Boxing’s most avoided middleweight prepares to step back in the ring next week after once again being bypassed by every single big names out there.
WBO ruler Demetrius Andrade is firmly the current CEO of the ‘Who Needs Him Club.’ An exclusive section of talented pugilists featuring Terence Crawford, Yordenis Ugas, Gilberto Ramirez, Michael Hunter, and Dmitry Bivol – to name a few of the major protagonists.
Andrade, nicknamed ‘Boo Boo’ – maybe needs to alter his moniker to ‘Boo-gey Man’ as he continues to be frustrated and frozen out.
On November 27th, the 32-year-old American takes on former welterweight Dusty Hernandez-Harrison. A move promoter Eddie Hearn has been roundly criticized for.
But as Andrade explained, it was a case of either accepting the fight or merely sitting on the shelf doing nothing.
All the well-known operators out there were either unavailable or didn’t want to know when Andrade’s name was mentioned.
“It’s me again,” sighed Andrade when confirming yet another treading water contest.
“I thought long and hard about this. At the end of the day, this is another opportunity for me to go out there, get another win, and look spectacular doing it.
“Also, (continue) testing what my body feels like at 168 pounds.
“I am fighting a young, undefeated guy, who was a good amateur and had been waiting for his moment. This is his moment, fighting me.
“I need to make sure I’m ready because he’s hungry, and beating me changes his life.”
With the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin, the Charlo Brothers, Jaime Munguia, Billy Joe Saunders, Caleb Plant, Callum Smith, and Chris Eubank Jr. all out of the running, Andrade knows it’s just a case of biding his time until he finally gets his moment.
“Is this the big fight I wanted or have been chasing? No. But what am I supposed to do? Sit here and keep waiting for someone to answer the phone or accept one of Eddie’s offers?” – he questioned.
“I’m in the prime of my career, and I want to stay busy and fight as much as possible. With everything going on with COVID, you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“I have the opportunity to fight now, and I’m taking it. My job is to go out there, take care of business on November 27 and then 2021. It’s time for one of these big names to step up to the plate.
“You can’t duck me forever. Let’s give the fans what they want and deserve to see.”
MIDDLEWEIGHT or 168
Hearn, who had big plans for Andrade on DAZN, which have since failed to materialize, remains optimistic.
“This is a vital night for Demetrius to both stay active and sees how he feels up at Super-Middleweight,” said Hearn.
“Demetrius is after those massive fights at both 160lbs and 168lbs, and 2021 promises to be a huge year for him.
“But he cannot take Dusty lightly, as those big plans go out of the window on a night where Harrison can take his career to new heights.”
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