Demetrius Andrade Ready for Big Head Luke Keeler
For true lovers of the Sweet Science, its often frustrating when great match-ups are do not come to fruition. Sometimes those bouts don’t happen for numerous reasons that range from circumstantial, political or, of course, monetary. However, at the moment, few active fighters seem to be as consistently snake-bitten as WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo-Boo” Andrade (28-0, 17 KO’s).
For years, Boo-Boo has called out the best in his division to no avail. At times, the two-divisional champion has come extremely close to landing those career defining bouts. However, each time, the opportunities would crumble right before his eyes.
This was recently the case when Andrade penned a bout with WBO world super middleweight champion “Superb” Billy Joe Saunders (29-0, 14 KO’s). Even that bout would disintegrate into nothingness after an adverse drug finding would hit Saunders well before fight night.
So, instead of a fellow title-holder, Andrade will return to action in his third title defense against Irish boxer Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KO’s). The two will go head-to-head in the main event of a DAZN fight card. The venue of choice will be the Meridian at Island Gardens located in Miami, Florida. For Keeler, the bout will undoubtedly be his biggest step-up in competition and his American fight debut.
ANDRADE REMAINS LOYAL TO MATCHROOM
Due to the difficulty Andarde has endured landing the marquee fights that he wants, some in the industry are questioning why he extended his contract with Matchroom Promotions. 3kingsboxing recently reported that Andrade committed to another four fights with the UK outfit that’s currently serving as the face of the boxing and MMA app DAZN.
For those at odds with this decision, they believe that Boo-Boo is isolating himself on an island that will continue to leave him without any of the dancing partners that he is really gunning for. The same was said when WBO world welterweight Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s) re-signed with Top Rank promotions. Obviously, Andrade does not co-sign this very prevalent thought process, as he told to Boxing Social.
“You know, at the end of the day right now, this is the new movement, the new wave, DAZN, Matchroom being the face of it, putting on shows every week. And so why not join the movement, be one of the first guys to display what Matchroom and DAZN are doing for the US? And it’s just an honor and privilege for me and also for them to have the type of talent that I am. That’s going to bring great boxing.”
THOUGHTS ON KEELER
Evidently, Andrade believes that remaining loyal to Matchroom will ultimately get him in the squared circle with his fellow middleweight champions, such as Jermall Charlo (WBC), WBC Gennady Golovkin (IBF) or WBC “franchise champion” Saul Alvarez.
In the meantime, Boo-Boo will be forced to continue feasting on the Walter Kautondokwa’s, Artur Akavov’s and Maciej Suleckli’s of the world. As previously said, up next is Luke Keeler. While Andrade cannot be all that overly excited to battle Keeler, the Rhode Island native insists that he is focused and ready for battle.
“I know that he has a big head, he seems like he is a funny guy. He tries to be, but at the end of the day he got here by working hard. He won some fights, he’s number 4 or 5 in the WBO and so now it’s time for us to tango.
I hope that Luke Keeler comes with his A-game and don’t come here throwing some sissy punches and shit like that and we do what it do. He was talking all that shit that I’m delusional, I’m this, I’m that but you know at the end of the day we are really going to see who is delusional.”
Barring a colossal upset, Andrade should make easy work of Keeler. Granted this widely assumed outcome is the actual result, we will just have to wait and see if Boo-Boo can’t change his luck in regards to obtaining the career defining prizefights that he truly wants.
By: Bakari Simpson
