David Benavidez stops Demetrius Andrade, calls out Canelo again

LAS VEGAS -- David Benavidez has earned a shot at Canelo Alvarez.

In another dominant performance, Benavidez stopped Demetrius Andrade when Andrade's corner stopped their scheduled 12-round, 168-pound bout after the sixth round Saturday night at Mandalay Bay.

Immediately after, Benavidez was congratulated by Mike Tyson.

"I just told Mike Tyson that I love him and thank you so much for the motivation he's given me," said Benavidez. "It's not every day a boxing legend like Mike Tyson gives people nicknames, so I just want to live up to my name."

It was the former two-time heavyweight champion that nicknamed him the "The Mexican Monster," and Benavidez lived up to it.

Andrade, a previously unbeaten two-division champion, fought well until Benavidez caught him in the closing seconds of the fourth round and dropped him with a thunderous right hand.

Instead of clinching, Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) chose to fight his way out of trouble, and Benavidez made him pay.

Andrade fired back with some solid combinations in the sixth, including an uppercut that snapped Benavidez's head back. However, he simply couldn't take Benavidez's punches. The Seattle-based fighter walked him to the corner in the closing stages of the frame and pounded him with hard shots that left him spitting out blood.

And with that, the fight was over.

"I think the first shot I caught him with was when I dipped his left hand and came back with a right hand, and that made a point," said Benavidez. "And I knew I had to keep putting the pressure on him because he wasn't going to keep taking those shots.

"Everybody says I'm not this, I'm not that, I'm flat-footed, I have no defense. This guy probably applied one of the best defenses. He's really good offensively. He could barely even hit me, so I think that says a lot on its own.

"For Canelo and everybody else, it just shows I'm not f---ing around."

Per Compubox, Benavidez landed 117 of 336 punches (35%), and Andrade landed 68 of 259 punches (26%).

The 35-year-old Andrade, who held titles at 154 and 160 pounds, attempted to bully the bully. Although he found success in the early rounds, Benavidez made one small adjustment, which was to fire away at the body until Andrade's head was brought down. And that allowed Benavidez to connect with a thunderous right hand that ultimately changed the outcome of the fight.

"I thought, overall, I did everything I needed to do to get the bigger man off me," said Andrade. "David's definitely a hell of a fighter. Nobody was even willing to get in the ring with him."

Bring on Canelo vs. Benavidez