By William Lloyd: WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade expects an excellent turnout for his title defense against Ireland’s Jason Quigley on November 19th on DAZN at the SNHU Arena Manchester, New Hampshire.
The 33-year-old Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) wants to put in an outstanding performance in defeating #10 WBO Quigley (19-1, 14 KOs) to continue to put pressure on the other champions at 160 in Jermall Charlo and Gennadiy Golovkin to face him eventually.
Andrade would also like to fight Canelo Alvarez, but he feels he’s too busy fighting “the weakest fighters” right now to want to face him.
Andrade must take a risk
Demetrius is the boogeyman for the 160-lb division, and he seems to have put the scare in Canelo and some of the 168-lb fighters.
Andrade will need to take a risk with his career by moving up to 168 if he wants to get bigger fights because it’s evident at this stage that Golovkin and Charlo won’t agree to fight him.
If Andrade is content with fighting lesser-known fighters like Quigley, Liam Williams, Maciej Sulecki, and Luke Keeler for the remainder of his career, he should stay at 160 and keep plugging along. But if Andrade wants to make more money potentially, he must move up to 168 or preferably 175.
“I have hardcore fans, and the Irish are going to be coming as well. They’re actually fans of mine, but they’re going to represent their countryman [Quigley] because you always bet on black. Still, it’s going to be good,” said Demetrius Andrade to Boxing Social on his fight this Friday night against challenger Jason Quigley.
The 30-year-old Quigley is a good fighter with excellent power, but he’s not an elite-level talent, as we discovered in his ninth round stoppage loss against Tureano Johnson in July 2019.
That defeat wasn’t a fluke thing, as Tureano dominated Quigley the entire fight, forcing a stoppage in the ninth.
Since that loss, Quigley has won his last three fights against Shane Mosley Jr., Fernando Marin, and Abraham Cordero. Those are B & C-level opposition, so it’s not a surprise that Quigley won those fights.
Demetrius slams Canelo
“As I said before, all due respect to Canelo. You have to work hard for him to beat people, but you’re picking the weakest fighters in the weakest divisions and saying, ‘I’m the most legacy fighter out there.’ He has the power to do that,” said Andrade in reacting to Canelo Alvarez choosing to move up to cruiserweight to challenge WBC champion Ilunga Makabu for his belt in early 2022.
Alvarez = lacking in confidence
Canelo is doing what he feels is essential to beef up his resume to impress stat-freak fans in the future.
In the distant future, the ultra-hardcore boxing fans will pour over Canelo’s resume and likely be impressed at discovering that he captured world titles in five divisions. Still, the fans in this era, who are aware of the champions that the Mexican star is picking to win his titles, won’t be impressed.
They see what Canelo is doing, and they’re put off by it, viewing him as aiming for the lowest common denominator to increase his chances of winning world titles.
The way Canelo chooses his opposition gives one a real glimpse into his mind and confidence level or lack thereof. When people lack the confidence to achieve certain things, they aim their sights lower and don’t take risks that could lead to failure.
In Canelo’s case, he lacks the confidence to fight the better champions/fighters at 168, 175, and 200, so we see him aiming low by selecting Ilunga Makabu to fight.
Instead of being upset with Canelo, Andrade should feel sorry for the Mexican star because he’s showing that he doesn’t have the self-belief needed to take on better fighters.
Testing positive for a banned substance three years ago would be viewed as an example of Canelo lacking confidence in himself.
Hearn has pressure on him
“I don’t know what he’s going to bring,” said Andrade about his opponent Jason Quigley. “From my end, I hope he’s bringing his best because that’s going to bring out the best in me, of course, as well, and that’s going to put on a great fan-friendly fight.
“Listen, Liam Williams is one of the best fighters out there in the UK, and I may have gotten it, or I may not be getting it,” said Andrade when asked if he’s been given credit for his recent win over Williams.
“People that know boxing and that respect boxing that know who Demetrius Andrade is and the skills and talent that I have and what I want to do to showcase them, these other people have got to step up to the plate.
“Of course, there’s pressure on him. It’s a business and he has a lot going on with other fighters, and I have to worry about me and what I have to do and what I have to do in the ring,” said Demetrius when asked if his promoter Eddie Hearn has pressure on him to get a big-name opponent.
“Let’s continue to win and put on a great performance as well, and either way, if I put on a good one or I put on a bad one, it doesn’t make a difference for me fighting these guys. Yeah, Eddie and Matchroom to start putting together whatever they need to put together to make these fights happen because the Fountain of Youth is not forever.
“It’s not about me saying yes; it’s about them saying yes,” said Andrade when asked if he’s frustrated at being unable to get fights against Jermall Charlo, Gennadiy Golovkin, and Canelo. “I’m in it to fight. Win, lose or draw, I’m willing to fight.
“I’m not there yet; I’m still in the prime of my career. When that time comes, we’ll get to that time,” said Andrade. “Right now, I’m still tall, black, and handsome, of course, and I’m young. I’m in the best shape of my life, and I’m ready to fight,” said Andrade.
Eddie Hearn can’t force the other top fighters to face Andrade because they don’t believe they can beat him. If they thought they could, they would have pulled the trigger on the fight by now.
Andrade needs to understand what Hearn is up against in getting guys like Charlo, Canelo, and Golovkin to face him. They don’t believe they can beat him, so they’ll continue to take after fights.
