WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade could be returning home for his next world title defense.
According to Lance Pugmire from the Los Angeles Times, Andrade will face off against Maciej Sulecki in Andrade's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. The fight, which has yet to be formally announced, is expected to be streamed on DAZN in the United States.
Official: Demetrius Andrade defends @WorldBoxingOrg middleweight belt June 29 at Dunkin Donuts Arena in Providence, RI, vs. Maciej Sulecki.
— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) May 1, 2019
This will be Andrade's second world title defense since winning the then-vacant belt back in October 2018. In that title win, Andrade easily won a 12-round unanimous decision against Walter Kautondokwa in the main event of a Matchroom Boxing USA card from Boston.
Originally, Andrade was supposed to face Billy Joe Saunders for the title, but Saunders was denied a license to box after failing a drug test weeks prior to the fight. Since that win against Kautondokwa, Andrade defended his title back in January at Madison Square Garden when he defeated former title challenger Artur Akavov.
Sulecki is on a two-fight win streak, last defeating Gabriel Rosado in March to win the WBO International middleweight title. Sulecki was always planned to be Andrade's next opponent, but there was a short period of uncertainty about whether or not Sulecki would fight for the title after it was revealed that he suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand. Despite reports indicating that he would not be fit in time to fight Andrade, Sulecki remained adamant that he would be ready in time to box for the middleweight title.
