LAS VEGAS – David Benavidez delivered perhaps his most menacing message yet to Canelo Alvarez on Saturday night.

“The Mexican Monster” overpowered Demetrius Andrade and battered the previously undefeated former two-division champion until his handlers decided he shouldn’t take any more punishment following the sixth round at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s Michelob ULTRA Arena. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped their 12-round, 168-pound fight after a one-sided sixth round and declared Benavidez, who dropped Andrade late in the fourth round, the winner of their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event by technical knockout.

The 26-year-old Benavidez (28-0, 24 KOs), who has lost the WBC super middleweight title twice without losing a fight, retained the WBC’s interim 168-pound championship. He also established himself as the WBC’s mandatory challenger for one of Alvarez’s four 168-pound championships.

Mexico’s Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KOs) is expected to return to the ring May 4, but boxing’s undisputed super middleweight champion hasn’t chosen an opponent. Alvarez-Benavidez is the most marketable bout that can be made within the 168-pound division, but it isn’t clear if Alvarez will seriously consider Benavidez as the foe for his next fight.

“I think I just solidified myself as a dominant force here,” Benavidez told Showtime’s Brian Campbell in the ring. “I just reminded everyone who the real champion at 168 is. Who wants to see me versus Canelo? I’m gonna be the super middleweight champion of the world, three-time world champion. Now just give me the fight that we all wanna see. Who wants to see Benavidez versus Canelo?”

The left-handed Andrade, the first southpaw Benavidez battled in seven years, boxed well until Benavidez hurt him with a right hand that sent Andrade to the canvas with three seconds on the clock in the fourth round. Andrade never really recovered from that punch and took a lot of flush punches over the course of the next two lopsided rounds.

The 35-year-old Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) is a former WBO 160-pound and WBA/WBO 154-pound champion, but Benavidez was the best, most powerful opponent that the 2008 Olympian fought since he made his pro debut 15 years ago. Benavidez is also a natural super middleweight, whereas Providence’s Andrade competed in that division for just the second time Saturday night.

“I thought overall I did everything I needed to do to get the bigger man off me,” Andrade said. “David’s definitely a hell of a fighter. Nobody was even willing to get in the ring with him. I tried to become a three-division world champion. That’s not far-fetched. David was the man tonight. Congratulations to him and his family. We move on, and we’re gonna keep pushing.”

Andrade tried his best to fend off a relentless Benavidez during a one-sided sixth round, when Benavidez landed various body and head shots that left an overwhelmed Andrade barely able to stand up as he walked to his corner when it ended. Soon thereafter, Andrade’s handlers stopped the bout.

Benavidez nailed Andrade with an overhand right about 1:05 into the sixth round.

Andrade lost his mouthpiece about 15 seconds into the sixth round, which caused a brief break in the action. Taylor asked a ringside doctor to examine Andrade before he allowed Andrade to start the sixth round.

After flooring Andrade just before the fourth round ended, Benavidez staggered him again with another right hand about 30 seconds into the fifth round.

Benavidez pressed the action later in the fifth and Andrade tried to fight out of that trouble. Benavidez’s power was too much for him, however, and he battered the courageous challenger with a vicious array of punches in the final minute of the fifth round.

Andrade returned to his corner with noticeable swelling around his right eye.

Benavidez nailed Andrade with a right hand to the middle of his face that sent the challenger to his gloves and knees with three seconds to go in the fourth round. Andrade reached his feet quickly, though, and the round ended before Benavidez had a chance to try to finish him.

The crowd booed loudly when Andrade asked for a break with 2:33 to go in the fourth round because Benavidez hit him low.

Benavidez blasted Andrade with a right that landed flush with about 50 seconds to go in the third round. Benavidez followed up with a stiff jab that moved Andrade backward.

Taylor warned Andrade for hitting Benavidez low a little less than 20 seconds into the third round.

Andrade fired off an 11-punch combination, but Benavidez blocked most of those punches with just over a minute to go in the second round. Taylor warned Andrade after he pushed Benavidez once they became entangled about 30 seconds into the second round.

Andrade connected with a left-left-left combination to Benavidez’s head, body and head just before the bell sounded to end the first round.

A right hand by Benavidez backed Andrade into the ropes with just under 1:20 to go in the opening round. About 15 seconds later, Andrade landed the first of back-to-back left hands to Benavidez’s body.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.