The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Boxing with Chris Mannix - Welcome to Andrade Island

Episode Date: November 23, 2023

Chris is joined this week by the legendary broadcaster Jim Lampley and longtime boxing writer Lance Pugmire to discuss Shakur Stevenson's latest performance, Taylor-Cameron II, and preview Andrade-Ben...avidez on PPV.com. Chris also gives his thoughts on the battle of words between the WBC and Ring Magazine and who he thinks is in the wrong. Later in the podcast, David Benavidez stops by to talk about his fight with Andrade and what he needs to do to come out on top. All that and more. WBC vs. Ring Magazine: 6:45 Jim Lampley and Lance Pugmire: 17:03 David Benavidez: 52:00  #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:03:36 Now with interviews, analysis, and everything going on in the world of boxing. When you have talent, you are given another chance. Here's Chris Mannix. And we are back. Boxing with Chris Mannix, part of the Volume Sports Podcast Network. Hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving. week, a great start to this holiday season. Boxing is certainly giving us great things this holiday season.
Starting point is 00:04:02 You never know what you're going to get on an end of the year boxing schedule, but this year, you are getting some good stuff. It starts this weekend, doubleheader, Katie Taylor, Shantel Cameron 2 over in Ireland. In the U.S., you've got Demetrius Andrade against David Benavides, a showdown between two undefeated 168-pound contenders. And then next week, you've got Ryan Garcia back. The week after that, Devin Haney against Regis Progrey. I just saw the clip that Matron posted about the face-off I did between Haney and Progrey.
Starting point is 00:04:35 It was incredible. I think the fight is going to be even better. So stay on the lookout for that. And then on the 16th of December, we get a unification fight in the 112-pound division, Bam Rodriguez against Sunny Edwards. Great fight between two of the top smaller fighters in the world. And then December 23rd in Southwerex. Saudi Arabia. Anthony Joshua is back. Deontay Wilder is back. Dmitri Bevel is back. You even got
Starting point is 00:05:02 Jarrell Miller back in a pretty big fight. So at least through Christmas, your Saturdays are booked if you are a boxing fan. That's something to be excited about as we close out 2023. We've got a great show lined up for you this week. We've got to talk about all that. Jim Lampley, the Hall of Fame broadcaster, Lance Pugmire, veteran boxing journalist. They are on the call, or at least on the stream for Paperview.com on Saturday, which will be broadcasting the David Benevite's Demetrius Andrade fight. I talked to Jim and Lance about what we saw last weekend from Chacore Stevenson, a pretty uninspiring performance and what kind of lingering effects that may have on Chikor's career. We also talk about Katie Taylor against Chantelle Cameron. Big moment for
Starting point is 00:05:49 Katie Taylor trying to avenge her lone professional defeat. But we really get into the Andrade Benavides fight. And I want to know if Jim and Lance are going to join me on Andrade Island. If you listen to this podcast, you know I am an unabashed supporter of Demetrius Andrade. He has been waiting a long time for this opportunity. And I believe he's going to shine in it. Jim and Lance talked to me about that fight and much more. A little bit later in the show, David Benavides is here. I stopped by the press conference in L.A. on Tuesday, sat down with David Benavides. He looked like he was in great shape. He looked like he was. was close to being on weight.
Starting point is 00:06:27 He was motivated. I had a great chat with David Benavides about this fight and his pathway to Canelo Alvarez. We know that is the end game for David Benavides to get into the ring with Canello. We talk about how this fight, he hopes to be a springboard to that fight. So stick around for that conversation with David Benavides. Before I get to any of that, I do have to weigh in on what I saw this week between WBC's President Maricio Suleiman and Ring Magazine. This was one of the weirder stories of the week,
Starting point is 00:07:03 which began when Maricio Suleman at the WBC Convention in Uzbekistan, had this to say about Ring Magazine's decision not to sanction the Bam Rodriguez-Sundi Edwards fight for its ring title. The Ring Magazine is a magazine. I don't know why media and champions and promoters give any credit to a ring magazine belt which only threatens the credibility of the sport. I am very upset because they just declared a few days ago that the rankings of the organizations are corrupt.
Starting point is 00:07:46 And if you touch my WBC, I'm going to fight back. I don't care about the ring magazine because they are a business. They make money. They are biased. And that is not boxing. Boxing is what you see here. The world boxing united to make boxing better and safer, a paper magazine awarding a belt has no meaning.
Starting point is 00:08:14 All right, there is a lot to unpack there. And it begins with this idea that, that Ring Magazine is a business that should not be trusted or should not be held in high esteem. The WBC is a business. They are a for-profit business. And I thought it was kind of rich that Maricio was making these comments at his latest boondoggle in Uzbekistan. That right up the top, I found amusing. But it shows just an incredible lack of self-awareness by Maricio Suleiman to try to diminish what Ring Magazine has been doing and what they are doing with their titles and with their rankings. Let me give you a couple of reasons why. Let's go back to February before Jake Paul faced Tommy Fury.
Starting point is 00:09:14 Maricio Sulema made it clear that if Jake Paul were to beat Tommy. Tommy Fury. Jake Paul would have a place in the top 40 of the WBC's cruiserweight rankings. Bear in mind that Jake Paul had never faced an actual boxer before. He had faced a basketball player, a bunch of MMA guys, but he had not faced an actual boxer. Yet Maricio Suleiman seemed to believe that if Jake Paul defeated Tommy Fury, he was worthy of a cruiserweight ranking. He also sanctioned that fight with some bizarreo WBC title, which I'm sure they took. some kind of fee for. Jake Paul is a lot of things.
Starting point is 00:09:52 Good for boxing among them, as I've written many times. A win over Tommy Fury does not make Jake Paul worthy of a cruiserweight ranking. But putting that aside, you want to look a little more recent. At the most recent WBC convention, Maricio Suleiman on the WBC deemed it worthy to place Francis Ngano at the number 10 spot in the WBC rank. This is the same Franz Zingano, who in his first pro boxing match, gave Tyson Fury all he could ask for in the ring. Really, you know, fought him as best that he possibly could, did a great job in that fight, but ultimately wound up on the losing end of that fight. And look, we can quarrel with the judging.
Starting point is 00:10:40 I happen to think it was fairly scored. I thought Tyson Fury did enough to win that fight. a close loss in your pro debut does not warrant a place in the top 10 of any sanctioning body's rankings. It just doesn't. And think about it. Look at the guys who are below in Ghanu in the rankings. You've got Philip Hergevich, who is 11th in the WBC rankings. Philip Hergevich is undefeated.
