Demetrius Andrade To Defend His WBO Title Against Janibek Alimkhanuly Next

Image: Demetrius Andrade To Defend His WBO Title Against Janibek Alimkhanuly Next
November 19, 2021; Manchester, New Hampshire, USA; Demetrius Andrade and Jason Quigley during their Matchroom Boxing bout at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, NH on November 19, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom.
By Boxing News - 11/30/2021 - Comments

By Daniele D’Alessio: The WBO have officially ordered Demetrius Boo Boo Andrade (31-0, 19 KOs) to defend his WBO middleweight title against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (11-0, 7 KOs) next. Both parties have 20 days to agree to terms for the fight or it will go down to purse bids.

After recently stopping Jason Quigley (19-2, 14 KOs) in an emphatic fashion this is not the opponent Andrade was gunning for. Since his win, Boo Boo has called out Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) and Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs).

Andrade has yet to have that breakthrough fight to show he is one of the best fighters in the world, and he seemed confident that he would finally land a lucrative bout.

But instead, he is left to face another boxer who offers little in financial rewards and credit from the boxing public.

Alimkhanuly has a very small profile and is still an unknown quantity in terms of boxing ability. The man from Kazakhstan has beaten legitimate contenders in Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (38-6, 21 KOs), Rob Brant (26-3, 18 KOs), and Ryota Murata (16-2, 13 KOs), however, he too has never beaten a world-class fighter.

Therefore, Andrade is now in another lose-lose situation. If he beats Alimkhanuly, he won’t receive many plaudits because it is not a household name. Likewise, there is a possibility he could lose this bout if the man from Kazakhstan proves to be outstanding.

Image: Demetrius Andrade To Defend His WBO Title Against Janibek Alimkhanuly Next

Being 6”0 tall with a 73 and a half-inch reach will give Andrade a slight advantage, but he is facing a fellow southpaw who has knockout power and is unbeaten.

So if this fight does take place, we may see Boo Boo in a closely competitive fight after all.

Indeed, Andrade doesn’t seem to have much luck when it comes to getting fights that are financially enriching. If the man from Rhode Island gets through this test, will we finally see him in with the likes of Canelo Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) or is he destined to retire undefeated without ever stepping up to face the best?

Of course, Andrade does have the option to vacate his title and go in a completely different direction. Ironically, Alimkhanuly resembles what Boo Boo is to the other fighters at middleweight, high risk, and low reward.

At this stage of his career, what is more important to Andrade? A world title belt or a big name on his resume?