It's him again.
Demetrius Andrade returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 30, when he puts his WBO middleweight title on the line against Luke Keeler at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, live on DAZN. The undefeated Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) should be able to add star power to his name, considering the fight falls in Miami during the week of Super Bowl 54, which will be played at Hard Rock Stadium just three days later on Feb. 2.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the ring again finally!" Andrade said in a Matchroom Boxing press release. "It’s a great opportunity to show the world my talents, and to be part of Super Bowl weekend in Miami is incredible. Miami is a beautiful city, and I’m looking to once again showing that I’m the best 160-pound fighter in the world. It’s me again!"
Andrade had two fights in 2018, as he produced a 12th-round TKO of Artur Akavov in January before scoring a unanimous decision over Maciej Sulęcki on his Providence, R.I., home turf in June. The skilled southpaw hopes a win over Keeler will bring him closer to possibly landing a shot at fellow middleweight champions Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin or Jermall Charlo.
“There are major fights for me in the middleweight division,” the 31-year-old Andrade said. “Those are the fights I want, and I’ve been very vocal about it. At the end of the day, I just need to keep winning. They can’t avoid me forever. On January 30, we have to take care of business against Luke Keeler. He’s tough and he’s coming to fight, which will make for a great night of action for the fans in Miami and everyone else watching around the world on DAZN.”
Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs) seems to already be relishing in the underdog role, calling the opportunity a "life-changing fight."
“Demetrius is a great fighter, and I understand I’ll be written off as a huge underdog, but it’s exactly how I like it — there isn’t a drop of pressure on me,” Keeler. said “It feels surreal in a way, but at the same time, I’ve always visualized it, so in a way I expected this opportunity to come.”
Keeler added, “It’s a life-changing fight and winning brings life-changing paydays, but I would’ve taken this fight for free to be in the position that comes with winning. It puts me right up there for fights with Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.”
The co-main event of this Jan. 30 tripleheader could be a show-stealer, with Tevin Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KOs) defending his IBF world super featherweight title against JoJo Diaz (30-1, 15 KOs). The two have exchanged words in the past and now get to decide things in the ring.
The card will also feature Daniel Roman (27-2-1, 10 KOs) defending his unified world super bantamweight crown against Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0, 6 KOs).
“I’m delighted to announce our first show of 2020 and our first ever in Miami,” Matchroom Boxing USA president Eddie Hearn said. “This triple-header is the biggest card in Miami for many years and will be held in a purpose built arena on Super Bowl weekend. All these world championship fights are great matchups, and there is plenty more to come for this electric show live on DAZN.”