Paulie Malignaggi continued to shake his head at how the career of Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade was playing out. For roughly a decade and a half, the former Olympian was as smooth as butter in the ring. If you wanted to bang it out on the inside, he was more than willing. A pure boxing match? No problem. There was essentially nothing Andrade didn’t excel in.
As the years began to tick by, Andrade began racking up the world title wins. But while he may have brought home championships in two separate weight classes, he never took on an elite-level opponent.
Now, with Andrade a bit older, Malignaggi believes that the sport of boxing has done him wrong.
“The shame of Boo Boo Andrade is he’s probably one of, if not the most talented guy of this generation,” Malignaggi told ProBox TV. “And we never really got to see him at a high level against the highest level opponents at his best.”
Officially, things are about to change come November 25th. On the night, Andrade will be thrown in the ring with David Benavidez. The current interim WBC super middleweight champ is fresh off a win against Caleb Plant and has looked practically unbeatable throughout the course of his career.
Andrade, wholeheartedly, is excited about facing a top-of-the-line opponent. Malignaggi, on the other hand, isn’t too happy.
At the age of 35, the long-retired former fighter isn’t sure if Andrade is quite the same. To Malignaggi, Andrade is still a terrific talent but his reflexes have slowed just a touch and he isn’t as sharp as he used to be.
Regardless of it all, Malignaggi is still happy that Andrade is getting his opportunity. He’s just wondering if his time in the spotlight is coming a tad too late.
“Longtime coming for Demetrius Andrade in getting a big fight. Almost a bit too long, unfortunately.”