Benavidez: "Beating Andrade will prove that I'm number one"

“This will be a great end to the year and perhaps the best tournament because everyone on this night has something to prove,” said David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs), who will face Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) this coming Saturday.

At stake in the meeting will be Benavidez’s “interim” WBC super middleweight belt and mandatory challenger status for Saul Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs). The Mexican star owns all four titles in the weight limit up to 76.2 kilograms, and David and Demetrius have been trying to get into the ring with him for several years.

“This could be the fight of the year, we definitely won’t disappoint the fans. Andrade is an Olympian, a former world champion in two categories, and these are the fights I want to prove that I am number one in this weight class. This is the only direction I could go. I definitely have a tough fight against a great technician with good defense, but I always find a way to win one way or another. This time it will be the same. Boxing is a sport, it's fun, but when I get into the ring, I become very dangerous and send my opponents to the hospital. Whenever I have the opportunity, I will throw power punches and try to finish the fight as quickly as possible,” Benavidez said.

“Fans buy tickets to watch the knockouts and I want to give that to them and at the same time prove that I am number one in the world. And silence your critics. I prepared for this fight for three and a half months and gave my all during the training camp. My goal is to fight and defeat the best, and Andrade is one of the best. Having won the next fights, sooner or later Canelo will have to face me. “I am the biggest challenge for Alvarez, and if I win against Andrade, our fight simply must take place,” added Benavidez, a former two-time WBC super middleweight champion who lost the belt outside the ring due to excess weight and traces of doping in his body.