Starting point is 00:11:11 Philip Hergovich is in line for a world title shot in early 2024. via another sanctioning body. Philip Hergevich shouldn't be ranked higher than Franzenganu. How about Jay Li Zhang, who has coming off back-to-back monster knockout wins over Joe Joyce? He's not worthy of a spot ahead of Francine. It's ridiculous. It is completely ridiculous.
Starting point is 00:11:36 Here is why Francineganu is ranked in the top 15. If you are ranked in the top 15 of the WBC rankings, then you, by definition, by rule, can fight for a WBC title, which means, let's say Tyson Fury gets through Alexander Usik in February, then maybe again, middle of next year. They do two fights. Let's say that happens. There's going to be a rematch.
Starting point is 00:12:01 There's no doubt about it. And in that rematch, France Singano can fight for the WBC title because France Singano is rank. That's what this is all about. It is a cash grab. It is a way to get sanctioning fee. off Fury and off Inganu in the rematch. Simple as that. Now, why they ranked Inganu in the top 10 that didn't have to,
Starting point is 00:12:21 I wasn't really sure about. I checked in with a bunch of boxing people, and the most common response that I got was it was a PR play. Now the WBC can say, Ngano was so good, we think he's a top 10 heavyweight. He's 10th, but they think now he's a top 10 heavyweight. So that's what that was ultimately all about. Getting Franziangano ranked, getting him inside that top 15 so that he can fight for the world title some point in time in 2024.
Starting point is 00:12:53 But there are so many other examples as well. I mean, the creation of the franchise championship was one of the worst additions to boxing that we've seen in the last 20, 25 years, maybe longer. Franchise championship meant nothing. All it did was serve to confuse the lightweight division where, Lomachenko had it, then Teufima Lopez had it, then Devin Haney had a version of it, and everybody was arguing over who was unified, who was undisputed, it made a giant mess of the lightweight division.
Starting point is 00:13:23 Same thing with Canelo, who was the franchise championship, champion at 160, it just became this distraction that was not good for the sport overall. Now, look, I happen to think that Mauricio personally is a pretty good guy, But like the other sanctioned bodies, I think the relationship between them and boxing is largely parasitic. Like, they are out for themselves. They are looking to make as much money as they possibly can. Another example, and this came to my mind because I was at the Andrade Benevita's presser.
Starting point is 00:14:01 You see, Jamal Charlo there. Jamal Charlo has been the WBC middleweight champion for over two years now. He is not defending his title in this fight against. Jose Benavides. He's fighting it at a catchweight above 160. And he's made it pretty clear that because the money fights for him are at 168, he's more likely than not headed in that direction. But the WBC, despite having an interim champion in Carlos Saddamas, has kept Charlo installed as its primary champion. And the reason they're doing that, and I said this to Maricio's face when he appeared on the podcast recently, is because they're hoping that Jamal Charlo,
Starting point is 00:14:41 faces Canelo Alvarez. And if they do, it will be WBC champion against WBC champion. That's what they want. There's no altruistic reason for this. There's no concern about Jermal Charlow getting his life together. They want Jermal Charlow to be the recognized WBC champion if and when he faces Canelo Alvarez. Simple as that.
Starting point is 00:15:03 So look, Ring Magazine is not beyond reproach. Ring Magazine is owned by Golden Boy promotions, which presuppents. presents a conflict of interest in and of itself. But Doug Fisher, who is the longtime editor of Ring Magazine, I think is one of the most credible and respectable journalists out there. They have a legitimate panel that votes on these rankings that are filled with, are populated by legitimate journalists. You just can't say that Ring Magazine is this lesser version of a boxing entity.
Starting point is 00:15:37 When, look, Ring Magazine doesn't charge for anything. sanctioning fees. They don't take any sanctioning fees off fire. That's why I've often said, if you're a guy like Canello or an undisputed champion, like Terrence Crawford even, just keep the ring belt. Like fight for the ring belt. Like everybody knows your number one in your weight class. Why spend seven figures to defend titles that are meaningless to you? They don't mean anything to these top guys. I mean, Errol Spence brought this up recently. Like, why? Where is this money all going? Why are we paying these exorbitant sanction fees? If you're at the top of your game,
Starting point is 00:16:10 screw the titles. Just focus on Ring Magazine, which does not charge you a sanctioning fee, and just being undefeated in the best fights. That's all it is. So that's my take on this back and forth. I found it to be goofy.
Starting point is 00:16:26 Again, I think Mauricio is a nice enough guy. Everybody I talked to says he's a very nice guy, means well, but the WBC, nobody steps on Rakes more off of the WBC. They do. just dumb things like we're going to rank Jake Paul Jamal Charlo can keep his title
Starting point is 00:16:45 Franzen Ghanu top 10 These are all goofy things that have no business in boxing And that's my takeaway from all that I think Doug Fisher and Ring Magazine are right Maricio Suleman and the WBC are just plain wrong All right, that's my speech Let's get into it with Jim Lampley and Lance Pugmire
Starting point is 00:17:05 All right so I wear a few hats in the boxing games, so it is always humbling to bring on a couple of guys who wear them better than I do. Jim Lampley is a Hall of Fame broadcaster, the longtime voice of HBO boxing. Lance Pugmire is a veteran boxing writer
Starting point is 00:17:22 from Los Angeles Times, the athletic, the most recent winner of the prestigious Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism. Jim and Lance are teammates this week for Paperview.com where you can watch the Demetrius André David Benavides fight,
Starting point is 00:17:37 168 pound interim title on the line. No subscription required over at payperview.com. Great quality stream. And they will also be hosting a live exclusive interactive fan chat that you can join and talk to two of the best boxing minds out there during the course of that fight. Jim and Lance, kind enough to join me here on the show. So guys, I do want to get into all things, Andrade Benevarez.
Starting point is 00:18:01 And I'm going to keep calling it Andrea Benevarez because I'm Team Demetrius Andrade on this one, as Lance Lance well knows. But there's a couple of topics I want to hit on before. I want to get your takes on some of the stuff. One thing we saw last weekend
Starting point is 00:18:12 and something we're going to see this weekend. Last weekend out in Las Vegas, we had Shakur Stevenson, now a three-division world title holder after defeating Edwin Della Santos in a fight that can be charitably described as atrocious.
