Demetrius Andrade (27-0, 17 KOs) notched yet another win under his belt in his last bout when he stopped Artur Akavov (16-3, 8 KOs) in the 12th round of their fight.
It was clinical the way Andrade was easily beating his man. The stoppage came about because of how much damage Akavov was taking throughout the contest.
It’s great to see Andrade getting much more active in his career, but the fans need to see him in the ring next with someone who can actually challenge him.
The eye test says that Andrade is a very good fighter, but is he a great one? Let’s take a look at who he should face next.
Billy Joe Saunders
Ed Mulholland/HBO
Does Billy Joe Saunders (27-0, 13 KOs) come off as a loud mouth jerk? Yes.
Did Saunders get stripped for his title for failing a VADA drug test? Yes, again.
Is Saunders one of the very best in the Middleweight division? Absolutely.
Saunders has proven that when he is healthy and fully motivated that he can defeat just about anyone. A matchup with Andrade almost came to fruition until he was taken off the bill do to a violation.
Why not make this matchup one more time? Saunders is one of the very few boxers that can challenge Andrade. If Saunders is focused then this is a 50/50 kind of fight.
With Saunders’ suspension lifted and the WBO giving Andrade and Saunders 30 days to strike a deal, this fight could be next.
Sergiy Derevyanchenko
After suffering a defeat in his last bout to Daniel Jacobs for the vacant IBF crown, Sergiy Derevyanchenko (12-1, 10 KOs) is looking for another crack at the big stage. Despite coming up short in his bid for a title, Derevyanchenko looked impressive.
Unfortunately for him he simply lost to a fighter who many would consider to be the second best Middleweight in the world.
That should not place him back at the bottom of the totem pole. Derevyanchenko would represent the toughest foe by far for Andrade. Typically in Andrade’s fights it’s easy to tell how things will play out.
A matchup with Derevyanchenko would not be so easy to predict the outcome. If Andrade manages to not only defeat him but dominate him as well then that would be a statement.
Gennady Golovkin
Ed Mulholland/HBO
Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs are mostly regarded as the No. 1 and No. 2 Middleweights in the world. Jermall Charlo is viewed as a major threat to anyone. Andrade is the WBO champion and given the opportunity he can stake his claim as the best in the division.
Since his two fights with Canelo, former unified champion Gennady Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) often times gets overlooked now. Yes, he lost his last fight to Canelo and their first fight was a draw, but the majority of viewers believed he won both contests.
A fight with GGG is one that Andrade is extremely confident he would win. After his win over Artur Akavov he had this to say about a possible fight the former kingpin.
“At the end of the day, if you put GGG in front of me I am going to destroy him.”
I think I speak for all fight fans when I say please make the fight happen.
