Does Demetrius Andrade deserve a shot at Canelo Alvarez?

For about the last decade, Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (30-0, 18KOs) has continuously pushed for major fights without any luck. Andrade’s hope with signing to DAZN was that the platform had all the big names around his weight division and eventually he could land a major fight.

So far, nothing has panned out, and his prospects for getting a notable match remain bleak. Well before Andrade signed with DAZN, he called out the Charlo twins and even crashed the press conference for Jermall Charlo following his KO victory over Julian Williams, but nonetheless, he never received an opportunity to face either Jermell or Jermall Charlo. Supposedly, Eddie Hearn offered Jermall a $7 million offer, but negotiations did not continue further.

Once again, Andrade decided to crash a press conference to generate buzz. This time, he was quickly shut down. He called out Canelo Alvarez (56-1-2, 38KOs) on May 8 following his KO win over Billy Joe Saunders, and Canelo did not budge. Security immediately smothered Andrade, telling him he needed to leave. Canelo told Andrade, “get the f--- out of here” and “you’re a horrible fighter.”

After the verbal sparring at the press conference, Andrade has since labeled Canelo a coward. Despite the insults, Canelo has other plans than facing Andrade. He mentioned that Andrade hasn’t fought anybody noteworthy, and instead, Canelo has aspirations to face bigger stars and clean out the super middleweight division by facing Caleb Plant in a unification bout for all four belts.

Unlike Canelo, Andrade is not a boxing star. Andrade boasts an outstanding amateur pedigree having been on the 2008 Olympic team. He earned world titles at light middleweight and middleweight. Despite these credentials and an undefeated record, Andrade is not a box office sensation. Due to his lack in popularity and skillset, star fighters have veered away from potential clashes with him. Plus, fans are not clamoring for a bout between Canelo and Andrade. Given that fans and Canelo are not interested in such a fight, it will likely never happen.

But, if the bout were to happen, how would it unfold? Canelo had a far more impressive showing in his last fight than Andrade. While Canelo scored a sensational KO win over Billy Joe Saunders in the 8^th, Andrade was unable to stop Liam Williams and got stunned at one point in the fight. To get the big names, Andrade needs to blow lesser-known opposition out of the water. Unfortunately for Andrade, he has failed to do so. In his last several fights, Andrade has shown brilliant skills and masterful punches. But none of his recent fights have been barnburners nor have they been crowd pleasing. For him to get a Canelo fight, he must do something to grab the attention of the boxing public. An undefeated record and multiple title belts will not automatically entitle him to a megafight.

Due to Andrade’s pedigree, Canelo would not be able to stop him quickly. Canelo would go to the body and set up traps. He would back Andrade to the ropes often and make him uncomfortable. Canelo would respect Andrade’s power and make sure to not open himself up too soon. In the early and middle rounds, Andrade would land some eye-catching shots to steal rounds. But ultimately, when and if the two fighters face off, Canelo’s uppercuts and body attack will be too much for Andrade to handle. Canelo would win by late round stoppage with a vicious counter or body punch.