Home is Glory for 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius Andrade

Posted on | September 28, 2009 | No Comments

“Saturday Afternoon Special” Oct. 3 at Twin River

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Sept. 28, 2009) – One of the top boxing prospects in the world, 2008 U.S. Olympian Demetrius “The Extinguisher” Andrade, returns home October 3 to fight for the third time as a professional on the stacked “Saturday Afternoon Special” card at the Twin River Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

“Saturday Afternoon Special” is a rare matinee show (2 PM/ET start), promoted by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment and Sports, Inc. (CES), in association with Twin River, Banner Promotions, Star Boxing and DiBella Entertainment.

Undefeated prospect Edwin “La Bomba” Rodriguez (11-0, 8 KOs), a 2-time national amateur champion, headlines in an 8-round super middleweight match against battle-tested Darnell Boone (16-12-2, 6 KOs).

Andrade (7-0, 6 KOs), born and raised in Providence, is a former World amateur champion fighting in the 6-round co-feature versus another undefeated prospect, Chris Chatman (4-0, 2 KOs). In arguably his best performance as a pro, Andrade stopped previously undefeated John Williams (3-0-1) earlier this month at Twin River.

“He was game,” Andrade said of Williams. “I think my last fight was my best, so far. He was a tough guy. I showed a little of everything; boxing in and out, moving around, and using all of my tools on my opponent.”

“Demetrius Andrade will be world champion,” Burchfield claimed. “All of us at CES are honored to have him fight again at home on our card. His promoters are both dear friends of mine – Artie Pelullo of Banner Promoters in Philadelphia and Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing in New York City. They are two of the top promoters in the business and it’s been great working with them to have Demetrius fight on our cards. Demetrius is an undefeated prospect that puts on a colorful show from the moment he enters the arena and goes into the ring.”

Andrade made his pro debut last Oct. 23 and the accelerated pace of his first year is the result of his promoters working with associates like Burchfield, which allows him to fight at home before family and friends. “I was just thinking that 10 fights by the end of this year would be good,” Andrade remarked. “It looks like I’ll have nine because of the holiday season. That’s still good. I’m learning pro techniques and getting more relaxed, confident and patient. I don’t throw every punch looking for a knockout anymore, but I still throw hard punches with bad intentions. I’ve improved my inside moves, working on techniques to stop my opponent from holding me. For me, fighting at home is glory. There’s no place like home.”

Another promising Cape Verdean from Providence, super middleweight Vladine Biosse (3-0, 3 KOs), takes on Tafari Lawton (1-0) in a 4-round bout. The fan-friendly Biosse is a former University of Rhode Island football player.

Light welterweight Simeon Dunwell (9-1, 2 KOs) meets David Marquez (5-6-1, 1 KO) in a 6-round bout. Also fighting on the undercard in 4-round fights are Hartford junior middleweight David Bauza (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Khristian Geraci (4-6-1, 3 KOs), Hartford light welterweight Edwin Soto (1-0, 1 KO) vs. Darrell Jones (2-2, 1 KO) and Providence light welterweight Jesus Caro (4-0, 4 KOs) vs. Damien Butler (0-1). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Rollback ticket prices for “Saturday Afternoon Special” are $25.00, $35.00 $50.00, $100.00 ($15.00 redeemable free play at Twin River), and limited $150.00 Jimmy’s Platinum Club ($25.00 redeemable free play at Twin River), and are available to purchase by calling CES (401.724.2253/2254), going online at www.cesboxing.com or www.twinriver.com, at Twin River’s Players Club booth at Twin River, or any TicketMaster location.

Contact CES (401.724.2253/2254/www.cesboxing.com) or the Twin River Event Center (877.82.RIVER/ www.twinriver.com) for more information. Doors open at 1 PM/ET, first bout at 2 PM/ET.

(Twin River has waived its 18+ rule for “Saturday Afternoon Special.” Anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied at all times by an adult and they must enter through the West entrance.)

-CES-