Following a pretty easy win for Demetrius Andrade over Jason Quigley tonight, Andrade’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing put out a passionate call for top names at 160 lbs to finally get in the ring and fight the WBO titleholder.
Specifically, Hearn called out Jermall Charlo, Jaime Munguia, and Gennadiy Golovkin.
“Fans should get him these big fights,” Hearn said, while once again suggesting a fight with Charlo. “What is going on with boxing when you’ve got two great, undefeated American world champions in the same division, and they won’t share the ring together? There’s one reason: Jermall Charlo.
“Jaime Munguia was the (154 lb) WBO world champion. He moved up to 160, the WBO said, ‘You’re mandatory to Demetrius Andrade,’ he said, ‘Not yet, let me get a couple of fights at middleweight.’ He’s had four fights at middleweight! Now he’s saying, ‘Hopefully I get an eliminator next.’ Why?! He can fight Demetrius Andrade next, a straight shot at the world title.
“Gennadiy Golovkin fighting (Ryota) Murata, if he wins that fight, he has to fight Andrade in a unification. I don’t know what else to say or do. We’ve been here a thousand times before. And I so desperately want to see this guy get his defining moment.”
Hearn’s position is one with plenty of merit. While certainly a lot of fans and pundits and everyone else have been critical of some of Andrade’s performances, the man has won his fights, left no question about the winner of those fights, and is just spinning his wheels in fights like we saw tonight. There was never any real question about Andrade beating Quigley, and he did.
At the same time, calling on the public to demand bigger bouts for Andrade (31-0, 19 KO) is a little manipulatively framed, because the public who care about Andrade’s career have been asking for him to get bigger fights. We’re not the ones having him fight Quigley and Luke Keeler.
I fully believe Eddie Hearn and Demetrius Andrade want those big fights. Now they have to, if necessary, move heaven and earth to make them actually happen. Of Charlo, Munguia, and Golovkin, surely one of those fighters will take the challenge if the right offer is made. We have to believe that much, even if we may wind up being wrong.
But I’ll say it for my end: Yes, Demetrius Andrade deserves his chance at the big stage, and has for a while. If these guys want to stop hearing about him so badly, then go ahead and beat him if you can.