Starting point is 00:18:27 It was, it was bad. It was a bad fight from start to finish. There was very little action. You know, the copy box number. reflect that. Chaucor Stevenson gets the win, but even he said after the fact that it wasn't great, or admitted it wasn't great. It was talk about Chikor Stevenson having an injury, which, by the way,
Starting point is 00:18:46 I buy. Like, I believe Chaucer Stevenson went into that fight with an injury. I'm just thinking, like, did Chachor Stevenson do himself any favors by, you know, going forward with this fight with an injury? Yes, he got a nice purse. Yes, he collected a title in a third-weight class. But the negativity around Shakur is kind of back to those levels that it was very early in his career where people wondered if he would be an entertaining fighter. You know, the Valdez win, the Conce Sao win, the good wins he had after that have kind of been forgotten about in the aftermath of that stinker. So Jim, where do you stand on that? I mean, is it like, all right, you get the win, you get the title, you move on, or, you know, is there a lingering effect? Is there a ripple effect for Shakur
Starting point is 00:19:32 Stevenson having fought the way he did? It's both. From the standpoint of Shakur Stevenson, you take the W, you forget what the crowd or the audience thought about your performance. You go forward and you assume that you'll find ways to be more entertaining against representative opponents going forward. But the fact of the matter is that you're always being judged by the boxing audience according to your entertainment value. And boxing fans are not fair. They want to see risk and they want to see damage. And they're paying to see risk and damage. And so if you are able to walk away with a win without experiencing any risk and without doing any damage,
Starting point is 00:20:20 then you have corrupted or interfered with your bargain with the boxing audience. Some people get away with it for a long, long time until eventually they are able to pardon and develop an audience that appreciates their ability to sidestep the risk element of the sport. Floyd Mayweather ultimately reached that plateau where his audience said, okay, I'm cool with it. He's getting over on the man. He's getting over on the game. He's making the biggest possible money. And he's not putting himself even remotely within touch of any risk. And I'm willing to support it. But it takes a long time to build a case that way. And you also have to have a personality factor.
Starting point is 00:21:05 If Floyd had not been the first great social media genius and understood how to build that audience on social media and give it a different kind of meat and potatoes to latch on to, he would not have gotten over the way he did. Shakur has not yet shown any of the kind of public relation skill that Floyd Mayweather ultimately demonstrated. demonstrated. So he's going to have to, if he wants to keep an audience, bite more entertainingly than was the case last weekend. Yeah, and Jim, I would argue that, you know, Devin Haney is already trying to climb that. He's already got a few rungs ahead in that Floyd Mayweather ladder, where, you know, he's super talented, but he's also hated.
Starting point is 00:21:48 Like most people don't like Devin Haney for some reason. And he just wins. He wins by decision. And then guys call him out, call him boring. And he just keeps on winning. So I would argue that Devin Haney's got a chance to, grab that audience, that Floyd kind of audience before Shakur Stevenson ultimately does. Lance, what do you think? I mean, like, you know, ultimately, you know, Shakur is going to go home with a fatter bank account. He's going to go home with a nice green
Starting point is 00:22:11 belt that he can hang on his mantle. But to Jim's point, like, there are probably a lot of paying customers inside T-Mobile Arena that are like, I don't want to see Chachor Stevenson ever again. I watch this flight at home with like half a dozen people. They don't want to see Schoer Stevenson ever again. Like, is that kind of a short-term thing? you think or is this the kind of thing that could become a problem for schor stevenson down the line look i mean having covered his fights early in his career i kind of had those same thoughts i mean he came out as a olympic silver medalist you're like okay let's see what this guy's all about and he killed the room you know and that's what happened saturday night he killed the room right i mean it was a very disappointing
Starting point is 00:22:49 effort but the thing is we know that chakur is great we've seen him defeat oscar valdez we've seen you know way out the way he dominated up in reno joette gonzalez he's a he's a great talent and i i think those the bigger fights are out there before him he's not going to stink up a room when he's participating in those fights whether it's against haini whether it's against lomachenko uh against you know tank davis i want to see those fights and i mean i it wasn't it didn't happen saturday night but it can happen for for chakur because he is so superbly talented you know he's just so brilliantly train and his speed is is honestly like second to none so i think all the skill and talent is there if he had an injury let that reveal itself i mean i think you need to say something based on what
Starting point is 00:23:36 happened in that bout but you know look we know the sport we know what we see in schaure stevenson the talent is there he just you know he can't make it a habit of fighting that way or he's never going to be the pay-per-view star that he wants to become dim let me ask you to lance's point Shikor clearly had something going on there. Bob Aramu's got no filter. You know, basically said afterwards they were afraid that Shakur was going to have to back out of this fight, which they needed to put on because ESPN was building
Starting point is 00:24:07 the entire weekend around F1. There was a reason it was taking place on Thursday night. How do you feel about fighters after the fact revealing compromising injuries? Would you prefer that they did it? Or would you rather do what Shakur attempted to do, which is keep his mouth shut. They should prefer that they didn't. You don't gain any capital with the fans
Starting point is 00:24:29 by pleading injury after a performance like that. You go forward and do something else that reestablishes your foothold and gives you the image that you're looking for. I don't think injury, no injury, whatever the situation is, he's not going to get away with that kind of a paint job against Devin Haney or Tank Davis.
Starting point is 00:24:51 So go fight Devin Haney or Tank Davis. Give the audience what they want. Engage in a fight that will produce some contact and show you can win it. If you can do to those guys what you did with Valdez, then all of this is forgotten. I'm shocked that you hear you say that, Jim, because I was under the impression that you were influenced several years ago, or many years ago now, by David Hay standing on a table and revealing his injured toe after the Vladimir Clipscoe fight. You were over there for that fight. I'm shocked. I thought it was disgraceful.
Starting point is 00:25:25 I thought it was disgraceful. Absolutely. Yes. But the difference was that, hey, lost the fight. And Shakur was doing this after a win. So there's a slightly different character to what's going on. True, true. Look, Shakur is going to have a chance to wipe this off office as resume.
Starting point is 00:25:47 He's probably going to fight in the first quarter of 2024. And after that, assuming Vasily Lomachenko, beats George Cambos. I think is going to happen in Australia sometime in the first quarter. Shakur-Lomachenko fight in Vegas is a big deal.
Starting point is 00:25:59 And that could be kind of his king-making moments, which would certainly go a long way towards winning some of those fans back. We're going to talk about Andrea Benevitas, but also this weekend, before Andrade Benavides,
Starting point is 00:26:12 over in Ireland, you've got the rematch between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron, all the belts on the line at 140 pounds. Katie obviously absorbed the first loss of her professional career earlier this year when she lost to Chantelle. They're going to run it back.
