For the second time this year, Demetrius Andrade has withdrawn from his fight with Zach Parker. It remains to be seen if Parker will now have to wait for another WBO interim title fight, or become their mandatory challenger for undisputed super-middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
“Boo Boo” Andrade postponed his original fight with the Brit because of a ‘boo boo’ of his own – an injury. This meant Parker missed out on his dream to fight for the WBO Middleweight World Title in his hometown of Derby. However, terms were then agreed for a bout up at super-middleweight for the WBO Interim belt as Andrade vacated his world title, making Janibek Alimkhanuly the world champion.
It seemed like Parker would finally get his shot when Queensbury Promotions won the purse bids for the fight, albeit with no competition in the bidding. The two looked set to go toe-to-toe on November 5th, however Andrade has now decided to pull put once again.
In an interview with Boxing Scene, Parker told of his frustration at not getting the fight and how he believes Andrade is afraid of fighting him.
“I never bad mouth any fighter. I very rarely speak but this is not right and I feel my career has been badly stalled”
“Demetrius Andrade knew he would get knocked clean out and he was the perfect fight for progress to become world champion. I look forward to fighting in November and delivering a big performance for all my fans and team.”
It’s unclear at this stage exactly why the American opted out of the fight, although the purse split being much lower than than it initially was, paired with a tough test overseas in Parker, may play a part.
It’s tough to not feel for Zach Parker, however he still intends to fight on November 5th and hopefully gets his chance at a world title, or at least a big name, in the near future.