Andrade-Hatley still in play? Nelson fight needs to happen

0
1658

Demetrius AndradeThe June 11th Showtime card headlined by Ruslan Provodnikov is starting to shape out in a big way as reports have surfaced with rumors of two fights being added.

 

Steve Kim of Boxingscene.com has reported that Demetrius Andrade will take on Willie Nelson in a junior middleweight showdown. The article goes on to report that Willie Monroe Jr. and Avtandil Khurtsidze will meet in a middleweight bout. Both fights are reportedly scheduled for TV.

 

Both matchups are very interesting and certainly bolster the validity of the card which features Provodnikov squaring off against John Molina Jr. All three bouts could provide action and are fairly competitive on paper.

 

Andrade was supposed to face Charles Hatley and there is some word that the fight is still going forward despite these recent reports. We last saw Andrade in the ring against Dario Fabian Pucheta in October 2015.

 

Many aspects have played into Andrade’s lack of a push throughout his career, but the debacle that was his proposed matchup with Jermell Charlo got him blacklisted with the Al Haymon side of the fight game, which just happens to be the primary source of the junior middleweight division’s deepest pool of quality options.

 

After the Andrade-Charlo fight was announced, Andrade “pulled out” when he claimed that he had never been offered a contract for the fight and had not agreed to whatever terms were presently being offered. Overplaying his hand, Andrade figured he was in the kind of position that would allow him to make the most out of things. It did not work.

 

Now, Andrade is in need of significant competition. Nelson represents significant competition. Although talks continue to persist that Andrade is fighting Hatley, he would best be served by getting the Showtime exposure against a quality fighter in a matchup that fans will be excited for throughout the buildup and into fight night.

 

Nelson has a win over a Haymon fighter – a 9th round TKO over Tony Harrison – and if Andrade can steal that momentum then it could present a case where Haymon would utilize his talents against his stable again.