Starting point is 00:26:26 Same arena, same city, same everything in Ireland. Lance, I thought this was an interesting decision by Katie Taylor because she's the money woman in all of women's boxing. If she decided to go back to 135, she could have made a fight against Amanda Serrano. She could have made a fight against Alicia Baumgart. She could have made a fight against Michaela Mayer. It still made a boatload of money against one of those opponents. Instead, she's going to go back and try to. right the wrong, try to avenge the defeat, which comes, I think, with a significant amount of
Starting point is 00:26:57 risk. What do you make of Taylor's decision to do that and how much of a chance do you give her in this rematch? You know, it's who it's who Katie Taylor is, right? I mean, it's the, it's the person that we saw in there against Amanda Serrano when that fight got tough at its most critical moments, who was Katie Taylor? You know, she is a, she's a fighter. And she's absorbed this defeat and she wants to avenge it. And then that's, that's what she's all about. I can I can I'm so, uh, when I reflect back on first meeting Katie Taylor at Madison Square Garden when she fought Delphine Pursune, you know, so many years ago, you know, you can just see there's like this, uh, inner passion and just desire inside of her to be the, the great, greatest woman's
Starting point is 00:27:42 fighter of all time. And when she left the ring at Madison Square Garden years later against Amanda Serrano, she was that. And she has lifted the women's boxing to, incredible heights. She is putting this, putting the sport on her back. And I think she can be excused, you know, it's sort of taken like a sigh of relief in the first fight against camera. And now she says, okay, I want to avenge it. I'm going to show how great I am. And there's no other option in her mind, clearly, because it's the fight that she's participating in. Jim, I know that it's only five pounds between 135 where Katie Taylor has been dominant and 140 where she just lost.
Starting point is 00:28:23 But weight classes do exist for a reason. And Katie Taylor has only fought twice above 135 pounds. She has every bit the career 135 pounder. And I watched that first fight, one of the immediate takeaways is that Katie Taylor was bullied. Like she was out physicaled by a bigger fighter. I'm not sure how you compensate for that. I think there are things that Taylor is going to be better at.
Starting point is 00:28:46 I think having a second go round in her hometown. I mean, people forget. Maybe they don't forget, but people should know this was the first time she has fought in Ireland as a professional. She is like the LeBron James of Ireland. She is a major star in Ireland. So there must have been a lot coursing through her on that Saturday night when she fought in Ireland. So I think having a second bite at the apple is going to make her better. I also think she's a smart fighter. Her trainer is a smart guy. They're going to go to school on that loss and they'll come back with some adjustments. but you can't teach size. And Katie Taylor is going to be the smaller fighter again when she faces Chantelle Cameron.
Starting point is 00:29:26 What do you think of her chances in the rematch? No point in being Irish if you can't prove it, right? You know, she wants to avenge the loss. It's as simple as that. And yes, boxing fans often incorrectly go to the conclusion. Well, it's only five pounds. It doesn't make that much difference. These are finally tuned.
Starting point is 00:29:48 calibrated athletes. They know the difference in their hearts and in their bodies between being 135 and 140. And I do think her opponent is naturally, slightly the larger woman. So one of two things is going to happen. Either Katie Taylor is going to produce a memorable epic performance, a comeback win that will lift her to even greater heights of celebration and notoriety in her home country, and at that point, she really ought to consider retiring, or she's going to lose again, at which point she may not have to make the retirement decision. It may be more or less Feta complete. She's risking her bargaining power by taking this match up the way that she is, as opposed to, as you say, taking what might be an even bigger payoff for another fight with Serrano.
Starting point is 00:30:43 but seeking to avenge her loss, that's the competitor in her. Just as Lance says, this is who Katie Taylor is. That's the Irish in her. We'll see what happens. Lance, what do you think of the idea that Katie Taylor should retire if she wins or even should retire if she loses? Now, to be clear, Katie is not even entertaining that. Every time somebody brings up retirement, she thinks she has a lot of good years left in her,
Starting point is 00:31:11 but she is 37 years old. She has been through some wars. I think Katie's motivation to fight stems from all the big opportunities that are out there for. I mean, she turned pro back in 2016 with a big name, but it's only the last couple of years where she started to become a million dollar fighter, where she started to do the kind of gates that she's done at Madison Square Garden at three arena. And win or lose, there are some big gates and big paydays waiting for her back at 135 against, you know, Serrano, hopefully, and what would be a really anticipated rematch, or any of the
Starting point is 00:31:42 other women that I mentioned. think that retirement is in the off ramp to retirement is right there do you see it i don't think she sees it and that's all that matters you know i mean i she's she's made that point pretty clear and i think exactly what's in katie taylor's mind is to win this fight and then to go back to sarano and stage another classic against her i mean it's a great it's a great path i mean katy taylor has done like i said so much for the sport and she knows what she's wants and I think she can see that vision and who are we to doubt her. I mean, Katie Taylor is someone that, I don't know, you've been in her presence many times, Chris, and you know, you can just,
Starting point is 00:32:24 you know when you've got someone who is a special human being, especially in this in the sport. And that is Katie Taylor. I, I'm not a mind reader, but I know exactly that she wants to win this fight against the bigger person to silence those doubts that are out there and then go back and have another classic with Serrano. You know, at that point, she will be probably 38 years old. And at that point, she's going to be able to have the opportunity to make that decision. But she wants to go out on her terms, and she deserves to go out on her terms, given everything that she's done in, you know, filling Madison Square Garden, bringing the, you know,
Starting point is 00:33:02 the whole Irish fan base to the sport, the way she has, doing so many things to, really, you know, for those of us who have covered women's boxing before Katie Taylor, we knew what was the quality of these fighters was. And to see it personified in such a very talented boxer has been a sight to behold. The only thing I would, I'll be watching for in this fight is how the legs are working for Katie Taylor. One thing she's been doing in recent fights is standing up in between rounds. And that is because when she sits, she gets some cramping issues with her legs. And if her legs aren't there, if she isn't able to have kind of that.
Starting point is 00:33:43 fast-balance movements, then maybe it will be time to start thinking about calling it a career. But I'm fascinated by this fight. It is a bold move for Katie Taylor to stay at 140 to take this challenge on again. And I'm really looking forward to it. I am also looking forward to the big one this weekend. David Benevides against Demetrius Andrade. And I would like to take this opportunity, gentlemen, to welcome you to Andrade Island, to invite you in.
Starting point is 00:34:08 I've got sweets ready for you at the Andrade Hotel. there's vacancy because there aren't a lot of people on this island with me. But I've been on this island for many years now. I have been staunch in my belief that Demetrius Andrade is one of the pound-for-pound best fighters in all of boxing. And the fact that he is not on those pound-for-poundless is because nobody will fight him. At 154, he couldn't get a fight with Canello Alvarez. At 160, he had a big promoter behind him. He had a world title around his waist.
