Andrade can’t call Canelo the best just yet
When Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KO’s) last hit the airwaves, there was an interesting dynamic in play. As the newly crowned WBA and WBC world super middleweight champion chucked knuckles in the ring, he had a rebel on the mic. This was due to WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (29-0, 18 KO’s) participating as a member of the broadcast team.
To his credit though, Andrade never stepped out of place and performed his role like a professional. All the while in vain, Boo Boo has chased a showdown with Canelo for quite a few years. At different times during the telecast, it was evident that Andrade bit his tongue in order to stick to the script. Afterwards, once the cameras were off, Boo Boo had a more candid appraisal of Alvarez.
NOT THE BIG BOSS JUST YET
As a fan and participant in the sport of boxing, Andrade is well aware of the accolades that Canelo receives. Truthfully speaking, he even thinks Alvarez deserves much of this praise because he has worked hard to achieve his status. However, as the Rhode Island native told ESNEWS, he just cannot label the redhead as the top guy.
“Listen, I don’t know about pound-for-pound okay? People call him pound-for-pound for doing that type of work [beating up Callum Smith], I’m going to also call him pound-for-pound. At the end of the day, he has fought GGG, twice. GGG is a threat. Anybody else after that, I think for me, they are out they prime, not a guy that is today.”
HURDLES IN THE GAME
As one would imagine, Andrade felt that he was one of the perfect in-prime challenges for Canelo. Naturally, according to him, a successful outing in an Alvarez v Andrade bout would validate his top dog status. Yet, Boo Boo did not snag all the limelight. In his estimation, there are quite a few worthy adversaries that he would like to see Canelo face.
“At the end of the day, if you want to see Canelo’s true potential with someone who is going to give him a real challenge, come down to me. You got Caleb Plant, David Benavidez, Demetrius Andrade…at the end of the day, Canelo still has real talent and real fighters in front of him that he needs to go through to be the ultimate pound-for-pound guy.”
Being a seasoned fighter in the industry though, Boo Boo is quick to acknowledge what he feels has prevented greater ascension.
“The one thing I can say about Canelo, he is picking guys at the right time. He fought a guy that is 168lbs, has the championship, is a world champion, took his belt. GGG is fighting a guy that has nothing, that’s nobody. That’s the difference right now. He is fighting guys that have something that isn’t much versus these guys like GGG that’s fighting guys that have nothing.”
“Like myself! I am fighting guys that have nothing. I’m fighting guys that are undefeated, I’m fighting guys that are hungry, I’m fighting guys who want to knock me the fuck out. They want to take everything from me! Walter Kautondokwa, Maciej Sulecki, you know what I am saying, Luke Keeler. But do I get credit for that? No, you know why? Because what they done? Right, so how can I ever say Canelo, Canelo, Canelo and they come back to my resume and they be like who you fought?”
“You know why I haven’t fought em? Because I wasn’t with Golden Boy promotions, I wasn’t moved the way that Canelo is being moved, being groomed. I’m not a hater. I respect everything about Canelo, Canelo’s story line from where he started from to where he is. My hat goes off, it would be an honor to get in there with Canelo. But at the same time, as a fighter, as a hungry guy I want to eat too!”
By: Bakari Simpson
