David Benavidez had some harsh words for Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez following a statement win over Demetrius Andrade.
Benavidez put in a career-best performance against the two-weight world champion, who entered the ring undefeated and promising the upset.
It was tipped to be a hard night’s work for the Mexican, but his unique talent of moving through the gears and upping the pressure came good once more.
Following an extremely bruising few rounds and a knockdown in the fourth, Andrade’s corner called the fight after the sixth with the fighter not returning from his stool. It marked a 28th win for Benavidez – his 24th by stoppage – and him retaining his WBC Interim World Title.
That makes him mandatory for a shot at Saul ‘Canelo’ Álvarez – a fight he has been calling for for some time now, and one a vast majority of fans believe he deserves next.
Despite not yet being able to challenge for the full belt, he told the Las Vegas crowd that he was the real champion.
“Just a reminder to let everybody know who the f**k the real champion at 168 is. They want to see me versus Canelo, and that’s what we want too. I’m the youngest super-middleweight champion of the world, three-time world champion, just gimme the fight that we all want to see. Who wants to see David Benavidez versus Canelo? That’s what you guys wanna see? Let’s get it.”
Canelo has a long and storied career and is well-respected for the challenges he’s taken, but backlash seems around the corner should the Benavidez fight not be prioritised.
He still currently holds all four belts in the division, and has been rumoured to be in talks with Jaime Munguía for a May bout.