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Demetrius Andrade couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude after Canelo Alvarez’s recent loss in the ring.
The two division titlist from Rhode Island has had a bit of a contentious relationship with the Mexican superstar, with the two famously trading words after a press conference in May of 2021. Alvarez, fresh off of defeating Billy Joe Saunders in a 168-pound title bout, called Andrade a “horrible” fighter and claimed he was only after a “payday.” Andrade, who interrupted the presser with some antics, was eventually booted from the room.
Suffice to say, Alvarez’s recent loss to WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol last month at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has had Andrade grinning from ear to ear. In a recent interview Andrade criticized Alvarez for losing to Bivol, whom Andrade also took aim at, calling the Russian a “basic” fighter.
“He (Alvarez) called me a horrible fighter, but he just got beat by a basic, foundation [fighter],” Andrade told FightHype.com. “Know what I mean? I throw uppercuts from miles away. You feel me?”
Andrade (31-0, 19 KOs) proceeded to illustrate his point by facetiously imitating Bivol throwing a one-two combination. Then he imitated his own fighting style, slipping punches and throwing uppercuts from various angles.
Andrade, 34, said he was not taken aback by the outcome of Alvarez-Bivol and claimed that Alvarez had ducked him in 2019 to fight then light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev. Andrade also rejected the defense that Alvarez, who is still currently the undisputed champion at 168, was stretched too far by trying to fight at the 175-pound limit.
“Nah I wasn’t surprised,” Alvarez said. “People were running around saying he went up to 175, but it was okay when he dodged me to go fight Kovalev who was washed up, damaged, and all this other sh!t.
“Now some of the sh!t out there, c’mon man, stop it. He got beat by a simple, foundation [fighter].”
Andrade’s career is somewhat in limbo after he had to pull out of a fight with England’s Zach Parker due to an injury sustained in training camp. That fight, an interim WBO 168-pound bout, was supposed to be Andrade’s debut at super middleweight. Andrade still holds the WBO title at middleweight. A recent ruling by the sanctioning body contended that Andrade will have to face the division’s top contender in Janibek Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan no later than Nov. 17 or risk being stripped of his belt.
Andrade last fought in November, a second-round stoppage of Ireland’s Jason Quigley in the headline act in Manchester, New Hampshire. The Rhode Islander has one fight left on his contract with longtime promoter Matchroom.