It may take two rounds. It may take three rounds. It could take five. David “El Monstruo” Benavidez will figure it out. Against slick southpaw Demetrius Andrade, the 26-year-old former two-time WBC super middleweight titlist was patient when he had to be and knew when to press the accelerator.

Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight at the end of the sixth round, requested by Andrade’s corner, in what could be Benavidez’s most impressive performance before 9,585 on Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Benavidez (28-0, 24 knockouts), The Ring’s No. 1-rated super middleweight, immediately called out undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez.

“I think I just solidified myself as a dominant force here,” Benavidez said. “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?”

Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) closed the first round with a combination to the body and head. Andrade did a nice job of turning and moving Benavidez. From his southpaw stance, Andrade kept the jab out. And with 1:30 left in the second, Andrade unfurled another quick combination on a covered-up Benavidez. With 32 seconds left in the second, Andrade popped Benavidez with a straight left to the face.

As the bell sounded to end the second, it was very easy to see Andrade up 2-0.

With 1:52 left in the third, Andrade, though considered to be the more finesse fighter, had the bigger, younger Benavidez pinned up against the ropes, slamming short, inside shots on Benavidez.

That changed a minute later. Benavidez figured Andrade out. He found his range with 51 seconds left in the round, beginning with a right to the face.

With three seconds left in the fourth, Benavidez bounced a pulverizing right off the temple of Andrade, sending him down in a heap for the third time in his career.

When asked how he was able to stop Andrade, Benavidez said, “Because of the hard work and dedication I put in. Everybody says I’m not this, I’m not that, I’m flat-footed, I have no defense. This guy probably applied one of the best defenses. He’s really good offensively. He could barely even hit me, so I think that says a lot on its own.

“I think the first shot I caught him with was when I dipped his left hand and came back with a right hand and that made a point, and I knew I had to keep putting the pressure on him because he wasn’t going to keep taking those shots. Let’s give the people what they want to see. They want to see Benavidez versus Canelo.”

The opening seconds of the fifth meant more punishment for Andrade. In just his second fight at 168 pounds, Andrade could not keep the heavy-handed Benavidez off of him. With 1:36 remaining, Benavidez was winging right-handed uppercuts that were more like missiles, snapping Andrade’s head back.

Andrade was wobbling and in terrible trouble the last 30 seconds of the round, taking huge shots on his head and jaw, and the uppercut seemed to be a magnet for his chin.

The Monster is one SCARY dude 😤

Andrade's corner stops the fight between rounds and @Benavidez300 stays perfect ⭐#BenavidezAndrade pic.twitter.com/wGtIWWT6Ql

— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) November 26, 2023

Andrade wandered back to his corner looking like he was drunk.

Before the sixth, Taylor told Andrade, “You better show me something.”

With 1:24, Taylor told Andrade again, “Show me something.” With 50 seconds left in the sixth, Andrade popped Benavidez with a right uppercut, then stunned him.

It did not last long.

Benavidez responded with left hooks, more right uppercuts, and straight rights had Andrade in trouble again.

Between the sixth and seventh, Taylor told Andrade’s corner, “I cannot see another round like that.”

A few seconds later, the fight was stopped.

“I’ll be back – back to the drawing board,” Andrade said. “I moved up in weight classes. I’ll work on my body a little more and I’ll be right back at it. I thought overall I did everything I needed to do to get the bigger man off me.

“David’s definitely a hell of a fighter. Nobody was even willing to get in the ring with him. I tried to become a three-division world champion. That’s not far-fetched. David was the man tonight. Congratulations to him and his family. We move on, and we’re going to keep pushing.

“Benavidez is the bigger man. I wouldn’t say the better skillful man, but he’s the bigger man. I tried to go up to a new weight class. Congratulations to him, and I’ll be back. 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.”

Joseph Santoliquito is hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Follow @JSantoliquito

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