Starting point is 00:34:39 He had millions of dollars to offer opponents like. Canello and Jermal Charlo and Ghanadi Galafkin and nobody would fight. Moves up to 168. He gets a low level fight earlier this year and now he gets that opportunity against David Benavides. This is Demetrius Andrade's moment fellas. And when I saw that betting line at more than five to one a couple of weeks ago. Right. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I went all in on Demetrius Andrade to win this fight by decision on Saturday night over David Benavides. Jim, you were there at the metaphorical inception of Demetrius Andrade as a professional, him at 154 pounds fighting on HBO. You know how good this guy is. Tell me what kind of chance you're giving him on Saturday night
Starting point is 00:35:28 against David Benavides. 50-50 at worst. You know, how many times does the go-forward destroyer, I don't care how thrilling, how good, now, how skilled, et cetera, et cetera. How many times does the go-forward destroyer beat the tricky left-handed counterpuncher in a pick-up fight? In a pick-em fight, the Southpaw counterpuncher has the advantage. That's the reason he's been so avoiding, that people don't run to fight somebody like the Nutrius Antri. They don't want to go into the ring and try to solve that puzzle.
Starting point is 00:36:01 And it is a puzzle. And, oh, by the way, he's going to be in spectacular condition. He's going to be ready to fight 12 full rounds at a pace that suits him. He has multiple skills. He's well trained. He's got a good corner. There are all sorts of reasons to join you at Hotel Andrade on this particular fight. The public roots for Benavides because he's attractive, he's glamorous, and he gives them
Starting point is 00:36:28 what they want. He is a high-risk go-forward, knockout-type puncher. And those are the kinds of fighters to whom fans and betters will flock, given the opportunity, and they're flocking to Benavetus once again. Nobody roots for Demetrius Andrade, except for Andrade and his family and his followers and Chris Manitz. But if you pin me to the wall and say, who is the most logical choice to win the fight? The logical choice to win the fight is Andrade. Lance two things I like about Andrade going into this fight.
Starting point is 00:37:05 One, he's not, you know, pillow-fisted. He's not, he can punch. Like, he's knocked down a bunch of guys in his career. But it's just one of the things Andrei does that drives me and others crazy is that when he builds a lead, he kind of puts it in cruise control and says, you know what, I'm going to win, you know, three of the next six rounds and I'll win a lopsided decision. A lot of that flows from his father, Paul, who has kind of drilled into him that mentality of fighting. In this fight, he doesn't have to worry about a knockout.
Starting point is 00:37:38 Like nobody is expecting Demetrius Andrade to knock out David Benavides. All Andrews has to do is box his style, fight his fight, and he's got a good chance at winning a decision. Where do you stand in all this? Look, I think that you can sit here and watch Demetrius Andrade's boxing throughout this evening. you know one two three four rounds it can all change if david benavides land some hammer punches on him and i think that's what benavitas is plotting to do like this is this reminds me a lot well i'm not going to say it's as extreme as wilder that when wilder fought louis or t's and it was like seven or six rounds of the zero artis and then boom it's over but i think benavitas is going to you know that's fine
Starting point is 00:38:22 you want a box go ahead and box i'm going to size you up and then i'm going to land these hammer punches on you and end the night. And so from my standpoint, I understand why the betters are supporting Benavitas. This guy hits in this weight class like no other. And, well, do you think, do you think that though, Lance, like he could, he's an active puncher and a heavy handed guy. Yeah. He's not wild. Like he doesn't have one punch knockout. Right. I know Demetriza say that too. You know, it's like, it's not going to happen in one punch. But if a few of them land, believe me, all it could one could wobble them and then another one could could drop them. So that's what I'm expecting will happen in this fight.
Starting point is 00:39:00 I like Benavides in this fight. I think Benavitas is a force to be reckoned with, and he wants to impose his will and get to that Canelo fight, and he's going to, you know, laid a waist Demetrius Andrade in doing so. I want to give you a ferry ticket to get off Andrew Island. I mean, look at this. Lance and I are going to be standing there together, commenting with each other on ppv.com on what goes on the fight.
Starting point is 00:39:23 Lance is saying Benavitas is a logical winner. I'm saying in a fight like this, the Southpaw counterpunter usually has a tactical advantage. Does the narrative want Benavides to win? Sure, that's where the drama is. He said to me in an interview last week that he can foresee a path toward him ultimately fighting as a heavyweight. A Mexican-American heavyweight contender would be not just the biggest star in the sport, but one of the biggest entertainment commodities in the world. There is no higher horizon you can reach for than to be.
Starting point is 00:39:55 be what David Bennett's, Vez, thinks he can be. But Andrade can upset that destiny. Look, and I'm pleased by the judging panel in this fight. I think Nevada got three good judges. So my fears that Andrade will get screwed over are somewhat. That's, yeah, I feel better about Andrea's chance to get a decision with a judging panel that takes place. Jim, one other thing I want to hit you on on this was, like you mentioned, to me, Demetrius Andrew is going to be in great shape. He's been training at high altitude. He had one fight at 168 to kind of get his legs under him in that new weight class. And this is his Super Bowl. Like this is the fight that Demetrius Andrade has been waiting for his entire professional career. This is not the fight that David Benavides has been waiting for. This is kind of unnecessary evil for David Benavides to get to the fight that he's been waiting for. He had his big moment earlier this year when he fought Caleb Plant. That was a huge opportunity for David Benavides. Medevides to get a big name on his resume. He decided not to fight David Morel in this fight. He went with David Demetrius Andrade and he has to be having to have one eye on a fight against Canelo Alvarez in the
Starting point is 00:41:07 first half of, uh, of 2024. I think that can work in the favor of Andrade. If you are taking him at all lightly and you are not coming into this fight mentally as focused as your opponent, you've seen it, Jim, many times like that can be a variable in a fight like this. I think it's a fascinating question why it is that Benavides chose to fight Andrade instead of David Morel. Morel's style would seem to be more in keeping with what is most favorable to David Benavides. But maybe Benavides doesn't think that Andrade has a high-quality chin. Golovkin never tested it. Canelo hasn't tested it.
Starting point is 00:41:46 So we don't know what happens when, as Lance predicts, Benavides lands some quality. power punches and in Lance's expectation has Andrade in trouble. Another thing, Andrade has in his camp in his corner, Victor Conti. Victor Conti has been providing supplement support, nutritional help, et cetera, et cetera to professional boxers for pretty close to 20 years now. No positive tests. This is not the old Victor Conti of Balco Labs. This is a more within the envelope control legal Victor Conte. I'm not sure exactly what the competitive record is, but losses are very few and far between and hard to find. And his fighters generally finish the fight with energy and stamina. And I believe that Andre will be able to do that with Victor in his corner.
