Demetrius Andrade needed to make a strong statement against Jason Quigley Saturday night. The WBO middleweight champion needed less than six minutes to do so.
Andrade came into the fight sporting a 31-0 record with 19 KOs. But what the middleweight champion cannot seem to get is a fight with another elite fighter. He is hoping his performance against Quigley proves enough to pressure someone into a legacy-defining boxing match.
The first minute or so of the contest was a cat and mouse game with both fighters jockeying for position and searching for openings. But Andrade exploded in the last minute of the first round and scored the first knockdown at the 45-second mark.
Jason Quigley survived the first round, but things did not improve for him in the second. Andrade hit Quigley with a left hand with a minute left in the second round that sent the Irishmen to the canvas for the second time. Quigley fought on, but a third knockdown and subsequent stoppage ended the fight half a minute later.
“I did what I said I would do,” Andrade reminded everyone listening before issuing his challenge to the middleweight division. “What’s next and who’s next.”
Demetrius Andrade Next Fight Possibilities
Andrade has voiced his frustration in the past about other middleweight champions not agreeing to fight him. The big matchups for the 33-year-old WBO titlist right now would be Jermall Charlo and Gennady Golovkin. Neither seems interested in facing off against Andrade anytime soon.
DAZN promoter Eddie Hearn says you can add top contender Jaime Mungia to the list of fighters avoiding a boxing match with Andrade. Hearn explains Mungia moved up to 160 from 154 and became the mandatory challenger for Andrade’s belt. Mungia said he wanted a fight or two before fighting the champion.
“He’s had four fights,” Hearn voices his frustration regarding Mungia. “Now he’s saying he hopes to get a title eliminator next.” Hearn could only shake his head while asking, “why? You’ve got a shot on the same platform with the world champion.”
Demetrius Andrade also has a question for the other elite fighters in the middleweight division, “I’m 31-0, an Olympian and a world champion. What more do I need to do?”