WBO Middleweight Champion Demetrius Andrade may be a making major move to a new division. As reported by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Andrade plans to move up in weight and challenge Zach Parker for the interim WBO Super Middleweight Championship. In the wake of his middleweight departure, mandatory title challenger Janibek Alimkhanuly will likely fight Esquiva Falcao or Chris Eubank Jr. for the vacant WBO Middleweight Championship.
Andrade’s move to super middleweight appears to be tied to his desires to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Over the years, Andrade has expressed a desire to fight the pound-for-pound champion, but Alvarez has denied him the opportunity. Now, it appears that Alvarez has no interest in coming back down to the 160-pound division, so Andrade was forced to move up to a new weight class. However, it is unclear if moving up in weight will force Alvarez’s hand.
Andrade is not the only one making moves in the super middleweight division. Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has reportedly received multiple offers from top promoters like Al Haymon of PBC and Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. Haymon has allegedly offered Alvarez an opportunity to fight middleweight champion Jermall Charlo on May 7, 2022. Meanwhile, Hearn has offered Alvarez a two-fight deal. Under this agreement, Alvarez would reportedly fight light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7, 2022 an Gennady Golovkin on September 17, 2022.
While it appears that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is on everyone’s mind, he remains on vacation after defeating Caleb Plant in November of last year.
