Zach Parker says Demetrius Andrade “doesn’t fancy” a fight against him after last week’s speculation linking the pair to a title bout.
WBO President Paco Valcarcel tweeted on January 6 that he could not wait any longer on whether Andrade wanted to defend his middleweight crown against their number two challenger Zhanibek Alimkhanuly. Therefore, another option, according to Valcarcel was for Andrade to move to 168lbs and face Parker for the Interim super-middleweight title.
It now appears as though Andrade will go ahead and face the dangerous Kazakh rather than take up Valcarcel’s proposal.
“People call him the bogeyman, but I must be the problem in the way. I don’t think he fancies it,” Parker told Queensbury Promotions’ Dev Sahni.
“He is a really good fighter, a two-weight World champion, undefeated and doesn’t know how to lose. But he would be coming up to super-middleweight which is a lot bigger than middleweight. These middleweights feel the difference in power when they step up.
“I think he will stay at middleweight. People don’t like switch hitting and I hit hard with both hands. It scares people off.
“Andrade probably thought he would come up and go straight into the fight with Canelo, but the WBO say we have to fight first.”
Parker, promoted by Queensbury, will get the opportunity to fight in front of his home support in Derby for the first time on April 23. The unbeaten 27-year-old is now mandatory to face undisputed super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez but while he plays the waiting game Parker will look to give his fans something to cheer about in April.
“It’s good work by Frank Warren who is fighting my case saying I should be next for Canelo. I’m open to boxing anyone. People should be wanting to box me now [that] I am mandatory for Canelo.”
Image credit: Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing & Queensberry Promotions.