Starting point is 00:42:43 It's a great point, Jim, because while Benavides has made 168 in his last recent fights, it wasn't too long ago he lost his title on the scale and you know some of the early visuals of David benavita has his camp that showing him a little bit bigger not fat or anything like that but he's a big guy who's probably going to be ticketed for 175 sooner rather than later one of the reasons he thinks he could ultimately be a heavy weight he was that weight when he was 12 or 13 years old it's just a matter of going back in a different envelope so uh you know he knows the back if he continues used to feel as though he can and wants to get there. But a very positive step would be to somehow beat Demetri's entry.
Starting point is 00:43:27 All right, Lance, we'll wrap it with this. This is for the secondary version of the WBC's 168-pound title. Canelo does not have an obvious opponent for May of next year. Do you think Canelo almost has to fight the winner of this fight? And does who wins the fight matter when it comes to fighting Canello? Yeah, I think he does need to fight the winner of this fight. And I think that, you know, Canello was all about history. And I can remember being down in the bowels of the Alamo Dome after Canello beat a very crafty, very difficult Austin Trout in San Antonio.
Starting point is 00:44:09 And on that night, it was because of that victory that he got the shot against Floyd Mayweather, Jr. And I think Canello should remember that and say, look, this guy did the same thing I did. He deserves a big fight now. This is the fight because everything you guys are saying is absolutely correct about how difficult Andrade is. If Benavides wins this fight, if he solves that puzzle, he deserves Canelo. And Canello only has himself to look back and say, you know, look, this is following the legacy of myself. Or does Conno have to fight Terrence Crawford? Or has the time come for Canello to defend pound for pound number one?
Starting point is 00:44:49 I look canello to me is in his mayweather money years right where he has accomplished everything he needs to accomplish legacy wise he's been a world champion at three different weight classes undisputed at 168 now it's about the most marketable fights out there and if terence crawford is the most marketable fight out there by all means he should go and do that we all know terence crawford wants him to say yes i want to uh go and do that i think though jim if to me Demetrius Andrade finds a way to win. And regardless of Lance's negativity, Demetrius is going to find a way to win. If Demetrius Andrade finds a way to win, he's got a pretty good narrative to pitch for a Canelo.
Starting point is 00:45:31 Oh, yeah. He can say, I had a belt at 154. You wouldn't fight me then. I had a belt at 160. We were under the same not promotional banner at that time, but the same network banner. Could have made that fight happen. You don't want anything to do with it. Now I'm here at 168.
Starting point is 00:45:46 I just beat the guy that everyone says is the most dangerous guy in the division. Now you have to fight me. I think that Andrade is, if Andrade wins, he is more plausible for May of next year than Benavides is. If he can sell that case to an audience which has been persistently resistant to him in the past, then yes, you could get into that position. But if Andrade wins the fight, I could very easily hear Canello thinking to himself, well, if I have to fight a South ball, I'll fight the smaller one. I'll fight the Southpaw who has to come up 20 pounds in weight to face me, as opposed to fighting a guy who just looked pretty good at my weight 168. I can see that happening.
Starting point is 00:46:33 Jim, when you called early Andrade fights, did you see something special in him back then? Because one of the most remarkable factoids about Demetrius Andrade is that he has never fought a current or former world champion. This will be the first current or former world champion that Demetrius, Andrade has ever fought. He's in his mid-30s. He is a two-division world champion. And I repeat, he had Eddie Hearn's money behind him, early to zone money back in the day behind him. And he still couldn't lure a current or former world champion into the ring with him. Did you see- And I don't think it's because he wouldn't have signed the contracts to do so. He has wanted to
Starting point is 00:47:11 fight, name opponents, and make big money. Again, nobody runs to fight the tricky Southpawk counterpuncher. Canello didn't exactly drub Austin Trout. He didn't exactly drub Arislandi Lara. Nobody runs to fight these guys. They present a particular kind of challenge. And Andre may be the best of those three. All right. Well, make sure you check out Jim and Lance
Starting point is 00:47:36 on Saturday night. They'll have a live interactive chat on payperview.com where you could order the Demetrius Andre David Benevides fight. Jim, you are welcome to a weekend away on Android Island, Lance, you can get off. Get out. Don't bring that negativity on to Android Island.
Starting point is 00:47:53 You guys have fun out there. And when we come back, my conversation with David Benevarez. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full.
Starting point is 00:48:17 year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care
Starting point is 00:48:33 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that
Starting point is 00:48:49 excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest
Starting point is 00:49:12 conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, Oh, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.
Starting point is 00:49:40 I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.
Starting point is 00:50:04 I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:23 For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, David Benavides is here. Big fight on Saturday against Demetrius Andrews. It's a fight you can watch live on Showtime pay-per-view. We were just talking about a good, uh, good, uh, good strike. Now for Team Benevita, as you had your stable mate,
Starting point is 00:50:48 Diego Pacheco, picking up a big win. I was talking to him last week about the sparring you guys must do. I know he didn't really spar with you this much for this fight because Demetrius Andrei is a Southpaw, but I would imagine,
Starting point is 00:51:00 you know, two young guys in the same weight class going at, it's a pretty good sparring up there. No, it's an amazing sparring. And first of all, I just want to give a shout out to Diego Pacheco. He did really good. He's very well earned victory.
Starting point is 00:51:11 Very well earned knockout, I should say. but we've been sparring for like the past four years. So, I mean, he's a great talent. He has a lot of talent. He has a lot of talent. I'm just happy that I know the sparrings we had kind of, you know, brought the best out of him in this fight. because, you know, this was a – that guy just has so much talent, you know what I mean? That guy just has had so much talent, you know, and I just hope nothing for the best for me. He's definitely going to be the next champion at Super Middleweight.
Starting point is 00:51:42 other fighters, other managers, other promoters who have nothing to do with him say he's good. They say he's the real deal. He's the best prospect in boxing. You know talent. Where do you stand on his talent specifically? No, yeah. I feel like he's going to be champion in Super Middleweight soon. He has everything, man. He's a boxing ability. And when he doesn't want to box, he'll sit there and brawl. You take guys out. He has really good power, man. So he's a whole package. And he's a good dude so he deserves everything that's coming his way is it useful to you because you've had your brother around a lot as a training partner sparring partner i'm sure at times is it useful to you though to have somebody like that in your own camp you know not just for this fight but previous fights having
Starting point is 00:52:22 kind of that iron sharpen iron sort of feeling no yeah definitely he's like he's helped me a lot in my in my previous training camps and um like i said it just just just all of us there just having so much talent there i think we all come to a different level because everybody just wants to they want the same thing they want to go to the next level so him My brother, Daniel Blancas, even Diego's brother, too, Fed Pacheco. Yeah, we're all, they're working all the time. We all have the same dream, and we're all definitely going to accomplish that dream. Diego said that lifestyle is a lot better for him than L.A.
