Victorious WBC interim super middleweight champion David Benavidez, together with highly esteemed contender Demetrius Andrade, are involved in negotiations for a bout later this year. The winner of this fight will be in an advantageous position to compete for the four 168-lb belts against either Canelo Alvarez or Jermell Charlo.
Renowned boxing commentator Dan Rafael shared on Twitter that discussions are in progress between Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) and Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) for a showdown in the fall. Benavidez has been patiently anticipating his chance to challenge the 168-lb champion Canelo for the past two years, and it's high time for his attempt at the full WBC title.
Canelo is said to have been sidestepping Benavidez and Andrade. On the other hand, Andrade, who ranks #1 in the WBA, #1 in the WBO, and #5 in the WBC, has also been trying to score a title shot against Canelo, but to no avail. The Mexican star has taken a simpler route in the past year, defending his super middleweight titles against the relatively slow, easy-to-hit British fighter John Ryder and the past-his-prime 40-year-old Gennadiy Golovkin.
The victorious party in the Benavidez-Andrade battle will be in a strong position to pressurize the World Boxing Council to mandate the WBC 168-lb champion, whether it's Canelo or Charlo, to defend their title or face potential stripping of their title or a likely demotion to ‘Champion in Recess.’
Regrettably, it’s highly possible that the WBC will permit the winner of Canelo vs. Charlo to evade their obligation to face Benavidez or Andrade by assigning them the ‘Champion in Recess’ status. The boxing community would find it disappointing and utterly predictable if the WBC allowed Canelo or Charlo to sidestep a defense against the winner of the Benavidez vs. Andrade contest.
The upside is that the victor of the Benavidez-Andrade bout will likely be in full possession of the WBC belt by next year. However, it is unlikely that they will earn this belt in the ring by defeating the winner between Canelo and Charlo. In effect, either Benavidez or Andrade will become the WBC email champion, depriving them of the recognition and praise they would receive from boxing enthusiasts had they won against the Canelo-Demetrius winner for the full belt.
Although a good match, Benavidez's upcoming fight with 34-year-old Andrade will be a step back compared to his last bout in March against Caleb Plant. A Benavidez vs. Andrade fight won't generate as much fan interest and will not deliver the significant payout that the 'Mexican Monster' has been anticipating from a face-off against superstar Canelo.
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