David Benavidez retained the interim world super middleweight belt by stopping Demetrius Andrade after the sixth round Saturday night.
In what was billed as clash of styles that could go the distance between unbeaten 168-pounders, Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) looked more like a clinician with a dominating performance before Andrade’s corner requested the stoppage after the sixth round.
Andrade (32-1) suffered the first loss of his career.
Benavidez is widely recognized as the world’s best super middleweight after Canelo Alvarez. Immediately after his win he called for a match against Alvarez to unify the super middleweight title as an annouced gathering of 9,585 fans roared their approval.
“I think I solidified myself as the dominant performer I am,” Benavidez said in the ring during the post-fight interview on Showtime. “Now just give me the fight that everyone wants to see.
“Let’s give the people what they want to see and they want to see David Benavidez against Canelo!”
After three close rounds, Benavidez, 26, lived up to his nickname of “The Mexican Monster” by neutralizing Andrade’s technical skills by implementing a violent non-stop pounding over the final three rounds.
In the fourth round, Benavidez began landing solid shots and taking advantage of openings for follow-up combinations while absorbing everything Andrade threw before scoring a knockdown just before the bell.