By: Hans Themistode
The name Canelo Alvarez has always brought a sly grin to the face of Demetrius Andrade.
For years on end, the two-division world champion has demanded that the Mexican star face him in the ring. The two campaigned at both 154 and 160 pounds for several years. But while Andrade made it his personal business to continually call Alvarez out, he was never given a contract with the pound-for-pound star’s name written upon it.
Currently, Andrade’s hopes of landing a showdown against Alvarez are dwindling. With the multiple division titlist fluctuating up and down in weight, it appears unlikely that he makes a return to 160 pounds. Alvarez’s last venture through the middleweight terrain came on May 4th, 2019. On the night, Alvarez registered a close but clear unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs.
Since then, Alvarez snagged a world title at 175 pounds and is currently in possession of three of the four major world titles at 168 pounds. In his next ring appearance, Alvarez will take on IBF super middleweight belt holder Caleb Plant. Should Alvarez win, he’ll become the division’s first undisputed champion of all time.
Whether Alvarez elects to defend his undisputed crown or opt to move back up to the light heavyweight division, is of no importance to Andrade. No matter what division Alvarez plants his flag next, Andrade is willing to meet him.
“Canelo you going to run up to 175?” Questioned Andrade during a recent press conference. “Cool, I can meet you there, no problem.”
Although Andrade would love nothing more than to get his hands on Alvarez, he has business to attend to beforehand. On November 19th, at SNHU Arena in Manchester, Andrade headlines a night of championship fights as he takes on fringe contender Jason Quigley.
Even with the Irish native holding a near flawless record at 19-1 with 14 knockouts, Andrade is confident that he’ll successfully defend his WBO middleweight title for the fifth time in his career.
“First things first though, I need to go out on November 19, defend my championship belt, and put on a spectacular performance, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.”