On Saturday night, November 25th, on Showtime pay-per-view, former two-time WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez delivered an impressive performance as he defeated Demetrius Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) by way of sixth round stoppage.
Demetrius Andrade was a game competitor as he had success early on, but Benavidez was able to take over and dominate down the stretch. This matchup was designed to be an elimination bout in which the winner would be next in line to face the undisputed super-middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
David Benavidez has been seeking his opportunity to fight for the undisputed crown for a significant amount of time, but every time he achieves a certain status, it seems like Canelo and the WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman find a way to keep moving the goalpost.
Back in September 2022, Canelo won the trilogy fight as he defeated Gennady “GGG” Golovkin by unanimous decision. During the post-fight press conference, Alvarez seemed frustrated when members of the media asked if he planned on fighting Benavidez.
“Guys, always I say this, you show that video and put whatever you want. When I say I don’t want to fight Mexican is because I represent Mexico, and that’s why, but I don’t care; I fight anybody my entire life,” Alvarez said.
“Whether you think I don’t want to fight with one Mexican Benavidez, but look, I hear his dad talking a lot of sh*t, but look, he’s accomplished nothing, one single champion Anthony Dirrell.”
The media along with fight fans, seemed to be getting impatient because they felt Benavidez was being avoided. Back in May 2022, David Benavidez scored a 3rd round TKO victory over David Lemieux and won the vacant WBC Interim super-middleweight title.
It seemed like Benavidez would be next to fight Canelo, but Alvarez chose the trilogy fight versus GGG. David Benavidez would go on to face former IBF super-middleweight world champion Caleb Plant, and according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, the winner of the bout would be Canelo’s next mandatory opponent.
David Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant by way of unanimous decision, but he didn’t receive the opportunity to fight for the undisputed super-middleweight crown. Instead of Benavidez, Canelo would go on to fight and defeat John Ryder in May 2023.
After Alvarez defeated John Ryder, David Benavidez remained the mandatory WBC challenger, but once again, Alvarez bypassed Benavidez and decided to take on the undisputed 154-pound champion Jermell Charlo.
While Alvarez was set to face Jermell Charlo, David Benavidez was being matched up to fight Demetrius Andrade, and according to the WBC, the winner would be Canelo’s mandatory. That was pretty weird, considering when Benavidez defeated Caleb Plant, he was supposed to be next in line to face Canelo Alvarez.
Despite the movement of the goalpost, Benavidez stepped inside the squared circle to face Demetrius Andrade on the night of November 25th. Andrade looked sharp in the first two rounds as he displayed his hand speed by landing flashy combinations.
In the third round, Benavidez started taking over as he was applying intense pressure. In the closing seconds of the fourth round, Benavidez landed a hard right-hand shot that sent Andrade down to the canvas.
Andrade was able to get up and continue, but Benavidez would proceed to go on and dominate the 5th and 6th rounds by consistently landing hard right hands, left hooks, and uppercuts. At the end of the sixth round, the referee stopped the contest by request of Andrade’s corner.
Now David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) has taken out two high-quality opponents in the 168-pound division, and after his victory over Andrade, once again he called out Canelo Alvarez. The question is, will Canelo finally answer the call, or will he come up with another excuse?
The Cinco de Mayo date in 2024 would be the perfect time for an Alvarez-Benavidez clash. Benavidez is hopeful in regards to being the next man in line for a shot at the undisputed crown, due to the fact that he plans on changing the current landscape of boxing.
“I’m going to be the greatest of my generation by the time I’m done here,” Benavidez said. “I love getting hit, and I love to hit back… Welcome to the David Benavidez era.”