Share

Andrade set for first defense of middleweight title at MSG

Share

NEW YORK (AP) — Demetrius Andrade is just a few months from winning a middleweight title but perhaps still far away from fights with the division’s biggest names.

Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs are the headliners at 160 pounds, and while one or more of them could someday be in Andrade’s future, it doesn’t appear to be the near future.

Andrade isn’t about to sit around waiting. He’s done too much of that already.

So he gets right back into action Friday night, making the first defense of his WBO belt against Russian Artur Akavov in the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

“It’s great to be back in the ring,” Andrade said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been this active and so like I said before, every opportunity that comes my way I’m going to take.”

Trending:
KJP Panics, Hangs Up in Middle of Interview When Reporter Shows He Isn't a Democratic Party Propagandist

Andrade (26-0, 16 KOs) is a former 154-pound champion who won a middleweight belt on Oct. 20 in Boston, dropping Walter Kautondokwa four times and cruising to a lopsided unanimous decision. Andrade had been scheduled to face champion Billy Joe Saunders, but Saunders tested positive for a banned stimulant and was stripped of his belt.

“We always knew he was going to win that world championship because now he’s a three-time, two-weight world champion, and the fights that are ahead for him in the 160-pound division are breathtaking,” promoter Eddie Hearn said.

Alvarez and Jacobs will meet May 4 in a unification bout. Both fighters, like Andrade, are aligned with DAZN, which will stream Friday’s card, so perhaps there’s a route to a fight with one or both of them eventually. Jacobs, the IBF champion, is also promoted by Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing USA, so that could help lead to another opportunity.

But after sitting out for a year before winning his title, the former U.S. Olympian from Providence, Rhode Island wants to stay busy until one of those fights emerges.

“I believe I am the greatest talent out there at the 154, 60 and maybe even 68 weight class division, but right now in front of me I’ve got to take care of business come Friday,” Andrade said.

That comes against Akavov (19-2, 8 KOs), who is getting his second shot at a title. He lost a decision to Saunders in December 2016.

“I respect him as a champion,” Akavov said of Andrade, “but I came here only for the victory. This is my dream, this is my goal.”

On the undercard, Jorge Linares (45-4, 28 KOs), now fighting at 140 pounds after losing his lightweight title to Vasyl Lomachenko last year, faces Pablo Cesar Cano (31-7-1, 21 KOs), and former 140-pound champion Chris Algieri (22-3, 8 KOs) continues his comeback against fellow New Yorker Danny Gonzalez (17-1-1, 7 KOs).

Also, Amanda Serrano (35-1-1, 26 KOs) looks for a title in a seventh weight class — this time dropping down to 115 pounds after fighting at 140 in her last bout — against Austrian champion Eva Voraberger (24-5, 11 KOs).

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

Then it’s Andrade, whom Hearn called the “sleeping giant” of the middleweight division whose slick southpaw skills hindered his ability to draw big bouts in the past.

“But now he can’t be ignored anymore because he’s a world champion in one of the most attractive, lucrative divisions in the sport,” Hearn said.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation