LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – NOVEMBER 25: David Benavidez (L) fights Demetrius Andrade in a WBC super middleweight title fight at Michelob ULTRA Arena on November 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benavidez retained his title with a TKO. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
November 26, 2023 9:30 am ET
David Benavidez was asked after his knockout of Demetrius Andrade what Mike Tyson said during their short post-fight meeting at ringside.
“I just told Mike Tyson that I love him,” Benavidez said in the ring. “And thanks so much for the motivation he’s given me. It’s not every day that a legend like Mike Tyson gives people a nickname. I just want to live up to my name.”
The nickname Tyson bestowed upon him is “The Mexican Monster.” And, yes, he’s living up to it.
The Mexican Monster @Benavidez300 stops Demetrius Andrade and puts the world, and another big 🇲🇽 fighter, on notice.
There’s a new people’s champ and his name is David Benavidez. #BenavidezAndrade pic.twitter.com/sTIu6uemHP
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) November 26, 2023
That was never more clear than on a dramatic Saturday night at Michelob Altra Anena in Las Vegas, where Benavidez dropped, pummeled and finally stopped one of the sport’s most avoided champions after the sixth round.
Benavidez, an “interim” beltholder, declared himself the best 168-pound champion in the world after the fight. That’s a notion an increasing number of knowledgeable observers are beginning to buy into but there is only one way to prove it.
He has to fight undi
