[Interview by Pattee Mak – October 2, 2015]
World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior middleweight champion and 2008 Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (21-0-0, 14 KOs) of Providence, Rhode Island has a scheduled 10 round main event on October 17, 2015 at Mohegan Sun Casino against Dario Fabian “El Gallo” Pucheta (20-2-0, 11 Kos) from Argentina for the vacant WBO and the WBA International super welterweight title.
Q: Before getting into your upcoming matchup with Pucheta, can you give a short recap of your last fight against Rose. You dominated the fight, dropped him in the first and third, some would say you should have been a little bit busier. Your thoughts?
Andrade: “I got the job done.”
Q: Just a few weeks away you’ll be back in the ring at Mohegan Sun for your title match against Pucheta. What have you been studying about him?
Andrade: “I don’t study too much film, maybe a round or two to see how my opponent moves. I know he’s strong, focused and stocky.”
Q: Pucheta is 5’6 and you are 6’1. Will you be using this to your advantage come the day of the fight?
Andrade: “I’ll use my height and reach advantages to keep my distance.”
Q: How is your training camp? Where are you currently training, name some names on your sparring partners and who is training you?
Andrade: “Training camp has been great. I’m sparring with local guys, Thomas Falowo, and a couple of guys from Connecticut. My father, Paul Andrade, is my head trainer.”
Q: For this fight did you make any changes in your preparation during your training for this fight comparable to other fights?
Andrade: “No.”
Pattee Mak: How do you rate Pucheta as a fighter?
Andrade: “He has a 20-2 record and that’s not easy. I really won’t be able to rate him as a fighter until I get in the ring with him.”
Q: At one point I heard you called out Floyd Mayweather, Miquel Cotto and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez but none took the challenge. Why do you believe that happened?
Andrade: “I don’t think they wanted their careers to end.”
Q: This is your second title shot. The first being for the WBO World super welterweight title and now you are fighting for the WBO and WBA International super welterweight titles. What does this 2nd title shot mean to you?
Andrade: “It’s always good to fight for a title. They took my (WBO) world title away from me for inactivity, so winning this title will boost me in the rankings, and help me get another world title shot.”
Q: You are finally back fighting in the New England area. You haven’t fought in New England since 2012. You have fought here on numerous occasions, I’m assuming you feel comfortable fighting in the area. Pucheta never fought in the United States. Do you think this will be an advantage for you?
Andrade: “Fighting anywhere in America is home for me. Fighting a world champ in the US for the first time is a huge opportunity for him. But fighting so close to home is a big advantage for me.”
Q: You currently have a law suit pending with ROC Nation. Has this at all put a damper on your training or are you focused 100% on this bout?
Andrade: “Not at all. I’m 100-perecent focused on my October 17th fight.”
Q: You fought twice in 2013, once in 2014 and this will be your first fight in 2015. Can we except to see you fighting more often in the near future?
Andrade: “Of course. I hope to fight three times a year, four depending on the fights and how they go.”
Q: Since you haven’t found in over a year do you feel you need to shake any dust off and have you been training faithfully since your last fight against Rose?
Andrade: “I always stay in the gym. I don’t get ready, I stay ready. October 17th we’ll see if I have any rust.”
Q: What kind of fight can your fans see come the 17th?
Andrade: “Nothing less than a great performance for Demetrious Andrade.”
Q: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me. Tickets… are you selling tickets and if so, how can someone purchase same:
Andrade: “Yes. People can call my father, Paul, for tickets at 401.261.3755.”
Follow Demetrius Andrade on Twitter @AndradeATeam or @BooBooBoxing.
(The above bout is subject to change.)
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
