Demetrius Andrade Picks Strange Time to Call-out Chris Eubank Jr
Reigning WBO middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (31-0, 19 KOs) has been quiet since an injury forced him to withdraw from a May 21 battle against Zach Parker (22-0, 16 KOs) for the vacant WBO Interim title at 168. The only news that emanated from the Andrade camp was a split with Matchroom Promotions. Now the fighter has decided it’s time to speak. The champ went on social media with a video to respond to an offer from the camp of world-ranked 160 pounder Chris Eubanks Jr (32-2, 23 KOs). According to Andrade, he’s ready to make the fight happen.
BRING ON EUBANK
“Chris Eubanks, y’all offered a lot of money to fight me, over one million dollars […] There’s a whole lot of money on the table. Me and you to fight for the WBO. We are stars. You’re a star. I’m a superstar […] Let’s put this fight together.
[…] Let’s make this money, let’s feed our kids. Let’s give boxing fans what they’re looking for. That’s Demetrius Andrade versus Chris Eubanks; October, November, by the end of the year, and everybody gonna be a millionaire.”
The timing of this callout is happening at a strange time. It happened after the WBO has shorted the window for Andrade to negotiate a fight with current WBO Interim middleweight champ Janibek Alimkhanuly (12-0, 8 KOs). Also, word on the street is that Eubank Jr is near to finalizing a deal for a catchweight bout with highly-ranked welterweight Conor Benn.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Andrade initially hoped that a fight against Parker was a springboard to a match with undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez. Now he’s talking about fighting with Eubank at 160. But many will question Andrade’s failure to mention of Alimkhanuly.
Alimkhanuly is the one fighter that Andrade has neglected to discuss. Was it a coincidence that he dropped a video to talk about Eubank following the WBO’s recent decision? A segment of fans and pundits think Andrade is avoiding a fight with Alimkhanuly. This video does nothing to silence that belief.
It’s unknown what the champ will do next. Will Andrade fight Eubank in the UK, or does he fight Alimkhanuly? Or, will he vacate the title and make the official move to 168? For Andrade, the bottom line is that there’s a lot of uncertainty in and out of the ring. Stay tuned to 3Kings Boxing for further updates on what’s next for “Boo Boo”.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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