Report: Andrade vacating middleweight belt to fight at 168, eyeing Canelo
Demetrius Andrade is gearing up for a run at Canelo Alvarez.
Andrade is planning a move up to 168 pounds in hopes of quickly becoming Alvarez's mandatory challenger at that level, sources told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.
The reigning WBO middleweight titleholder's team is working towards a deal to fight Zach Parker, the WBO's international super-middleweight champion, Mannix reports. The winner of Andrade-Parker would then slot in as Alvarez's mandatory challenger for his four 168-pound belts.
"Boo Boo" has successfully defended his WBO middleweight title five times since winning it in 2018, most recently via a second-round knockout of Jason Quigley. The 33-year-old was planning a sixth defense against his mandatory 160-pound challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly, and the organization had a purse bid for Andrade-Alimkhanuly scheduled for this week.
Andrade, a two-division world champion, faced a purse bid this week for a mandatory defense against Janibek Alimkhanuly. Alimkhanuly's team will pursue a vacant title. A possible opponent: Chris Eubank Jr., who will face Liam Williams on February 5th.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) January 26, 2022
Andrade, who previously held belts in the light-middleweight division, holds a lifetime 31-0 record with 19 wins coming via knockout.
Parker (22-0) has won his last five fights via knockout - a run that's included four KO's in the fourth round or earlier. The 27-year-old southpaw only needed four rounds to stop Marcus Morrison in his most recent bout.
Alvarez became the undisputed super-middleweight champion when he defeated Caleb Plant almost three months ago. His current plan is to fight WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu in May.