Demetrius Andrade to Start Fighting ‘In’ the Ring
Demetrius Andrade (21-0, 14 KO), the former WBO Junior Middleweight champ, will be returning the ring against Dario Fabian Pucheta on October 17th. Andrade may have been out of action for the past 16 months, but that doesn’t mean the man hasn’t been fighting.
The unbeaten 27-year-old has been trading proverbial punches with promoter Roc Nation Sports and broadcaster Showtime over a disputed contract. To top it all off, the Rhode Island fighter was then stripped off his WBO belt due to inactivity.
The good news: Andrade is back. The bad news: the Connecticut 10-rounder will certainly be of the tune-up variety if a fighter like Pucheta (20-2, 11 KO) is involved.
“It’s about time that I get back in the ring,” Andrade told ESPN. “I am happy to be fighting [near] home in front of my fans. It is the most comfortable place in the world to be, and I look forward to regaining my title and defending in front of all my loyal fans. I just want to thank them for their support during the last year. I look forward to seeing all of my fans at the fight.”
Andrade was never going to shake off the cobwebs against a top contender, but this match-up has the air of Quillin-Zerafa about it, it has to be said.
Evgeny Gradovich & Matt Korobov Moving Forward
Evgeny Gradovich and Matt Korobov will also be making a return to the ring soon. Both fighters, who’ve suffered sole defeats, will be featuring on the Crawford-Jean undercard on October 24th in Omaha, Nebraska.
Gradovich (19-1-1, 9 KO) will take on journeyman Aldimar Silva Santos (19-8, 12 KO) in an 8-rounder as the Russian-born Gradovich looks to put his defeat to Lee Selby far behind him. Gradovich lost an 8th round Technical Decision to the Welshman back in May, which cost him the IBF Featherweight strap.
Matt Korobov (21-1, 14 KO), who lost his WBO Middleweight title to Andy Lee last December, will be taking on Josue Ovando (13-7-1, 10 KO). And no, this doesn’t look to be a competitive affair, either. Against Lee, Korobov looked to be in control, outpointing the Irishman before getting caught by a fight-changing right-hand in the 6th round.
This isn’t a scintillating support card exactly, but should at least promise excitement (albeit one-sided) given the aggressive styles of Gradovich and Korobov.
Thoughts on Demetrius Andrade’s return, fight fans?
Mark Phillips is the Head Staff Writer/Assistant Editor at BoxingBase.com, and provides worldwide news, coverage and analysis – he can be reached via our Contact Page.