Starting point is 00:52:51 He said his days in L.A. He was riding around a Corvette, you know, South Central. A little more relaxed. Yeah, so that's why, you know, that's why I told him I thought it would be a good idea he goes up there. It's just more peaceful and you're, you know, there's a lot of stuff going on here in L.A., you know what I mean? So if you're just, it's basically the woods in Seattle, you just go the woods. basically like you're a training camp every day and you just focus and you start to zone in on the things that really do matter. And that at the end of the day is your career. And I know firsthand because
Starting point is 00:53:19 I moved from Vegas and went to Seattle and that's where I feel like I've been the best. I've been. You know, even now I'm getting to my best, my prime. So it's definitely going to help him out a lot. So you've got a big fight coming up, Demetra Sandrine, and I love this fight. Two undefeated guys, two guys that have been avoided throughout the years. General basic question. How are you feeling as we sit here a few days before going into this fight. I feel amazing, man. I only have a couple pounds left to lose. I've been trained extremely hard for this camp.
Starting point is 00:53:45 I think we have like almost three and a half months training. And this is a fight I wanted. This is a fight that I know it's hard. You know, I know Demetri's dangerous. He's a good boxer. A lot of people ducked him, but these are the fights I want. You know, I really want to prove to the people and show everybody I'm the best without a doubt.
Starting point is 00:54:00 And I guarantee you I'm going to knock out Demetri's Andre. I mean, either knock them out or stop him. But it's not going to go good for them. I had some great, great sparring partners. You know, I had Lawrence King. I had another Colombian that was, I think he was a bronze medalist in the Olympics. So I had some great, great sparring partners. I prepared myself.
Starting point is 00:54:21 I didn't leave any stone on turn, so I'm 100% ready for this. Tell me how we got here, because just back in March, you had kind of a defining win over Caleb Plant. You were the mandatory for Canello. Anybody out there said, you were the guy that Canello need to fight. You were next in line. How did we get to this point where you're fighting Andrew? We're David Morel's name throwing into that mix. Tell me how we got here to you facing Andrea on Saturday.
Starting point is 00:54:45 The reason we got here, honestly, I think Demetri should give Canello things, because Conneller didn't take the fight with me. I thought that's what we're all expecting. But, hey, at the end of the day, my job and what my dreams have been is just to be in the best in the division period. It doesn't matter if it's Canelo, this and that. So for me to clean out the division, this is really what I'm going to do. It started with Caleb Plant.
Starting point is 00:55:08 Now it's moving on to Demetra Sondry. And I think overall, it gives me more experience. So that's why I'm not even making a big diff. Canella fights me now or later. I really don't care. I'm just training hard. Stay training, getting more experience. This is my second pay-per-view fight.
Starting point is 00:55:23 There was a lot of people in my last fight. There's going to be a lot of people this fight. So I'm getting used to these big crowds. And I feel like I'm really coming into my own here. And I'm just very excited. And if Canello doesn't fight me next and I got to fight David Morel, whoever, it don't matter. I mean, I'm the best in this division.
Starting point is 00:55:36 vision, I will show it. I think what's been great about you now is that you're not waiting. You're not just saying, all right, I'm going to wait to see if that payday comes down the line. Like a lot of guys have done in the past. Was it important for you one way or the other to get back out this year and fight in a big fight? Yeah, definitely. It definitely was. And to be honest, we've seen that Mungia was our 68. We tried to get a fight with him because I would have been a massive fight too, but he didn't want to do it. Yeah, I can say there's a 0.0% chance, Mungia is people will go in with you unless the money was astronomical. We were negotiating. We were negotiating for two months and then at the end they just they didn't go do with it but um yeah man like
Starting point is 00:56:11 i said we're just we're very excited bro um i really do want to be the best in the division and like i said i'm just getting as much as experience as i can until i get in the fight with canllo you know then i'm gonna be 100% ready for it and uh like i said um i'm gonna be the best in this division and i'm i want to i definitely want to be the best of my generation too so i just got to keep working and keep beating everybody that's the only way i'm accomplish that goal When Demetri's Andre was brought up to you, what was your reaction about that fight? Yeah, I liked it. You know, I don't know.
Starting point is 00:56:42 Me, I'm a fighter at heart. You know what I mean? I just love to fight. It doesn't matter who it is they put in front of me. I'll fight whoever. And they said that, hey, that was the biggest challenge to face. You know, he has the accolades. He has, you know, all the track records and all that.
Starting point is 00:56:56 So let's do it. You know, there hasn't been a man I can't beat. You know what I mean? As much as people want to, you know, criticize me about everything else. at the end of the day, when I get in the ring, it's a clear victory. So, I mean, I just want to keep showing them. You know, and Andre is one of those guys that, I mean, I called a lot of his fights for years on the zone, and, like, he just couldn't get a fight.
Starting point is 00:57:15 He had money behind him. He had a belt behind him, and yet nobody would get in the ring in them. Jamal Charlo out there in your undercard. I mean, he was offered north of $5 million to fight this guy, and he wouldn't get in the ring with him. When you start to study him, can you see why? Can you see kind of the trickiness of how he fights when you think about how you're going to fight him?
Starting point is 00:57:33 Yeah, definitely, but I mean, I feel like all those people, like, they didn't have confidence in themselves. Like, he's not unbeatable. You know, I mean, he's been hurt a lot. He's been hurt like four or five times. You know what I mean? And I just feel better because this is at my natural way. He's coming up to 168. The guy he fought last fight, DeMal Nickleson, he had an okay performance.
Starting point is 00:57:54 But then you look at the performance that Berlenga put against him. Berlanga really beat him up. And I considered Demetrius Andre better than Berlanga. You know what I mean? So that just says a lot right there. But, I mean, he's really good, but I don't, he's not, he's not an extremely well-fighter that can't be beaten. You know, and then I'm not scared of nobody. Like I said, this is why I'm taking this challenge, and this is why I'm going to show people how good I am. Is this a similar type of fight to Caleb Plant?
Starting point is 00:58:20 Yeah, it definitely is a similar fight. The only thing is that he's lefty, you know what I mean? But he's going to be using the ring, trying to use the ring a lot. Hopefully they have a referee that doesn't let him hug all night, just like how Kenny Bayliss did to Caleb Plant. And the ring is smaller. You know, the ring is smaller this time. So he's not going to have that much room to run. So, but whatever, like, whatever he does, like I said, this is my job.
