Via Daniele D’Alessio: The WBO has officially ordered Demetrius Boo Boo Andrade (31-0.19 KO) to defend the WBO middleweight belt against Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (11-0.7 KO) next. Both sides have 20 days to agree the terms for the fight or it will come down to a bid.
After recently stopping Jason Quigley (19-2, 14 KOs) decisively, this is not the opponent Andrade is aiming for. Since his win, Boo Boo has called out Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) and Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs).
Andrade still hasn’t had that breakout fight to prove he’s one of the best boxers in the world, and he seems confident he’ll land a lucrative fight eventually.
But instead, he’s up against another boxer, who offers little financial reward and credit from the boxing public.
Alimkhanuly has a very small profile and remains a mystery about boxing abilities. However, the man from Kazakhstan beat legitimate opponents in Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (38-6, 21 KOs), Rob Brant (26-3, 18 KOs) and Ryota Murata (16- 2, 13 KOs), he’s also never beaten a world-class boxer.
Thus, Andrade was now in a win-lose situation. If he beats Alimkhanuly, he won’t get a lot of praise because it’s not a household name. Likewise, there is a chance that he could lose this match if the man from Kazakhstan proves to be excellent.
6”0 tall at 73 and a half inches would give Andrade a slight edge, but he is facing a male compatriot of knockout power and is undefeated.
So if this fight goes on, we could see Boo Boo in a tight competitive fight.
Indeed, Andrade doesn’t seem to have had much luck making financially rich matches. If the man from Rhode Island passes this test, will we eventually see him compete against the likes of Canelo Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) or is he set to retire undefeated without ever stepping up to face the best?
Of course, Andrade has the option to drop his title and go in an entirely different direction. Ironically, Alimkhanu resembles Boo Boo with other fighters in the medium weight, high risk and low reward category.
At this stage of his career, what is more important to Andrade? A world championship belt or a big name on his resume?
