Demetrius Andrade expects WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez to be moving up in weight to heavyweight soon because of his huge size.
Andrade believes that he won’t be able to make eight for the 168-lb division for much longer, and this view is shared by others as well.
For Benavidez’s last fight against Caleb Plant, he did not look making weight and didn’t appear as strong as he’d been in the past during the fight.
Some believe that the 26-year-old Benavidez has reached the stage where he needs to move up to 175 at the very least because he’s putting he’s body through torture to stay at the 168 weight, hoping for that big payday fight against Canelo Alvarez.
During the recent kickoff press conference for their upcoming fight on November 25th at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) appeared to weigh over 200 lbs and looked massive standing next to Andrade.
It’s going to be interesting to see how Andrade deals with the size, pressure, and combination punching of Benavidez, especially if he rehydrates into the 190s. If he’s looking like a cruiserweight on the night, Benavidez will be a headache for Andrade if he can’t stay on the move for the full twelve rounds.
“I never thought it was going to be David Benavidez. I remember watching him and thinking, ‘This kid is going to be good fight,'” said Demetrius Andrade to Fight Hub TV. “You can tell he’s big. There’s not much height difference, but his body. He seems like he’s going to be a heavyweight in his near future. I don’t know long he can be at 168.”
If Benavidez does move to heavyweight, he needs to do it soon if he wants to get there in time to catch Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury before the two aging Brits retire.
Once those two retire, there won’t be any stars left. Deontay Wilder just turned 38, and he rarely fights anymore, and he likely wouldn’t give Benavidez a chance to throw his speedy combinations against him.
“I know it’s crazy,” said Andrade when told that Jermall Charlo is fighting Jose Benavidez Jr. next. “I can’t wait around for him [Jermall]. I can’t wait around for Canelo. David has nowhere to go, and I have nowhere to go.”
It’s surprising that the Jermall Charlo vs. Jose Benavidez Jr. hasn’t been officially announced as being part of the Benavidez-Andrade card next month. It’s supposed to be pegged for the co-feature spot, but it’s strange that it hasn’t been made official yet.
It makes you wonder if Charlo is being difficult for the negotiations or perhaps having second thoughts about returning to the ring after his two 1/2-year layoff.
When a fighter has a lot of money like Jermall and has been enjoying himself for an extended period, it’s sometimes difficult to return to work because they don’t need to.
“We’re both two of the avoided fighters. It’s only right that Showtime continues to put on the best fights, and we wheeled & dealed and made it happen,” said Andrade.
“I think he’s [Jermall] going to beat his brother [Jose Benavidez Jr.] down, and hopefully, that brings the energy right back to my sake too. Charlo, he gets on the Internet, ‘I want to fight, we’re going to fight,’ and then you’re fighting this guy.
“I don’t have time for that. I can’t keep playing those games. You either want to fight or you don’t. ‘You want to fight David Benavidez?’ ‘Yeah, I’ll fight him, no problem.’ ‘David, you want to fight Andrade?’ ‘Yeah, no problem. Let’s make it happen.’ So, we’re here.”
“Who can stop what Benavidez is going to bring?” said Shawn Porter on his YouTube channel. “David Benavidez? Go to his body. If you pressure him, he enjoys it. He’s like, ‘Cool.’ Dance on him.
![[David Benavidez] "going to be at heavyweight" - Demetrius Andrade](https://www.boxing247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/0016_Benavidez-vs-Andrade-Press-Conference-boxing-photo-768x512.jpg "Photo: [David Benavidez] \"going to be at heavyweight\" - Demetrius Andrade")