David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade clash for a ticket in the Canelo sweepstakes
David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade are vying for the opportunity to be considered one of the best fighters at 168 pounds.
They are also hoping a win will lead to a showdown against Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez and Andrade will collide on November 25 at the Michelob Ultra Events Center inside the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will air live on a Showtime Championship Boxing Pay-Per-View telecast.
A press conference will take place on Thursday, Oct. 12, to formally announce the fight.
The clash between Benavidez and Andrade has been rumored for during the past weeks. The fight was originally discussed for taking place in San Antonio, Texas, but Las Vegas was finalized as the site during the last week.
There is no world title fight on the line, but a lot is at stake. Benavidez is the mandatory challenger to face Ring magazine and undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. The winner will likely solidify his standing at 168 pounds and earn the title shot against Alvarez.
On September 30, Alvarez soundly defeated Ring magazine junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo by unanimous decision. After the fight, Alvarez announced his next fight would be on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2024.
That would give the winner of the Benavidez-Andrade fight ample time to rest and train for a fight against Alvarez, should the Mexican superstar decide to face the winner of this fight. Some of his other options are WBA world light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol or WBC world middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 knockouts), who grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, last fought on March 25, overcoming a slow start to defeat Caleb Plant by unanimous decision. In his previous fight on May 21 of last year, Benavidez stopped former world middleweight titleholder David Lemieux in the third round.
The 26-year-old has fought under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner and is promoted by Sampson Lewkowicz.
Andrade made his debut at super middleweight in his last bout on January 7, scoring a one-sided unanimous decision victory over fringe contender Demond Nicholson.
The 35-year-old Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs), who resides in Providence, Rhode Island, is a former three-time world titleholder in two different weight classes. Andrade was recently the WBO world middleweight titleholder, making five successful defenses, including his most recent in November 2021, stopping Jason Quigley.
Andrade was also the WBO and WBA world junior middleweight titleholder. He is now fighting under the PBC banner after having fought for Matchroom Boxing for several fights.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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