David Benavidez is convinced that his opponent for Saturday, Demetrius Andrade, is cut from the same cloth as Caleb Plant, so it won’t be a problem for him to defeat him in their fight at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) says Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) moves like Plant, fights like Plant, and has exact same style that he’s familiar with after defeating the Tennesse native last March.
He points out that the 35-year-old former two-division world champion Andrade didn’t look good in his debut at 168 last January against journeyman Demond Nicholson, and he’d been hurt in the past several times when he fought at 160.
Why didn’t Benavidez fight Morrell?
Benavidez doesn’t say why he chose to fight Andrade rather than David Morrell, who holds a world title at 168, has fought in that weight class his entire career, and has called him out.
With Benavidez’s low opinion of Andrade, it seems odd that he chose him over Morrell, which would suggest that he was afraid of losing to him.
It reaffirms the belief that some fans have about Benavidez that he focuses on taking sure-thing fights that won’t mess up his quest for a massive payday fight against Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez doesn’t seem to want to earn the Canelo fight by taking risky fights against David Morrell, Dmitry Bivol, and Artur Beterbiev. Instead, he’s taking the easier matches, and he admits that he knows he’s going to win these fights.
Benavidez expects tough fight from Andrade
“I can’t say because I haven’t fought him yet. On paper, he looks really good, like Caleb Plant,” said David Benavidez to the media when asked if Demetrius Andrade is the best opponent he’s taken on.
“It’s my job to go in there and expose everything,” said Benavidez. “You guys know it. I don’t even have to say it anymore. I’m just interested in what they put in front of me,” said David when asked about his thoughts on Canelo Alvarez, saying he doesn’t want to fight Mexican fighters, yet his next opponent in May is rumored to be Jaime Munguia.”
Andrade is nothing like Caleb Plant, and it’s strange that Benavidez and his dad, Jose Sr, frequently compare him to him. Plant is a stiff, upright, weak puncher, who throws mostly slapping left hooks. Caleb is essentially a six-round fighter. After the sixth, he’s fighting on fumes and struggles when facing good opposition.
In contrast, Andrade is a slick fighter with power in both hands, who is excellent at fighting in the pocket and has good stamina.
“My job is to be the best super middleweight in the world. Whoever they put in front of me, that’s who I’m going to keep beating,” said Benavidez. “I told you guys that I really want to be the best of my generation, and the only way to do that is to go through everybody.
“I believe in my strengths; I believe in my powers and my abilities. I’m not scared of nobody. By the time my time is done, you guys are going to see me as the next great fighter like Chavez, like Barrera, like Oscar De La Hoya. That’s the same route I’m going to follow.
Andrade = same style as Plant
“I feel like he’s never seen nobody like me,” said Benavidez about Andrade. “He’s been hurt at 160 a few times. He had a fight with Demond Nicholson. He didn’t look good.”
Andrade isn’t the only one that’s been hurt. Benavidez was hurt and put on the canvas by Ronald Gavril, and he looked buzzed by some big shots from Ronald Ellis as well.
Of course, we’d know more about Benavidez’s ability to take a good punch if his resume were better. His resume is poor, so it’s helped him glide through a ten-year professional career without getting hurt.
Benavidez’s best opposition:
- Caleb Plant
- David Lemieux
- Ronald Gavril
- J’Leon Love
- Kyrone Davis
- Ronald Ellis
- Rogelio Medina
- Anthony Dirrell
Those were all B & C-level opposition and no one stands out where you can say, “Yeah, that’s an A-level or elite-level fighter.’ Anthony Dirrell was an excellent fighter during his prime, but by the time Benavidez fought him, he was 38 years old and at the tail-end of his career.
“He couldn’t even hurt Demond Nicholson, a person that got dropped four times by Edgar Berlanga. I don’t think much of Edgar Berlanga. I just feel like I’m a better fighter, a stronger fighter, and you’re going to see on Saturday.”
Of course, Andrade has fought guys of huge size like Benavdiez, and fighters that threw a lot of punches.
What will give Andrade problems is that he hasn’t fought at 168 for long enough to get proper experience for a fighter that will look like a cruiserweight on Saturday night after he rehydrates.
“We move slowly. Whoever they put me in front of, my job is to clear out the division, and that’s what I intend on doing. That was an eye-opener when I fought Caleb. I feel he’s going to be the exact same fighter as Caleb. I can’t say he’s better or not as good, but it’s the same style.
“I got to use my ring IQ and experience from my past fights. When you’re a world class fighter an elite fighter, the first time you fight on PPV, it’s more nerves. I think I’m past that stage now. I work extremely hard and I’m excited to show the people what I’ve worked on in training camp.
“Overall fighter, it’s kind of the same. He’s a boxer and movies around a lot,” said Benavidez, reiterating his belief that Andrade is similar to Plant. “He might be better on the inside, but I don’t know. I haven’t faced him, and he hasn’t faced me. We put a good game plan together, so it’s going to be an interesting night.
“He’s been training extremely hard. He’s been building his stamina and building everything. He’s really hungry,” said Benavidez about his brother Jose Benavidez Jr., who is facing Jermall Charlo on Saturday night. “He has a big opportunity against Charlo, so he’s going to take full advantage of it.”
