Demetrius Andrade Ready For New Beginning
Former middleweight and junior middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade, who was idle and lost in the boxing wilderness for the past year, now has a new path.
Having linked up with Premier Boxing Champions, Andrade will look to get back on track in the first fight of his new deal when he faces Demond Nicholson (26-4-1, 22 KOs), 29, of Laurel, Maryland, in a 10-round super middleweight fight in the opening bout of the Gervonta Davis-Hector Luis Garcia card on Jan. 7 (Showtime PPV) at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
.@BooBooAndrade wants to line 'em up 🎳#DavisGarcia #AndradeNicholsonhttps://t.co/MxoshF9Mde pic.twitter.com/bPsyZnQ7X6
— SHOWTIME Boxing (@ShowtimeBoxing) December 7, 2022
Andrade Glad To Be Back
“I’m feeling good. This is a new journey,” Andrade said. “I’m looking to become a three-division champion. I’m thankful to have this opportunity to showcase my skill and talent on this beautiful card.”
Andrade has not fought since retaining the WBO middleweight title by second-round knockout of Jason Quigley on November 2021, after which his contract with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn was up. Hearn, who was unable to secure a major fight for Andrade during their deal, did not seek to re-sign Andrade.
Andrade (31-0, 19 KOs), 34, of Providence, Rhode Island, declined to face mandatory challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly and was going to move up to super middleweight to fight Zach Parker for the vacant WBO interim title this past spring. But Andrade pulled out of the spring fight due to a shoulder injury and then he backed out again this fall because he was unhappy with the result of a second purse bid won by Parker promoter Frank Warren that would have paid him in the low six figures, far less than the low seven figures he was making in the later stages of the Matchroom deal.
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Andrade had hoped to land a fight with super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez and even crashed his post-fight news conference following his three-belt unification win over Billy Joe Saunders in May 2021, when Hearn promoted both of them. Alvarez was not interested in facing him and instead beat Caleb Plant to become the undisputed champion.
Now that Andrade is PBC, there are several potential major fights.
“At the end of the day, nothing guarantees a Canelo Alvarez fight. Right now I’m looking at Caleb Plant, David Benavidez and Jermall Charlo,” Andrade said. “I want all those big names.”
All of them other than Alvarez are with PBC. Andrade also returns to Showtime, where he impressively knocked out Willie Nelson in the 12th round in 2016.
“Showtime is a great place to be,” Andrade said. “I’ve had my journey through my boxing career and now I’m writing my own chapter. January 7 is an opportunity to do what I do best.
“There are a lot of great fights that can be made at 168 pounds and I’m looking to make them. This is a great position right now for me to make those fights. My experience and my amateur pedigree (as a 2008 Olympian and former world amateur champion) will be the difference. My IQ, my talent and my skill overall are going to be huge for me.
“I’m looking to show that I’m the best. Let’s make this happen. There’s no more excuses. This fight is a stepping stone toward making those things happen and I’m grateful for the opportunity. I did my thing at 154 and 160 and now I want to move on to this journey at super middleweight and make it happen.”
