U.S. fighter gets shutout
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – In some sports, a shutout is no big deal. In bigtime boxing, it’s almost unfathomable.
Yet welterweight Demetrius Andrade of Providence, R.I., fashioned one on Tuesday night at the Pan American Games. Not only did he blank Diego Chaves of Argentina 22-0, but he moved into the gold medal fight with his one-sided romp.
“I just stayed disciplined, kept my jab out, and I studied the guy and found my distance,” Andrade said. “Internationally, the straight left works all the time. I kept the tight defense, I was moving and everything that he threw was either blocked or dipped.”
Andrade has the credentials to not only be formidable at this event, but on the world stage. A two-time national champion, he’s certainly a top contender for a spot on the Beijing Olympics squad. The trials will be at the end of August in Houston.
First, though, he has his eyes on Friday against Pedro Lima of Brazil. The 19-year-old Andrade knows it will be a difficult chore in front of a decidedly anti-American crowd.
“Yeah, they’ve been booing all of us no matter who we are in the ring with,” said Andrade, whose nickname is “Boo Boo.”
“In the international fights, I’ve used that booing as motivation. I know they’re not calling my name. Besides, when they put the thumbs down, I really know.”
There were no thumbs down against Chavez, only a stream of lefts and rights that landed.
For the second straight bout, Andrade got off to a quick start, landing clean, accurate shots from outside and inside. He built a 6-0 lead after the first round, went up 9-0 through two, and then devastated Chavez by doubling his lead in the third round.
“It was sweet,” Andrade said, then he began looking ahead.
“On Friday, I’m just going to go in there with the same game plan and everything that he throws at me, I’m just going to counter off of it,” he said.
Andrade also won the national Golden Gloves championship last year. He’s won nearly every significant fight this season, further impressing U.S. coach Dan Campbell.
“He’s a complete boxer,” Campbell said. “He was an assured medalist when we came here, we thought. Boo Boo has a lot of knowledge about the technical side of boxing, foot placement, when to throw a power punch and when to jab and when to punch quickly.”
Andrade trains back home for his father, Paul, and credits his dad for the progress he has made recently. He wanted to measure himself against Cuba’s Erislandy Lara, one of the few fighters to whom he’s lost, but Lara left the athletes village on Sunday and is suspected to have defected.
So all Andrade can do now is, well, win the gold.
“I’ll take it,” the perfect boxer said.