Starting point is 00:58:40 It's my job to figure somebody out. And I've done that up to this day. And, you know, and I'm very hungry. I'm very motivated. I'm getting better. My, you know, my ring IQ is getting better too. So I'm not going to be stopped. Let me ask you about the motivation part of it because this is Demetrius Andrews Super Bowl.
Starting point is 00:58:55 Like this is the fight he has been waiting for his entire career. You were looking for a Canelo fight down the line. You just had a big fight against Caleb Plant. How have you been able to stay motivated at that highest of levels for this particular fight? Oh, after my last fight, I think it's probably the most motivated I've ever been. I think I only took two weeks off and I was in the gym the whole time. So I could really say instead of the three months, I probably had like a seven-month camp because I was just training the whole time.
Starting point is 00:59:21 Obviously, you have to, when your body gets tired, you take the necessary breaks so you don't burn yourself. But I only took like three weeks off. You know what I mean? And I've been watching boxing the whole time. I really love this. You know, this is really my passion. This is what I love to do. So I try to learn new things every day.
Starting point is 00:59:36 And we feel really good for this camp. We feel amazing. And I feel like I'm coming into my prime. So I'm very motivated and very confident in my skills. How is your, you said you're only a couple pounds off as we sit here on Wednesday. How is, I mean, you're a big guy. How is making 168? Is it getting harder?
Starting point is 00:59:50 Is it the same? And how would you describe it? To be honest with you, I don't think it's getting harder. I think it's just that I had to learn the right way to lose weight. I mean, a lot of boxers don't know the right way to lose weight. And when I missed weight, that one time it really opened my eyes. The diet was wrong. You know, you're supposed to be drinking two gallons of water every single day.
Starting point is 01:00:09 And then when you want to drop weight, you cut the water off the last two days. And that really just has the water come off. And then, you know, that's just what we learn from everything. You know what I mean? So I wouldn't say it's harder. It's probably easier. It's just that you just really got to be dedicated to the diet. Really got to be dedicated to the water and to the diet.
Starting point is 01:00:28 And if you take care of that, it'll take care of you. Do you look at the 168 pound division as, I mean, I think it's one of the most interesting divisions in boxing, because maybe it doesn't have the star power of some others necessarily in depth, but you've got Berlanga, who's a name, yourself, top of the division. Mungia, if he ever fights anybody, you know, is somebody right there. Like, what do you think of the 168 pound division right now? I think it's a very stacked division. Very stacked, very stacked.
Starting point is 01:00:54 I just feel like we all had to come together and fight, you know, but it's a very stacked division. and I'm just very happy to be putting on these great fights. I mean, I had one hard fight last March, and now I'm taking another one, you know what I mean? So I just feel like I'm really doing my job and really giving the people the fights they want to see. If you beat Demetrius Andrea, especially if you stop him, are you the fighter of the year?
Starting point is 01:01:16 Because I think this fighter of the year is going to be one of the most interesting things. And it could go right into December with Devin Haney fighting against Regis Progray. I wouldn't put Sonny Edwards, I guess, in that mix. But some other good fights down the line, Is, are you think you deserve Fighter of the Year if you win this fight? I definitely do. In the way I think I'm going to win this fight, I definitely do.
Starting point is 01:01:33 But to be honest, if I don't get it, I'm not going to be bummed out. I don't really look at things that way. I'm just very happy just to be a part of the sport and part of putting on these great fights and, you know, making the fans, giving them what they want to see. So if it's not the accolades of Fighter of the Year, what is the primary source of motivation? Is it money? Is it titles?
Starting point is 01:01:50 Like, what do you look at? I never let money get in the way or anything. I always said that if you do your job correctly and you put the passion in, the money's going to come on its own. And I've been making a lot of good, a lot of money since, you know, for a while already. So my dream when I was a little kid is that I want to be the best of my generation when I retire, that there's no doubt that I'm the best. And we're still following that game plan.
Starting point is 01:02:13 But it's getting close, you know what I mean? I feel like once I get that fight with Connell, everybody's going to see how good I really am. And then it's just to continue to dominate after that. And just being a role model for the kids, you know, a lot of kids, you know, a lot of kids, that are overweight, that people tell them they can never do nothing. I want them to look at me and have me be a prime example of why all those people are full of shit. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:02:35 Anything can be done as long as you put your mind to it. And I just want to be that voice and that, you know, for kids that never get, you know, that don't get that spotlight. Kids that are boxers, but they're not the top amateurs. They're not the top this. They're not the top this. As long as they have the heart and they're willing to put their heart and soul into boxing, and it will take care of you.
Starting point is 01:02:54 And I'm living proof of that. You still look at those old pictures of yourself from back in the day. I mean, people that have now watched your career All Access, things like that, they've gotten a good look at what David Benevides was back in the day. Yeah, and it really surprises me a lot because I came a long way, bro. It was hard. It was very hard. You know, that's what I'm saying.
Starting point is 01:03:12 I know exactly how hard it is and, you know, how much it messes with a kid's mental when you tell him you can't be nothing when he's a bigger kid, you know what I mean? So it was really hard, but I'm just happy that I was able to put the work in and get that done. You know what I mean? And I'm just very excited to be here in this moment. Last question for you.
Starting point is 01:03:30 You know, I didn't think, you know, I never want to say Canello avoids anybody because he doesn't. Like, he's fought all the best. I mean, if you had a title when he was going through super middle weight, he would have fought you, I'm convinced of that. But if you win this fight,
Starting point is 01:03:41 coming off a plant win, coming off an Andrade win, is it even possible to fight anybody but you next? I know this talk about Crawford, you know, and the marketability maybe of that fight, but there would be a win on Saturday. I don't think we'll leave any doubt
Starting point is 01:03:54 who the guy to fight would be. Yeah, that'd be no question at all. And I feel like, I feel like Canello, he's a great fighter. But I feel like now he doesn't have nobody else to fight, unless he's going to go up to 175 again or go down to 160. I feel like right now I haven't, I don't even, I wasn't really too upset that I didn't get to fight because I'm still 26 years old.
Starting point is 01:04:16 Still getting a lot of experience. So whenever the fight happens, bro, it's going to be one of the best fights in Mexican boxing history. David Benavides. Good to catch up, man. See a Saturday. Thank you. That's it for this week's episode.
Starting point is 01:04:25 My thanks to Jim Lampley, Lance Pugbauer, and David Benavides for joining the show. As always, subscribe, rate, review this podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you download podcast. And I'll see you next week. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an Acapist a band with their between songs banter.
Starting point is 01:04:59 Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.
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Starting point is 01:05:45 This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing how many men carry a suit or armor it signals to the world that you not to be played with and just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to listen to learn the hard way on the iha radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast

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