Demetrius Andrade Will Move Back Down To 160 After Benavidez Defeat

Demetrius Andrade will move back down to 160 following his loss to David Benavidez.

That is according to his trainer, Andre Rozier. Andrade suffered the first career defeat when the Mexican Monster stopped him after the sixth round at super middleweight. Andrade started the fight well, moving around the ring while utilising his left hand. However, his punches failed to do any damage at the weight class as Andrade buckled after tasting Benavidez’s power.

He was dropped in the fourth round. And Andrade never recovered. Then the stoppage followed shortly after. Andrade’s success has come at 154 and 160, which has made him a two-division champion. So, a move back down makes the most sense.

Andrade To 160

“We’ve decided to move back down to 160. Boo Boo is all for it,” Rozier said

This naturally begs the question: Who could Andrade fight? There is the possibility of taking on Jermall Charlo for his WBC belt. The American recently returned to the ring after more than two years out with mental health struggles to beat Jose Benavidez Jr. in a dominant performance.

Charlo’s WBC belt was not on the line, but he will have to defend it moving forward. His current mandatory is Carlos Adames, but a 160 fight with Charlo could follow once that is navigated. Outside of Charlo, fights against Erislandy Lara and Janibek Alimkhanuly are possibilities. They hold the WBA and IBF belts, respectively, giving Andrade a variety of options.

“We wanna take (Erislandy) Lara’s WBA belt, then unify, then fight Janibek to become undisputed. That will solidify Boo Boo as a Hall of Famer,” Rozier stated

Will Andrade Recover?

Nevertheless, there are question marks over whether Andrade will ever be the same fighter. The American was bullied in his biggest fight. Meanwhile, Benavidez hardly got out of second gear. In addition, Andrade has previously stated that he would be open to fighting at 175 pounds. 

“I think I have the talent and skills to fight the right guys at light heavyweight. I’m dumb but not stupid,” Andrade revealed 

But given that he could not handle the power at 168, fights against Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev at light heavyweight seem unlikely. That has left him with the 160-pound division. Despite this being the case, Zab Judah has backed Andrade to come back stronger.

“I think that fight was needed for him. Now, he’s gonna get some of the fights he was supposed to get in the past. Boxing is funny, once they see you lose, now everybody wanna fight you. But don’t count Boo Boo out. keep your eyes on Boo Boo Andrade. He ain’t finished. He ain’t damaged goods. I think he’ll make a comeback,” Judah stated 

Andrade faces a crucial period moving forward. And at the age of 35, there are not too many chances left to secure the big fights. ‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’