Demetrius Andrade will finally get his shot at a middleweight world title.
The former 154-pound champion was ordered to fight WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders and a purse bid, scheduled for July 25, has been canceled as both sides were able to reach a deal, canceling the purse bid.
The fight, which appears to be streamed on the DAZN platform in the United States, does not have a venue or a date yet, but it is being reported that it could take place in October in Andrade's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. This would mark the first time Saunders has fought in the United States after fighting in the United Kingdom for the majority of his pro career.
Andrade, who had been stuck in a rut for many months due to promotional issues, signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing USA roster to fight on DAZN. Originally, Andrade was set to fight on an October DAZN card in Chicago, but with the WBO ordering Andrade to fight Saunders, it seemed unlikely that Andrade would remain on the card fighting Saunders with two other world title fights set to take place on the card as well.
Saunders will be making his fourth title defense after winning the belt off of Andy Lee at the end of 2015. Saunders defended the title with wins over Artur Akavov, Willie Monroe Jr. and most recently, against former middleweight champion David Lemieux last December.
Saunders was supposed to defend his title against Martin Murray in April, but Saunders suffered an injury and so the fight had to be delayed. When the fight was rescheduled for earlier this summer, Saunders once again had to pull out of that fight with another injury. Murray ultimately remained on the O2 Arena card he was supposed to fight Saunders, winning the WBC Silver middleweight title.
