WBO world middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) will be one of the first title holders returning to the ring in 2020.
The 31-year-old from Rhode Island defended his world title twice successfully in 2019 against Artur Akavov and Macej Suluki, respectively. The southpaw will be back in late January his promoter Eddie Hearn revealed on an Instagram Live video from Saudi Arabia today (Tuesday) just four days out from Anthony Joshua's attempt to win back his world heavyweight titles from Andy Ruiz Jr.
Andrade is part of a quintet of fighters who are in the frame to face four-weight champion Canelo Alvarez next May but will have to first take care of business in his 29th fight next month. In October the WBO had formally ordered Andrade to defend his title against Canada's Steven Butler, who at the time had been installed as mandatory challenger. Butler has now gone a different route and will now face WBA champion Ryota Murata in Yokohama on December 23.
Two days earlier, on December 21, the WBO middleweight number one contender Alantez Fox (who lost to Andrade in 2017) will travel to London to face the governing body's number seven contender Liam Williams. The powers of deduction now cast eyes on Ireland's Luke Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs), ranked number three, as a potential opponent for Andrade next month. In August Keeler produced a career best win defeating Luis Arias on points over ten rounds.
Keeler was due to fight last month in a keep busy fight in Scotland but had to pull out saying "I'm in negotiations for [a] big fight and had to pull out of this fight."
Eddie Hearn also revealed news on some of his other fighters including heavyweight Hughie Fury who will be back in February following his withdrawal from Matchroom's Monte Carlo card last weekend due to a virus. WBO Super Middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders returns in March while former WBC Flyweight champion Charlie Edwards may be moving up to Bantamweight in his ring return in the spring.
Twitter @shaunrbrown