Billy Joe Saunders ready to oblige, take WBO-ordered title defence against Demetrius Andrade

By James Slater - 07/13/2018 - Comments

WBO middleweight champ Billy Joe Saunders has let it be known he is ready and willing to defend his belt against unbeaten contender Demetrius Andrade, who the WBO ordered the unbeaten British southpaw to face next.

Taking to his twitter page, Saunders, 26-0(12) and last seen doing an absolute number on dangerous puncher David Lemieux in Canada in December of last year, wrote the following:

“Ready to face Andrade September let’s get it on, 100 percent sure my management team @MTKGlobal and promoter @frankwarren_tv will make this fight #let’s go.”

If this fight happens fans can anticipate a good one. We’ve see Saunders’ slick southpaw skills completely defuse a big and dangerous puncher, but can BJS handle a boxer who is as skilled, as sweet as he is? Andrade, 25-0(16), a former ruler at 154 with the WBO and the WBA, was a superb amateur and the 30 year old known as “Boo Boo” has put on some impressive displays as a pro. Wins over Vanes Martirosyan and, back in March of last year, Jack Culcay, have shown us what Andrade is all about.

A southpaw like Saunders, the man from Providence, Rhode Island has been inactive as of late, last boxing in October of last year when he won a UD over an unbeaten Alantez Fox, but he will be sharp as can be for the Saunders fight. It seems it will happen and as he’s shown us before, Saunders is not afraid to travel to take a big fight.

Whether it’s in the UK or is in the US, Saunders-Andrade will be worth tuning in for. Saunders has had a pretty frustrating 2018 thus far – with two failed fights with fellow Brit Martin Murray annoying both fighters, and with no big shot at Gennady Golovkin materialising – now the 28 year old has to make sure he makes no mistakes against the tall (6’1” to 5’11” for BJS) and gifted Andrade.

In some ways, a win over Andrade would mark the most impressive result yet in the career of Saunders.