By: Hans Themistode
Demetrius Andrade continues to twiddle his thumbs and play the waiting game.
For years on end, the former two-division titlist and current WBO middleweight belt holder has begged some of boxing’s biggest stars to face him in the ring. Yet, no matter how many derogatory curse words he uses, and regardless of the superlative performances he puts on, Andrade is simply unable to lure his fellow champions in the ring.
With no big-name matchups on the horizon, Andrade has recently signed on the dotted line to take on middleweight contender Jason Quigley. The two are now set to face off on November 19th at SNHU Arena, in New Hampshire. He may not be the name Andrade was ultimately looking for, but the WBO titleholder tips his cap to Quigley for facing him.
“November 19, it’s me again,” said Andrade. “Jason Quigley, world rated, good amateur pedigree, decent skills, comes to fight, and hats off to him. He’s actually willing to step in the ring with me, which you can’t say for any of these other so-called top guys.”
Quigley’s world title opportunity comes across as somewhat of a surprise. Currently, the Irish native is ranked just tenth in the WBO sanctioning body. Despite his lower ranking, since running into a Tureano Johnson roadblock in July of 2019, losing via ninth-round stoppage, Quigley has reeled off three straight victories, two of which came via knockout.
Working his way back to world title contention is something that Quigley is undoubtedly proud of but Andrade represents a significant step up in competition. Not only is the 33 year old unblemished in 30 career fights but he’s mostly done so without breaking a sweat.
Nonetheless, Andrade was treated to a dog fight in his most recent contest against Liam Williams. Andrade may have scored the early knockdown in round two but it was Williams who enjoyed plenty of success down the stretch before losing a wide unanimous decision.
As Quigley prepares for his first crack at a world title, oddsmakers believe he’s in over his head. The opinion of the betting public is something that Andrade conclusively agrees with and in just over a month, the WBO titlist will look to prove that Quigley is completely out of his element.
“On November 19 though I show him that there are levels to this game.”
