El Bandera Roja, the Mexican Monster, or El Monstruo — whichever name you prefer, David Benavidez consistently delivers performances worthy of a Canelo payday, marked by brutal, highlight-reel violence. This past Saturday, Benavidez continued his streak, overpowering the unorthodox Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade. Benavidez's relentless assault forced Andrade's corner to stop the fight in the sixth round. Although Andrade had moments of success in the early rounds, as well as a massive uppercut before the stoppage, he had already been down in the fourth round. Benavidez's merciless dominance continued until the bell, securing his undefeated status and maintaining his position as the WBC interim World Super Middleweight Champion.
Valentin Romero/Team Benavidez
“I think I just solidified myself as a dominant force here,” said Benavidez. “I just reminded everyone who the real champion at 168 is. Who wants to see me versus Canelo? I'm going to be super middleweight champion of the world, three-time world champion. Now just give me the fight that we all want to see. Who wants to see Benavidez versus Canelo?”
In the post-fight press conference, an emotional Benavidez thanked his wife, team and fans for their support, while his promoter Sampson Boxing, called out Alvarez for refusing to say Benavidez’s name as a possible opponent and his father, Jose Benavidez Sr., straight up took to the media post-press conference to call him a “p*ssy” for not fighting his son.
The ongoing question of why Alvarez has consistently dismissed Benavidez as an opponent in recent years remains valid. There's a notable theory suggesting Alvarez opted to move up to the 168-pound division only after Benavidez was stripped of his WBC title for a second time. However, it seems far-fetched to assume that Alvarez anticipated Benavidez missing weight, viewing it as an "easy" path to claim the WBC title.
Regardless of the earlier setbacks in the young fighter's career, which indicated issues with discipline, these incidents now appear distant. They are overshadowed by his fan-friendly fighting style, endorsement by the all-time-greats like Mike Tyson, and impressive collection of knockout highlights, even if it’s against fighters Alvarez may deem as, “mediocre fighters.”
Valentin Romero/Team Benavidez
Considering Alvarez's somewhat lackluster performances following his historic achievement of super middleweight supremacy against Caleb Plant, and Benavidez's use of this time to rebuild his career, it's clear why Benavidez has become the most-requested opponent for Alvarez since Gennadiy Golovkin.
Only this time, Alvarez’s role would be reversed, with him now as the older fighter facing a younger gun trying to take the throne. And maybe that’s what Alvarez dislikes. Perhaps, he enjoys being the challenger, as he was developed by fighting some past-their-prime greats and moved on to challenging the brits for their super middleweight titles before dethroning Caleb Plant for the last piece of the puzzle. Just maybe, he wants to control who he passes the torch to, and for some reason, Benavidez doesn’t fit the bill. Who knows.
When asked about possible opponents, Alvarez never namedrops Benavidez. When asked directly about Benavidez, Alvarez went from questioning his discipline, to dismissing him and even getting irritated and upset when Sean Zittel from FightHype asked about Benavidez at his post-fight press conference after defeating Golovkin for a second time.
Rambling aside, a fight between the two would be beneficial both financially and for the livelihood of the sport. Two guys fighting each other at their primes* (Canelo’s chances of beating Benavidez are dropping by the day, imo.) Unfortunately, it is up to Alvarez to decide if he wants to pick Benavidez as he remains temporarily tied to PBC.
As for Andrade, this loss might prove devastating. While some may argue he possessed great skill, never fully showcased because of lack of top opponents, Andrade’s career consisted of boring decisions and c-level fighter knockouts and joined the conversation only after earning a vacant middleweight belt. His time has passed, and we’ve seen his best. With that in mind, Andrade might be a gatekeeping contender at best.
"Benavidez is the bigger man,” said Andrade. “I wouldn't say the better skillful man, but he's the bigger man. I tried to go up to a new weight class. I have to go back to the drawing board and work on my body a little more. Then, I'll be right back at it.”
In the co-main event, Jermall Charlo delivered a better-than-most expected performance, completely dominating a frustrated Jose Benavidez Jr. to earn a clear unanimous decision. Post-fight, Charlo told the media he was bored of the same questions regarding his mental health, was considering moving to 168 and even discussed his distant relationship with his brother.
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
“To the people of boxing, I'll be back. I'll give you all more fights in 2024. I'm motivated by boos so keep booing.”
While I’d prefer for Charlo to continue with B/C-level opponents until his mental health gets better, the “Lions Only” twin is looking for big fights in both 160 and 168. As for Benavidez Jr., I’m honestly fine only seeing him again when rewatching Creed 2.
In his first junior welterweight title defense, Subriel Matias destroyed his opponent Shohjahon Ergashev in six rounds. Ergashev came out swinging with bad intentions, with Matias constantly breaking the southpaw down against the ropes. In his post-fight interview, the Puerto Rican champ mentioned interest in the big dogs in the division.
“Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, if you want that, come over here and fight."
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
In the pay-per-view opener, Hector Luis Garcia lost his lightweight title to PBC’s latest stable addition, Lamont Roach Jr. Though the fight was competitive, neither fighter really wowed until Roach sent Garcia to the canvas in the last round, securing him the win on the scorecards and becoming the NEW WBA Super Featherweight Champion by scores of 116-111, 114-113 and 113-114.
“Man, I’ve been waiting to hear ‘And the new’ for a long time. It’s about time though. All I needed was the spotlight…I don’t think anyone can beat me. Nobody.”
Ryan Hafey/Premier Boxing Champions
And with that, we concluded the last Showtime pay-per-view ever. I was honored to be part of it in any small way.
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