Undefeated two-time super middleweight champion David Benavidez and unbeaten two-division champion Demetrius Andrade met at a press conference in Los Angeles to preview their showdown for the Interim WBC Super Middleweight title, and what is expected to be a mandatory shot at Canelo Alvarez.
Weeks ago, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman named David Benavidez as the mandatory challenger for Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight title. With Benavidez fighting Andrade, this opens the door for Andrade to be elevated to mandatory challenger if victorious.
The rivals have often been labeled as two of the most avoided fighters in the sport. Seeing them come together for their November 25th clash has brought excitement across social media, and the latest press conference has Benavidez thinking about what’s next.
David Benavidez has called for the WBC to strip Canelo Alvarez of his WBC super-middleweight world title if he doesn't fight him: "That's what happens when you're #1 contender, you fight for the belt. So I think they should do the right thing and, if he doesn’t wanna fight, strip…
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 13, 2023
Benavidez has made it clear that he wants to rule, as champion, in the super middleweight division once again, with or without Canelo.
“The past two years and I’ve been doing my job, I’ve been doing my thing. That’s what happens when you’re number one contender,” said Benavidez to the media.
Despite the talk of Canelo though, Benavidez remains focused on the challenge ahead. He respects Andrade’s talent and skill level and voiced this to the media.
“Like I said, these are the type of fights I want. These are the type of fights that motivates me,” said Benavidez. “Demetrius Andrade is a slick fighter. He has a lot of tricks in his bag, but like I said, he’s going to bring the best out of me, and I’ve been working extremely hard for this camp like I do for all my camps.”
With six weeks to go until the Benavidez vs Andrade clash, it will be interesting to see how each fighter progresses through training camp and what the undercard will look like.