By: Sean Crose
“Benavidez is a monster,” Oscar De La Hoya said to Fight Hub in a recently posted video. “He has a lot of aggression, but he knows how to use it. ” De La Hoya, the legendary fighter turned promoter, has seen a lot in his time. Say what one will, when De La Hoya talks boxing, people listen. His words regarding super middleweight Benavidez, however, are sure to raise some eyebrows. “I think he knocks him out,” the man once called “The Golden Boy” said of a Benavidez match against undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez. “Benavidez,” De La Hoya repeated, “is a monster.”
While essentially admitting that he might very well be wrong, De La Hoya then explained why he feels Beanvidez could actually trump Canelo in the right. “Just by studying,” he said, “and being an historian of boxing, the writing’s on the wall (for Canelo). If Benavidez is going to throw fifty punches a round, then guess whose going to win?” In the end, De La Hoya indicated it would all come down to output. “I think Benavidez, because he’s young, because he’s strong, because he’s very versatile and throws a lot of punches, it’s going to create problems for Canelo,” he said.
Before there’s any chance of facing Canelo, however, Benavidez has to get past the highly skilled and enigmatic Demetrius Andrade when the two men meet on the 25th of this month in Las Vegas as the headliner of a pay per view card. It’s an interesting fight, one that could – on paper at least – go either way. It’s a classic boxer-puncher scenario with the power punching Benavidez looking to break down the fluid and confident Andrade. While it’s arguable whether or not the quality pairing of Benavidez and Andrade is pay per view worthy, it’s a simple fact that the Benavidez-Andrade will be the last fight of note to be broadcast by Showtime.
“It’s a sad moment for boxing,” De La Hoya reflected on the cable network’s exit from the fight scene. “Showtime really did a great job in giving us amazing fights over the years…they will be missed. I strongly feel when someone exits the sport of boxing they leave a nice memory in many people’s minds.” Still, while few would deny Showtime will be missed by fans, De La Hoya took a somewhat larger view of things. “Life goes on,” he said, “and boxing goes on, and boxing moves forward.”
