A look back at the greatest performances in the career of Demetrius Andrade as he prepares to face David Benavidez Saturday night in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View.
David Benavidez and Demetrius Andrade Rate Each Other's Boxing Skills
Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade gained the unenviable reputation as a man who elite fighters tended to avoid.
That being acknowledged, 32 men have shared a ring with the gifted, experienced former two-division belt-holder from Providence, Rhode Island. And a number of them stepped through the ropes as respected contenders.
Who were the best?
Premier Boxing Champions went through Andrade’s resume and selected the five most impressive victories of his 15-year professional career, with quality of opposition being the principal factor.
It was successes like the ones you see below that finally led to the big fight Andrade (32-0, 19 KOs) has coveted for so many years: This Saturday, November 25, he faces fellow undefeated two-time world champion David Benavidez for Benavidez’s WBC Interim Super Middleweight World Title, at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, live on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
Here’s our list.
VANES MARTIROSYAN
Result: Andrade SD 12
Date: Nov. 9, 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Records: Andrade 19-0 (13 KOs), Martirosyan 33-0-1 (21 KOs)
Division: Junior middleweight
At stake: Vacant WBO 154-pound World Title
Background: People might forget how good Matirosyan was. The polished 2004 U.S. Olympian from the Los Angeles area was unbeaten and had a year earlier fought highly respected Erislandy Lara on even terms in a WBC title eliminator, which ended in a technical draw. And Andrade took Martirosyan to school. “Boo Boo” went down in the opening round but he outboxed, outworked and outclassed a good opponent the rest of the way to win what should’ve been a clear unanimous decision. The victory gave Andrade his first major world title, which he would successfully defend once (against Brian Rose) before he was stripped for inactivity. The victory over Martirosyan also left no doubt that Andrade was a special all-around fighter five years into his professional career.
WILLIE NELSON
Result: Andrade TKO 12
Date: June 11, 2016
Location: Verona, New York
Records: Andrade (22-0, 18 KOs), Nelson (25-2-1, 15 KOs)
At stake: No major titles
Background: Andrade, who had fought only once in the previous two years, said going into his fight with Nelson that he wanted to remind fans what they had been missing. He didn’t choose a pushover to make his point. Nelson was one of those guys who never got to the top of the heap but almost always gave a good account of himself, even against top opposition. That included a ninth-round knockout of Tony Harrison in a what had been a close fight in July 2015. He didn’t fare quite as well against Andrade. It was as if Andrade fought a yo-yo, as he put Nelson down four times – twice in the 12th and final round – before referee Dick Pakozdi finally stopped the beat down with 1:22 remaining in the fight. Andrade had made his statement.
JACK CULCAY
Result: Andrade SD 12
Date: March 11, 2017
Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany
Records: Andrade 23-0 (16 KOs), Culcay 22-1 (11 KOs)
Division: Junior middleweight
At stake: Culcay’s WBA 154-pound World Title
Background: Andrade was eager to get another belt around his waist after he was stripped by the WBO. And he was willing to go to Germany to do it. That’s where he faced titleholder Culcay, an Ecuadorian native who lived in Berlin. The two were amateur rivals, with Andrade knocking Culcay out of the 2007 World Championships by a score of 30-9. The home-country fighter was more competitive this time but suffered the same fate. Andrade used his superior speed and skills to get off to a quick start and appeared to be cruising. However, Culcay, refusing to give in, came on strong in the middle rounds before Andrade finished with a flourish to win a split decision that should’ve been unanimous. Two fights later he easily outpointed relative unknown Walter Kautondokwa to win the vacant WBO title.
MACIEJ SULECKI
Result: Andrade UD 12
Date: June 29, 2019
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Records: Andrade 27-0 (17 KOs), Sulecki 28-1 (11 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
At stake: Andrade’s WBO 160-pound World Title
Background: This fight was a homecoming for Andrade, who was making the second defense of the belt he won by defeating Kautondokwa at Dunkin Donuts Center in his hometown. And Sulecki didn’t come to be a prop. The tough, well-schooled Pole had victories over top contenders Yuriy Nuzhnenko, Culcay and Gabriel Rosado, and a single loss in a competitive fight against former titleholder Daniel Jacobs three fights before he met Andrade, meaning he was a legitimate title challenger. Things didn’t go well for him, though. Andrade was at his confounding best, putting the overwhelmed Sulecki down in the first round and outboxing him throughout to win every round on all three scorecards to underscore his elite ability. He was never more dominating.
LIAM WILLIAMS
Result: Andrade UD 12
Date: April 17, 2021
Location: Hollywood, Florida
Records: Andrade 29-0 (18 KOs), Williams 23-2-1 (18 KOs)
Division: Middleweight
At stake: Andrade’s WBO 160-pound World Title
Background: Andrade’s return from a 15-month layoff was successful. Williams rebounded from back-to-back losses to Liam Smith in 2017 to win seven consecutive fights and become the mandatory challenger to Andrade’s title, which he was defending for the fourth and next to last time before he would move up to 168 pounds. Andrade almost delivered an early night, putting Williams down and hurting him in round two. The Welshman proved to be resilient – surviving to hear the final bell – but he had neither the speed nor skill set to compete on the same level as a fighter of Andrade’s caliber. Thus, the champion won a one-sided decision to retain his perfect record and move closer to the big fight that had been eluding him.
For a closer look at Demetrius Andrade, check out his fighter page.
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