Demetrius Andrade’s night didn’t go how he was hoping, as he took his first pro loss via sixth round stoppage to David Benavidez.
But Andrade (32-1, 19 KO) says he’ll be back and continue hunting another world title, while giving Benavidez his credit — at least for being the bigger man and “a hell of a fighter.”
“I thought I did everything I needed to do to get the bigger man off of me. David is definitely a hell of a fighter,” Andrade said.
“Nobody was willing to get in the ring with him, same (for me). I tried to become a three-division world champion, that’s not far-fetched. David was the man today. Congratulations to him and his family. We move on and we’re gonna keep pushing.”
On how the fight went
“I have had long (layoffs). … I was trying to get my timing. I did what I had to do. Training camp was great. I just fought the bigger man. I’m not gonna say he was the better, more skillful man, but he was the bigger man. I tried to go to a new weight class. Congratulations to him and I’ll be back. I just gotta go back to the drawing board, work on my body a little more, and I think we’ll be right back at it.”
On the fourth round knockdown
“Listen, David’s just a big dude. He throws some tough shots. He’s a hell of a fighter, as well. I thought my skills would have overwhelmed him, but his size and strength definitely got the better hand today.”
On how good Benavidez is
“It’s not that he’s a greater, more skillful fighter than me. I’m moving up to a third division. Trying to be world champion. I came to fight the bigger man. Nobody’s willing to get in the ring with him, nobody’s willing to get in the ring with me. I showed balls, I showed what I’ve got, and I put it on the line. This was my second fight at 168 lbs and I did what I had to do today.”