Undefeated David Benavidez and unbeaten Demetrius Andrade square off on Saturday, November 25 at Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contest features former two-time super middleweight champion up against former two-division world champion. The pair battles it out live on Showtime PPV.
Ahead of their 12-round bout, the fighters hosted a launch press conference at The Conga Room at L.A. Live. Benavidez and Andrade previewed their bout and went face to face.
Las Vegas-based David Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) is a former two-time WBC super middleweight champion. The 26-year-old native of Phoenix, Arizona is coming off the win by unanimous decision against Caleb Plant in March, when he retained his interim WBC 168-pound belt.
“This is definitely the biggest fight of my career,” David Benavidez said. “I give Demetrius a lot of props. He’s a great fighter and a lot of people have been ducking him for a long time. Nobody wanted to give him the opportunity but now we came together and we have the opportunity to make a great fight happen. These are the fights I want. I want to make my own lane and face the best. Andrade is one of the best in this weight class.”
“I know this isn’t going to be an easy fight but at the end of the day, it’s going to bring the best out of me. I’m a monster for a reason.”
‘The winner of this fight is the best super middleweight in the world’
“Everything about Demetrius Andrade is different than Caleb Plant. His fighting style. He’s a lefty. His combination selection is different. It’s up to me to do the homework and see what I can learn from him off his previous fights and then put in the game plan. He’s a world class fighter and he’s not going to give me an easy fight at all. He’s hungry for the fight so that’s going to make for a great fight and the fans are going to be the ones who win.”
“I’m not worried about Canelo Alvarez. I’m worried about Demetrius Andrade. I definitely believe the winner of this fight is the best super middleweight in the world.”
“He’s a very technical fighter. He’s a champion in two different weight classes. When you get a fighter like this, it’s 50-50. He’s a threat to anybody. A lot of people wouldn’t take the fight with him because they know he’s a problem. But for me, I want to be the best.”
“I’m taking this challenge because I want to shut everybody’s mouth up. When great fighters get put in front of me, the best comes out of me and I become a great fighter myself.”
“Training camps win fights and I’ve been training extremely hard. I’ve been really motivated since my last fight. I want to continue being on the pay-per-view level. I just have to keep working hard, staying disciplined and motivated.”
“I looked into his soul on those two faceoffs. I saw that he was scared but I know that he’s probably going to say the same thing about me.”
Demetrius Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) was in action in January, when he scored a unanimous decision against Demond Nicholson and made his successful ring return after over a year of layoff. The 35-year-old of Providence, Rhode Island is a former two-division world champion, who held the WBO and WBA super welterweight titles and the WBO middleweight belt.
“This is a great opportunity for myself and for David Benavidez to put on a show,” said Demetrius Andrade. “I’m excited. This is a great matchup and David is giving me an opportunity to become a three-division world champion. I’m looking forward to it. We’re ready to rumble.”
“There’s nothing about this guy that you can criticize. Therefore, we have ourselves a great fight. Our styles are going to clash really well and I think we’re going to put on a show. May the best man win.”
“This is the Super Bowl of the 168-pound division. This is the biggest fight that can be made. The two most avoided fighters. Yes, I haven’t fought the best because the best doesn’t want to fight me. He can have that same claim. But the time is now. This is the fight.”
“It’s great to see these father-son relationships. David and Jose Sr. are coming together and making it work. I have that as well. The bond is special. I know that he’s going to have the love in his corner and I’m going to have the love in my corner.”
‘I’m looking to conquer the whole super middleweight division’
“I believe that my power, my mind, my strength, my soul can overtake anything. I bet that Benavidez has that same will. November 25, we will be seasoning up some turkey. I definitely have what it takes.”
“This is the fight that is going to close out the year and be comparable to all the great fights that Showtime put on this year. We’re going to do our job to make sure it is the greatest fight of the year.”
“I’m looking to conquer the whole super middleweight division. This would be my third weight class. That’s what gives me the right to say I’m the best. This is bigger than Canelo. This is way bigger than that. We can’t just sit back and wait for him. David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade is the biggest fight.”
In the UK and Australia, Benavidez vs Andrade airs live on Sunday, November 26.
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