Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade knew he was up against it. Moving up to the super middleweight division meant that he would be fighting against bigger and stronger men, nullifying some of his best attributes.
It wasn’t ideal but Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) felt as though he didn’t have much of a choice. During his days at both 154 and 160 pounds, the now 35-year-old cursed, screamed, pouted, and did his best to antagonize an elite fighter to face him. No one, however, took the bait.
After brazenly making the move up in weight, team Andrade has come to the conclusion that the super middleweight division is asking a bit too much of their fighter.
“We’ve decided to move back down to 160,” Andre Rozier, one of Andrade’s lead trainers, told BoxingScene.com. “Boo Boo is all for it.”
A brutal sixth-round stoppage at the hands of David Benavidez just last month helped the cessation of Andrade’s 168-pound run.
From the moment Andrade inked his name on the dotted line, he knew a fight with Benavidez wouldn’t be a walk in the park. In the opening few rounds of their November showdown, however, Andrade had it all clicking.
But, in spite of his success, Benavidez continued to march forward as Andrade’s blows innocuously bounced off his gloves. Once he was in range, a pernicious right hand changed everything.
Even at the age of 35, Rozier doesn’t believe that his fighter has lost a step. His shortcomings against Benavidez, nevertheless, are simply being chalked up as a great big man beating a great little man.
In the coming months, the hope now is for Andrade to strip away some of that muscle he threw onto his frame and become much more lean. As that process begins, Rozier is already mapping out the fights he wants next. For the renowned trainer, it isn’t simply about getting Andrade to win another world title. Now, it’s all about showing the world that the former Olympian is the best middleweight on the planet, before locking up a permanent spot amongst the all-time greats.
“We wanna take (Erislandy) Lara’s WBA belt, then unify, then fight Janibek to become undisputed. That will solidify Boo Boo as a Hall of Famer.”