Well, this is easy.
David Benavidez turned in a special performance last Saturday night in Las Vegas, where he beat up and knocked out previously unbeaten Demetrius Andrade after six rounds of a scheduled 12-rounder.
That made him a no-brainer for Boxing Junkie’s Fighter of the Month for November.
The former two-time 168-pound titleholder’s performance was breathtaking. It took him a few rounds to adjust to his talented opponent’s tricky tactics. However, once he did, he delivered a brutal beating.
The final two rounds amounted to a demolition, as Benavidez pounded Andrade relentlessly and received little in return even though Andrade tried to stay in the fight.
Benavidez landed 74 power punches in Rounds 5 and 6 (to 18 for Andrade), according to CompuBox. That was enough for the loser’s corner to see; they saved their man from undue punishment by stopping the beat down before the start of Round 7.
The winner couldn’t have made a stronger statement.
“For Canelo and everybody else, it just shows I’m not f—ing around,” he said.
Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) mentioned Canelo Alvarez because that’s the man he has been chasing the past few years.
The top challenger hopes his sensational victory over Andrade will finally convince the undisputed super middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer to give him his coveted opportunity, perhaps next Cinco de Mayo weekend.
“I’ve been winning the fights I’m supposed to win in fantastic fashion,” Benavidez said. “[Alvarez] has nobody else to fight.”
Then we would know with certainty whether Benavidez is as good as he appears to be.
