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Demetrius Andrade’s next fight is nearly here and flying under the radar in the shadow of Crawford-Porter fight week, as “Boo Boo” is set to defend his WBO middleweight title against Jason Quigley on DAZN tomorrow night.
The card will also feature Julio Cesar Martinez defending his WBC flyweight title against McWilliams Arroyo, and we’ve got our picks in for both fights.
Bad Left Hook will have full live coverage for Andrade-Quigley on Friday, Nov. 19, starting at 8 pm ET.
Predictions: Andrade vs Quigley
Scott Christ (56-19)
Looking back, it’s hard to recall if Quigley ever received any hype because he was actually a particularly promising talent, or if it’s just because he’s Irish and promoters — particularly American promoters — loooove an Irish guy. But Quigley’s 30 years old now, he’s been a pro for seven years, it felt like his career stalled for a handful of those, and he got pretty badly taken apart by Tureano Johnson in 2019. He’s bounced back OK enough at the level he’s been fighting at, but this is a big step up.
Quigley isn’t as good as Andrade, who certainly has a habit of not even fighting up or down to his level of opposition, but simply cruising, protecting his leads late in fights. But I do think Andrade may be trying to turn a corner with that. He put Luke Keeler away in 2020 and had to work for 12 rounds against Liam Williams. But you may argue that Keeler walked into shots as much as anything, and Quigley is no Liam Williams. I’m rooting for action, however this goes, but I have a very hard time imagining Quigley having much success in this matchup, and I think “Boo Boo” gets him out. The class will be too much. Andrade TKO-10
Wil Esco (60-15)
There’s no question that plenty of fans aren’t exactly thrilled by the stylings of Demetrius Andrade, but for however you may feel about some of his in the ring performances he’s been effective enough to win. It’s not like Andrade isn’t capable, he was a blue chip prospect coming out of the amatuer system, but he clearly mismanaged his career with a number of curious decisions that have left him in the position he’s in.
Andrade is a world champion talent that no one’s eager to fight because he’s not a draw, is an awkward southpaw, and because he’s not crowd pleasing most of the time there aren’t many fans demanding that other top fighters face him. That leaves fights like this one against Quigley, who is a tough guy but a fighter the level of which Andrade has proven good enough to beat. Quigley might be able to make this fight watchable by applying the pressure, but I see Andrade taking a clear decision win. Andrade UD-12
Patrick L. Stumberg (61-14)
If this year has taught us anything, it’s that you never know who might have just the right sort of Kryptonite to turn a throwaway defense into a punji pit. If Quigley has it, though, he hasn’t shown it; solid fundamentals, good counter timing, and a strong left hook aren’t anything Andrade hasn’t seen before. Hell, I see Quigley as markedly less dangerous than Liam Williams, whom Andrade toyed with for 36 easy minutes. Someone who struggled with the notoriously impeccable boxing acumen of Shane Mosley Jr. isn’t going to solve one of the most unique offenses in the division.
The finish will definitely be there if Andrade wants it, though he usually prefers putting the fear of God into his opponents with a blistering first few rounds before settling back once they’re nice and cowed. I’ll be an optimist and say Quigley’s a sufficiently limited threat for Andrade to fully cut loose. Andrade TKO-6
And the staff winner is...
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Demetrius Andrade (3-0)!
Andrade vs Quigley Odds
Demetrius Andrade is, quite predictably, a heavy favorite against Jason Quigley on Saturday. As of now, DraftKings have Andrade listed at -1400 for what most expect will be a routine title defense, with underdog Quigley at +750.
The night’s co-feature sees very similar odds, with flyweight titleholder Julio Cesar Martinez at -1400 and challenger McWilliams Arroyo at +800.
Predictions: Martinez vs Arroyo
Scott Christ (56-19)
I’m a big fan of Julio Cesar Martinez, and if I were betting my money I wouldn’t be going against him. But there’s something about this matchup I like for Arroyo, too. The Puerto Rican is a damn good veteran fighter, has been in with a lot of good opponents — Ruenroeng, Chocolatito, Cuadras, Ioka, etc. — and has a notable edge in experience and soundness in his boxing. He’s 35, which it’s habit to say is “old for these weights,” but like most things in sports, athletes are able to stay closer to their peak ability longer than they used to be. You know, because of scientific advancements and good, good training powders.
I’m mostly going with Arroyo because it’s fun. Listen, this is all just for laughs, right? I also do think Martinez is a more vulnerable fighter than meets the eye. He reminds me a bit of the flyweight version of Vic Darchinyan. Remember him in all those Showtime fights? Most opponents came in half terrified of the little Armenian beast and he grew a real arrogance about it all, fighting like he was bulletproof. Then one night in Bridgeport, Conn., some unknown named “Nonito Donaire,” the brother of a guy Vic had already beaten up — and you know the rest of the story.
Arroyo isn’t a largely unknown quantity and he ain’t Nonito Donaire, but he has good skills, he has some power, and Martinez is plenty happy to get into firefights, because he honestly is going to win most of them. I’m going with the challenger to catch Martinez with a bad one and fire a shot for Puerto Rico in their endless and lately fairly hopeless boxing war with Mexico. Arroyo TKO-7
Wil Esco (60-15)
I actually think this is going to be a fun fight while it lasts. Julio Cesar Martinez is a little firestorm of offense who maintains an unconventional style that’s hard to prepare for. And it’s not that I don’t think Martinez is capable of being beaten, but at age 35 I think McWilliams Arroyo is going to have a seriously difficult time keeping pace with Martinez.
Maybe I’d feel a bit better about Arroyo’s chances were he a bigger puncher than he is, but I do think he’ll be willing to go into the fire and do his best to make for some fun exchanges. Ultimately, though, I think Martinez is going to be able to pour it on with both hands as he usually does and that’s going to eventually overwhelm Arroyo in the second half of the fight. I’ve been debating a stoppage against a decision victory, but I’m going to go with Martinez getting Arroyo out of there late. Martinez TKO-10
Patrick L. Stumberg (61-14)
I cannot imagine this being anything other than an absolute war for the ages. Both of these little dudes have mean streaks a mile long and a remarkable amount of craft with which to maximize the raw violence at their disposal.
Durability looks like it’ll be the deciding factor here; Martinez walked through bombs from a heavy hitter in Cristofer Rosales, while Arroyo is two fights removed from hitting the deck twice against Carlos Buitrago, got dropped by Kazuto Ioka, and was buzzed badly by a counter right from Carlos Cuadras. With this sort of chin to lean on, Martinez’s ability to land unconventional shots during furious exchanges figures to pay serious dividends here, allowing him to hurt the more traditional Arroyo when the latter inevitably leaves himself open throwing big combinations. Arroyo may not have been stopped before, but Martinez’s impeccable ability to close the show will fix that. “Rey” batters his way to victory in a firefight. Martinez TKO-8
And the staff winner is...
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