January 2 2011 Last updated at 01:18 PM ET
2008 Olympian Demetrius Andrade Fights Alberto Herrera on Jan. 7
By Lem Satterfield
Boxing Editor
Southpaw former Olympian and current junior middleweight (154 pounds) prospect Demetrius Andrade (pictured above, center) of Providence, R.I., will pursue his 12th victory without a loss and his ninth knockout on Jan. 7 when he makes his
The 22-year-old Andrade will face Alberto Herrera (7-1-1, five KOs) of Riverside, Calif., on the under card of a main event featuring 26-year-old Russian junior middleweight Ruslan Provodnikov (17-0, 11 KOs) against Mauricio Herrera (15-1, seven KOs) of Lake Elsinor, Calif.
"I've never even been to Las Vegas before, so, yeah, this will be my first time ever being there," said Andrade. "But Vegas is where most of the big fights are, and that's where I want to make my mark on Jan. 7. I want to let everyone know that this is where I belong."
Signed and promoted by Banner Promotions' Artie Pelullo (pictured above, at right) and Star Boxing's Joe DeGuardia (above, at left) after a highly decorated amateur
"Demetrius is only 22 years old, but he has made a very good transition from the amateurs to the pros. So even though he's already 11-0 with eight knockouts, he's still a young guy, and as far as we're concerned, he's on the right path," said Pelullo.
"If everything goes the way that we anticipate that it's going to go, Demetrius is going to be a star for many years to come," said Pelullo. "Right now, he's going to be the opening bout on ESPN, and this is the first show of the new year, and they chose for him to be in that position. They wanted him on that card, which says a lot about what they think of his skills."
Pelullo also promotes Russian WBO middleweight (160 pounds) champion Dmitry Pirog (17-0, 14 KOs) and Germany's southpaw WBO junior middleweight titlist Sergei Dzinziruk (37-0, 23 KOs).
The 30-year-old Pirog is coming off of July's fifth-round knockout of Brooklyn's Daniel Jacobs (21-1, 18 KOs) that earned him the crown that was vacated by Argentinian-born southpaw WBC middleweight king Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), a resident of Oxnard, Calif.
The 34-year-old Dzinziruk recently scored May's 10th-round knockout of Australia's Daniel Dawson (35-3, 24 KOs) in the sixth defense of his belt, and is being eyed as a potential opponent for Martinez.
Pelullo contends that the popular demand for Andrade is greater than that of either Pirog and Dzinziruk, and that after having established Andrade as a regular on ESPN, he is ready to push the unbeaten fighter on to the premeium networks such as HBO and Showtime.
"Let me tell you what [HBO's Sports Senior Vice President] Kery Davis always tells me, and you'll love this," said Pelullo.
"After every conversation that I have with Kery Davis about Pirog and Dzinziruk and HBO, he tells that they're waiting for Demetrius," said Pelullo. "That's what he always tells me. They know, like I know, that Demetrius is the next big American star."
Trained by his father, Paul Andrade, Demetrius Andrade won a word championship, two each in
"I was waiting for his body and his mind to mature a little bit more, which I feel has happened. That's allowing us to step up in competition a little bit more. We plan on keeping him at 154 as long as his body allows him to stay there before we have to go up," said Paul Andrade.
"By then, we should bring the strength and power with him into the next weight class. Basically, I'm not concerned about his skill-level. That should be fine. It's the strength and power and stamina that comes into play," said Paul Andrade.
"As far as Vegas, you know, it's just like any other fight venue. No matter where we are, we're going to put our best foot forward and do our job."
On May 1, Mexico's 20-year-old welterweight (147 pounds) prospect Saul Alvarez (35-0-1, 26 KOs) debuted in Las Vegas by overcoming early trouble to stop Jose Miguel Cotto (31-2-1, 23 KOs) in the ninth round at the MGM Grand.
The older brother of WBA junior middleweight champion, Miguel Cotto, Jose Miguel Cotto was knocked out for the first time in his career.
Alvarez-Cotto took place on the under card of a 12-round, unanimous decision victory by six-time champion Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs) over three-division, five-time titlist Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs).
Pirog also won his crown against Jacobs in Las Vegas on the under card of a main event at the Mandalay Hotel that featured 37-year-old WBA and WBO lightweight (135 pounds) titlist Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs) earning a unanimous decision over Juan Diaz (35-4, 17 KOs).
"Demetrius knows that this is going to be a step up year for him. He's been a pro for a little over two years, and he's become acclimated to the professional ranks and the styles. Demetrius is the kind of kid who knows that a lot of people are expecting big things from him this year," said Pelullo.
"There's a lot of pressure and he's doing very well with it. People are expecting him to win nothing short of several world titles, and that's what he expects out of himself," said Pelullo. "Demetrius knows that he can't just be a good pro, and that he's got to be a great pro and to beat the best to achieve what people expect from him."
In fact, Andrade seems to be embracing the challenge.
"When people leave the stadium, I want them to say, 'Wow, that kid is the greatest.' I want them to be saying that I'm the greatest fighter alive right now. That's the sort of mark that I want to leave -- that I'm going to be the next, great world champion out there," said Andrade.
"I want to be put up there with the greatest right now, and I'll take any fight on television at any time," said Andrade. "If it's television and it's going to be a good fight -- ESPN, Showtime, HBO, pay per view, then I'm with it. I'm just ready to go."
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