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Andrade wants three fights in 2017 after bouts of inactivity

Fighters Network
10
Mar

Highly Skilled and affable, Demetrius Andrade has hopscotched from one bout to another, fighting just once a year since 2013 in what has been an enigmatic middle chapter to his career so far.

Set to face 154-pound secondary titleholder Jack Culcay in Ludwigshaten, Germany on Saturday, Andrade, a former titleholder and U.S. Olympian, hopes to change the trajectory of that uneven pattern with a busier 2017. The 29-year-old Andrade (23-0, 16 knockouts) wants to fight three times in 2017, which he hasn’t done since 2012. Andrade showcased his humor while discussing his inactivity.

“Do you see the whooping I’ve been giving to these guys?” Andrade said from Germany in a phone interview with RingTV.com when asked about the one-and-done schedule he’s kept up the last few years. “That’s why I only fight once. This is a rough, tough business. It’s not easy for someone to put their body through whatever they have to put their body through to go 12, hard rounds with someone who’s trying to take your head off. But if I had to choose right how many times I have to get into the ring this year, two more times would be nice so three would be great.”

Andrade of Providence, Rhode Island has been beset with promotional issues the last few years, which have led to his lack of fights. He was stripped of a title in 2015 because of inactivity. But his issues seem to be ironed out and Andrade looks forward to beating Culcay again (he also topped him in the amateurs) and setting his sights on the rest of the junior middleweight division, where he is ranked No. 5 in the RING’S rankings despite not fighting since June.



“It’s just another steppingstone,” Andrade said of tomorrow’s fight, which is in Germany because Culcay’s side won the purse bid. “This is an obstacle that I have to take. We all know the 154-pound division isn’t (the same) without Demetrius Andrade in it. This game is a waiting game and you have to be patient. But I’m not frustrated because I’m still young. I’m still young, tall, black and handsome.”

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