January 2011. Demetrius Andrade, a member of the 2008 United States Olympic team, is 11-0 as a professional and looking to take that next step in his career, but few are willing to offer him that opportunity.
“I didn’t expect a lot of things outside of boxing to happen,” he told me then. “It’s crazy.”
At 22, though, Andrade was optimistic, like most 22-year-olds are.
“2011 is gonna be my time, my year, and for people to start understanding, ‘Oh yeah, that kid is really that good,’” he said. “I’m gonna go in there, do what I do, and it’s not my fault that the guy can’t take it or gets knocked out in the first couple rounds. I did my job and we worked hard to get it.”
Alberto Herrera, his opponent shortly after this interview was conducted, could take it, as he went the eight-round distance with Andrade. What he couldn’t quite do was give it back, with the Rhode Island native scoring a near-shutout decision win.
Three more victories would follow that year, all barely registering on the meter of casual fight fans. In 2013, he took a portion of the junior middleweight title, in 2018 another belt at 160 pounds, and on Saturday, he will be in Las Vegas to challenge David Benavidez for the interim WBC super middleweight crown.
It’s the biggest fight of Andrade’s career, 15 years after it started in 2008. That’s a development few would have expected when he turned pro, and the head shaking only got more prevalent as the years went by. He’s been no Arturo Gatti, but his boxing skills are obvious, he has the physical tools, and fighters rarely compile a 32-0 (19 KOs) record by being average.
But whether it’s bad luck, questionable business decisions or a willingness to pick up paychecks against good, but not great, opposition, the bottom line is that Andrade could either wake up on Sunday morning as a smart businessman about to pick up a career-best payday against Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after playing all his cards right over the years, or simply a cautionary tale.
That all depends on what happens against the 27-0 Benavidez, the betting and fan favorite who is likely one win away from engaging in the one fight people want to see Alvarez in. Andrade disagrees.
“I’m looking to conquer the whole super middleweight division,” said Andrade. “This would be my third weight class. That’s what gives me the right to say I’m the best. This is bigger than Canelo. This is way bigger than that. We can’t just sit back and wait for him. David Benavidez versus. Demetrius Andrade is the biggest fight.”
It’s a big fight. It’s not the biggest, not when every Alvarez appearance stops the boxing world for that particular night. But it’s important, it’s interesting stylistically, and it could very well determine how we judge the career of Andrade. At the moment, that judgement would be harsh, despite his obvious talent and the way he’s handled the opponents he has faced. But with the names Charlo, Saunders and Lara all absent, and long periods of inactivity producing seemingly endless starts and stops, how can it be otherwise?
And as early as 2017, six years after that first interview, Andrade was already disillusioned with the sport.
“I haven’t done the things that I’ve wanted to do in boxing and I’m not where I’m at in boxing for the people outside of boxing to recognize who the real deal really is,” he told me then. “So, of course, the hunger is there to let the people, and also myself, know that I’m the best and this is what I have to do. There is no easy route and it’s not like everybody is just going to jump in the ring with Demetrius Andrade, so that’s why I’m here now.”
“Here” in March of 2017 was Germany, where he fought – and beat – Jack Culcay for the WBA junior middleweight title. Maybe it wasn’t expected to be the kickoff to superstardom for Andrade, but sunny skies were in the forecast until battles at the negotiating table and with promoters kept him from at least getting in the ring with the big names in and around the division.
So the wait continued until he was presented with Benavidez and a chance to make it all work.
“This is the Super Bowl of the 168-pound division,” Andrade said. “This is the biggest fight that can be made. The two most avoided fighters. Yes, I haven’t fought the best because the best doesn’t want to fight me. He can have that same claim. But the time is now. This is the fight.”
The time is now, and it’s running out for the 35-year-old as he faces a hungry opponent who is younger, stronger and bigger. If he’s better, too, then it may be a tough night for Andrade. But if Andrade still has what he’s always shown glimpses of over the last decade-and-a-half, then it might be the rare roll of the dice that pays off.
“It’s war time, baby,” he said. “It’s time to fight. David and I agreed to make this happen and now we’re here. At the end of the day, I have nowhere to go and he has nowhere to go. May the best fighters fight each other. That’s what we’re proving and that’s what we’re doing.”