The World Boxing Association (WBA) "regular" super welterweight title is now vacant due to the resignation of Demetrius Andrade, the WBA's Championships Committee confirmed.

The reason why Andrade vacated the belt is because he wanted an immediate opportunity in the middleweight division and requested the sanctioning body to get ranked in that category to be able to fight for another WBA championship in the future. The WBA "regular" title belongs to Ryota Murata, who captured the belt on Sunday with a TKO of Hassan N'Dam, while the WBA's "super" champion at the weight is Gennady Golovkin.

Andrade has 26 wins in his professional career and knows no defeat, while 16 of his opponents have fallen by knockout.

Andrade had earned that title last March, when he defeated Jack Culcay by split decision. He vacated the title before making his first defense, which was expected to be made by the end of the year.

Last night, Andrade officially moved up to 160 pounds to shut out Alantez "Slyaza" Fox (23-1-1, 11 KOs) over twelve rounds to win by unanimous decision at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York.

 In the opening round, Andrade set the mood for the fight by landing an overhand left that hurt Fox. For the next few rounds, Fox boxed cautiously, while Andrade controlled the pace of the bout by landing more left hands to the head and body and short right hooks on the inside.
 
Andrade, who represented the United States in the 2008 Olympic games as a welterweight, was too skilled for Fox, who could not find the confidence nor the rhythm to land any significant offense.

Though Andrade lost a point due to a slip that was ruled a knockdown in seventh round, the native of Providence, R.I. won with scores of 118-110, 118-109, and 116-111.
 
"It me time baby!" shouted Andrade. "This is a huge step up for me. Inside, I wanted to go early for the kill, but my dad and my corner told me to take my time and not to rush. I've been out of the ring for almost 7-8 months, and I was able to go 12 rounds at a higher weight class. That's huge. Feel good, look good, win good. That's what we did tonight."