade] unfolds because that is another big fight because you got one of the most feared guys in this era in that weight class. It’s Benavidez.
“That’s real in that weight class. You mention the name Benavidez, and they’re like, ‘You got to pay me to fight him,’ and I’m talking about the opponent. The situation with Benavidez. His numbers aren’t like Tank, but you going to get brutally, brutally beat up.
“So, you’re sitting in the hospital or at home trying to get your wounds back. You want to make sure you good [financially]. That fight, they better not say nothing about boxing. That’s real talk.
“If Boo Boo pulls that off, then he becomes the most feared dude because Benavidez is the most feared dude. That’s real talk,” said Ford.
