By: Hans Themistode
For a number of years now, promoter Eddie Hearn has thrown his hands up in frustration. Although he has gotten a number of fights for Demetrius Andrade, he has failed to get the WBO middleweight titlist a marquee one. With that said, he could be on the brink of doing just that.
The 33-year-old Rhode Island native is fresh off a fairly competitive win over Liam Williams on April 17th. After sending his man to the canvas in the second round, Andrade (30-0, 18 KOs) got past a few scary moments of his own to pick up the win. With the two-division belt holder anxious to know what’s next, Hearn finally had an answer.
According to the long-time promoter, he’s made a significant offer to WBA interim titlist Chris Eubank Jr. for a showdown later on this year. Although both sides are in the infancy stages of their negotiations, Hearn made it clear that team Eubank Jr. is “very interested” in putting together a fight.
For the British native, a matchup with Andrade is exactly the sort of fight he was hoping for. During a recent interview, Eubank Jr. (30-2, 22 KOs) expressed a desire to shed his interim tag and become a full middleweight belt holder. Originally, he believed a matchup with WBA “Super” champion, Ryota Murata, would likely be next. Now, with Hearn willing to place Eubank Jr. in with Andrade instead, his world title dreams could become a reality later on this year.
After spending the better part of a year and a half on the sidelines, Eubank Jr. returned to the ring on May 1st against fringe contender Marcus Morrison. While he proved to be tough, Eubank Jr. was simply a step ahead as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory.