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Demetrius Andrade David Benavidez Subriel Matias Trending and Latest News Shohjhon Ergashev

Sunday Convo: David Benavidez & Subriel Matias are primed for a huge 2024

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If there was any small doubt in your mind about Interim WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs) or IBF junior welterweight champion Subriel Matias (20-1, 20 KOs), those thoughts were quickly erased from your memory. These two fighters both forced their opponents to not get up for the next round for one reason or the other.

DAVID BENAVIDEZ’S PROFILE WILL SKYROCKET AFTER THE DEMETRIUS ANDRADE TKO VICTORY 

Leading up to the fight, there was still some doubt that Benavidez could deal with the master pugilist of Andrade, who was looking to push the “Mexican Monster” to the limits. The oddsmakers thought as much and even leaned toward the fight going the distance. The only thing that no one knew was that Benavidez would be in the best shape he’s been in and would prove he is beyond ready for the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fight next year.

Right from the start, Andrade showed why he was avoided all these years, as the first round was all about his footwork and angles. Andrade worked his combinations in smoothly, and Benavidez took it all in. The second round was more of the same, but Benavidez started to show his defensive skills while landing some big punches to the head and the body. The body attack had been missing in his last few fights, but it made its way to this one.

By the third round, you can see the momentum shift towards Benavidez, and the body punches were already taking their toll as Andrade was seen taking deep breaths in certain spots and between rounds. The fourth round was the beginning of the end as Benavidez knocked down Andrade with an overhand right. Andrade looked hurt, but with a warrior's heart, he kept bringing the fight. After that knockdown, the referee kept telling Andrade, “You need to show me something,” as he didn’t want to see the former two-division champion take any more punishment.

Andrade took more punishment in the fifth and sixth rounds, which led to the referee coming to his corner before the start of the seventh to ask whether he wanted to continue. After some deliberation, the corner decided to stop the fight, and Benavidez celebrated his 24th stoppage. During the post-fight interview, Benavidez left it up to the fans to determine whether a Canelo fight was now merited.

“I think I just solidified myself as a dominant force here,” Benavídez said. “I just reminded everyone who the real champion at 168 is. Who wants to see me versus Canelo? I'm going to be super middleweight champion of the world, three-time world champion. Now, just give me the fight that we all want to see. Who wants to see Benavídez versus Canelo?”

The question now becomes whether Canelo will answer the call or not. ProBoxTV has posted a rumor that the undisputed champion is negotiating a fight with Jaime Munguia for May. If so, that would mean Benavidez could be the opponent for September, which would also serve as the last fight for Canelo on the Premier Boxing Champions contract. Could we see Canelo vs. Benavidez in September at either Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas or Cowboy Stadium in Dallas? Wherever they put it, it’ll be a blockbuster.

SUBRIEL MATIAS IS COMING FOR EVERYONE IN THE JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

Everyone was excited on fight night for the main event, but second to that was the junior welterweight fight between the IBF champ Matias and the top contender Shohjahon Ergashev (23-1, 20 KOs). Both fighters have a come-forward style, knocking out almost all their opponents. Matias, like Benavidez, took the first round to see what Ergashev had in both power and ring generalship. It was a risky game plan, as you could hear the loud sound that Ergashev’s punches made when they landed, but Matias took them and kept coming forward.

The Showtime announce team wasn’t sure if this would go well for the 31-year-old Puerto Rican champion, but in the end, it did. Matias kept coming forward and, in the second round, started to unleash his thudding shots. He began to increase the pressure and volume of punches, to which Ergashev, at times, had no answer. As the rounds continued, you could see that Ergashev was being broken down, and the snap he had on his punches earlier in the fight wasn’t there. Matias kept hunting with relentless body punches and combinations to the head. At the end of the fifth round, Ergashev started complaining about a leg injury, which journalist Michael Woods confirmed from his promoter Dmitry Salita as a “prior injury to the right thigh that flared up.”

Although the fight was stopped for that injury, Ergashev knew the end was near and probably the right time to stop it. Matias goes on to secure the victory but, more importantly, has thrust his name to the top of the list of fighters fans want to see more of in 2024. Before leaving the ring, Matias had a message for some of the top fighters in the division. “Teofimo Lopez, Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney, if you want that, come over here and fight.”

PBC NEEDS TO HAVE BENAVIDEZ & MATIAS FEATURED LIKE GOLOVKIN & CHOCOLATITO WERE IN YEARS PAST

The PBC could potentially have something here with Benavidez and Matias. These two fighters have the same style and bring the type of violence that boxing fans love to see. It reminds me of when Tom Loeffler would book Gennadiy Golovkin and Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez together on HBO. This would be the right two fighters to do that with, and it could lead to even bigger events in the future with the Mexican & Puerto Rican fanbases of both fighters quickly increasing. Whichever streaming platform lands the PBC, let’s hope they saw last night’s card and are thinking the same, which is putting Benavidez and Matias on the same cards moving forward.

 

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