By: Sean Crose
Demetrius Andrade holds two world championship belts in two weight classes. He also never lost a game. Sadly, however, the Rhode Island natives have never been able to go up against a top opponent. The last time Andrade ever happened to that was when he faced the then undefeated Billy Joe Saunders in 2017. Sadly, that fascinating matchup fell through. Now, however, Andrade is moving into super middleweight, where he hopes notable fighters will be ready to take on him. With the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Caleb Plant and David Benavidez currently dominating the tournament, there are plenty of impressive individuals for the so-called “Boo Boo” fighter to face off.
And then, of course, still need to keep in mind middleweight player Jermall Charlo. Although Andrade has given up his WBO middleweight crown for promotion, there is little doubt that he is willing to make the necessary adjustments to face Charlo in the ring. Of course, if Charlo is interested. The truth is that Andrade is a high-risk opponent for any boxer. Sleek and unapproachable, he represents an extremely challenging night for even the best names out there. In short, he might be too good to face – and Andrade’s lack of influence in the power department makes it easy for him to avoid without being opposed by fans. Or at least that’s been the case for now.
Since Andrade has teamed up with Showtime and PBC, that means he’ll now fight in the same boxing universe as potential high-profile opponents. However, it’s not just the PBC warriors who haven’t shown undue eagerness to face Andrade in the past. For example, Canelo and Gennady Golovkin have never shown much interest in confronting Andrade on their own. After all, Andrade 31-0 had previously fought under the Matchroom banner but was still unable to win a major match against the Eddie Hearn-directed organization.
Now, however, Andrade hopes to begin a new phase of her career in epic fashion. This weekend in Washington DC, he will face unannounced Desmond Nicholson as part of a pay-per-view event Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia. If he wins on Saturday – and it would be a shock if he doesn’t – Andrade will likely be able to put some of the top names in the spotlight. And this time, he might not be so easily overlooked.
