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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade are finalizing a deal for a super middleweight fight this fall in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN.
The battle of former champions will be a pay-per-view event, sources said.
Benavidez (27-0, 23 KOs) scored a career-best win in March, a unanimous-decision victory over Caleb Plant. The 26-year-old, who fights out of Seattle, is ESPN’s No. 2 super middleweight after undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez.
Benavidez is a two-time former super middleweight champion; he lost his belt outside the ring on both occasions (positive test for cocaine before he later missed weight).
The volume puncher, known as “The Mexican Monster,” is hoping for a showdown with Alvarez next year. But first, Benavidez will face a slick boxer for the second consecutive fight when he meets Andrade.
A former champion at 154 and 160 pounds, Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) will finally land the big fight he’s sought at age 35. Long avoided for his defensive prowess and boxing skills, Andrade moved up to 168 pounds in January with a shutout decision win over journeyman Demond Nicholson.
Andrade, a Providence, R.I., native, has never faced an elite opponent. He’ll step up in class when he meets Benavidez in a matchup that could propel the winner to a showdown with Alvarez.
Andrade is ESPN’s No. 8 super middleweight.
PBC told ESPN that they don’t comment on negotiations.