By: Hans Themistode
Advertiser Eddie Hearn rolled his eyes and shrugged when the official news broke a few weeks ago.
With WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade hungry for a big fight, Hearn attempted to petition both the WBO and WBC sanctioning bodies to enforce a showdown between Andrade and WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo .
Despite Hearn’s request, Andrade was asked to face Janibek Alikmhanuly instead. Although Hearn respects the Kazakh power’s overall skills, the longtime promoter revealed that Andrade could choose to gain up to 168 pounds to pursue a showdown with undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez. Now, it looks like Andrade will take his talent north by eight pounds.
The WBO sanctioning body officially accepted Andrade’s wishes, ordering two interim matches. The current middleweight champion will face England’s undefeated Zach Parker for the 168-pound interim title. As for Alimkhanuly, he’ll be up against highly ranked contender Esquiva Falcao for the 160-pound interim crown.
If Andrade emerges successfully in his bid to claim the interim super-middleweight title, he will find himself in an ideal position to beat Mexico’s Alvarez.
However, if Andrade makes it to the winning circle against Parker, that doesn’t mean he will immediately be granted a showdown with Alvarez. Now, as first reported by ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Alvarez is weighing up multiple deals that could pit him against WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol, or against longtime player Gennadiy Golovkin.
Ultimately, Andrade won’t have much time to see if the match against Alvarez comes to fruition, as the WBO sanctioning body will need a hasty response to his next move.
“Please note that the parties here have 10 days from the issuance of this order to begin negotiations on the subject and reach an agreement,” said Luis Batista-Salas, WBO Championship Committee Chairman. “If no agreement is reached within the allotted time, the wallet bidding procedure will be carried out in accordance with the WBO Regulations on World Championship Competitions.”
