David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade Set For Nov 25

After months of speculation, Showtime has officially announced an intriguing super middleweight fight as interim WBC champion David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) will face Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV on November 25. Both fighters need this for different reasons, and the timing looks to be perfect for these top-level fighters to get it on. Benavidez couldn’t secure a fight with Canelo Alvarez, and Andrade has been one of the most avoided fighters in the game due to his pugilistic style. Showtime held the press conference in Los Angeles yesterday with the fighters and their teams in attendance. Here are some of the quotes from yesterday’s presser.

LOS ANGELES – October 12, 2023 – Undefeated two-time super middleweight world champion David “El Monstruo” Benavidez and unbeaten two-division champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade squared off at a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday as they previewed their showdown for Benavidez’s Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title headlining a SHOWTIME PPV on Saturday, November 25 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Two of the most talented and avoided fighters in the stacked 168-pound division, Benavidez and Andrade, will present an intriguing style matchup between undefeated foes, with the winner in pole position to reclaim championship gold in the near future.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from The Conga Room at L.A. Live:

DAVID BENAVIDEZ

“This is definitely the biggest fight of my career. I give Demetrius a lot of props. He’s a great fighter and a lot of people have been ducking him for a long time. Nobody wanted to give him the opportunity but now we came together and we have the opportunity to make a great fight happen. These are the fights I want. I want to make my own lane and face the best. Andrade is one of the best in this weight class.

“I know this isn’t going to be an easy fight but at the end of the day, it’s going to bring the best out of me. I’m a monster for a reason.

“Everything about Demetrius Andrade is different than Caleb Plant. His fighting style. He’s a lefty. His combination selection is different. It’s up to me to do the homework and see what I can learn from him off his previous fights and then put in the game plan. He’s a world class fighter and he’s not going to give me an easy fight at all. He’s hungry for the fight so that’s going to make for a great fight and the fans are going to be the ones who win.

“I’m not worried about Canelo Alvarez. I’m worried about Demetrius Andrade. I definitely believe the winner of this fight is the best super middleweight in the world.

“He’s a very technical fighter. He’s a champion in two different weight classes. When you get a fighter like this, it’s 50-50. He’s a threat to anybody. A lot of people wouldn’t take the fight with him because they know he’s a problem. But for me, I want to be the best.

“I’m taking this challenge because I want to shut everybody’s mouth up. When great fighters get put in front of me, the best comes out of me and I become a great fighter myself.

“Training camps win fights and I’ve been training extremely hard. I’ve been really motivated since my last fight. I want to continue being on the pay-per-view level. I just have to keep working hard, staying disciplined and motivated.

“I looked into his soul on those two faceoffs. I saw that he was scared but I know that he’s probably going to say the same thing about me.”

DEMETRIUS ANDRADE

“This is a great opportunity for myself and for David Benavidez to put on a show. I’m excited. This is a great matchup and David is giving me an opportunity to become a three-division world champion. I’m looking forward to it. We’re ready to rumble.

“There’s nothing about this guy that you can criticize. Therefore, we have ourselves a great fight. Our styles are going to clash really well and I think we’re going to put on a show. May the best man win.

“This is the Super Bowl of the 168-pound division. This is the biggest fight that can be made. The two most avoided fighters. Yes, I haven’t fought the best because the best doesn’t want to fight me. He can have that same claim. But the time is now. This is the fight.

“It’s great to see these father-son relationships. David and Jose Sr. are coming together and making it work. I have that as well. The bond is special. I know that he’s going to have the love in his corner and I’m going to have the love in my corner.

“I believe that my power, my mind, my strength, my soul can overtake anything. I bet that Benavidez has that same will. November 25, we will be seasoning up some turkey. I definitely have what it takes.

“This is the fight that is going to close out the year and be comparable to all the great fights that SHOWTIME put on this year. We’re going to do our job to make sure it is the greatest fight of the year.

“I’m looking to conquer the whole super middleweight division. This would be my third weight class. That’s what gives me the right to say I’m the best. This is bigger than Canelo. This is way bigger than that. We can’t just sit back and wait for him. David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade is the biggest fight.”

Abraham Gonzalez

Abraham Gonzalez is the founder of FightsATW. His journalistic work has been published and used across several platforms to include online, network TV and promotional companies. He is an American Public University alumnus and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). Abraham was the Managing Editor for NYFights, Big Fight Weekend, contributed to FanSidedMMA and ProBoxTV.

See author's posts