Sunday 21 October 2018 07:22, UK
Demetrius Andrade dropped Walter Kautondokwa four times on his way to winning the WBO middleweight world title at the TD Garden, Boston.
The American southpaw totally outclassed Kautondokwa over 12 rounds, taking a wide unanimous decision via scores of 120-104 twice and 119-105, as he impressively became a three-time, two-weight world champion.
Andrade, who was originally scheduled to face former champion Billy Joe Saunders, had no problem dealing with the late opponent change, as the unbeaten Namibian struggled to match the slick, yet powerful, skills of the Rhode Island star throughout.
A knockdown in the first and third rounds, followed by two more in the fourth, suggested it was going to be a quick-fire demolition win for Andrade, but Kautondokwa showed tremendous heart to valiantly fight on and hear the final bell.
'Boo Boo' came out the blocks firing in the opener and quickly had his challenger on the canvas, much to the delight of the partisan home crowd. Although the referee scored it a legitimate knockdown, tangled legs seemed to cause the fall and Andrade was lucky to escape punishment after hitting Kautondokwa while his man was down.
The controversial blow seemed to scramble the Namibian's senses and, after being bullied in the second, a perfectly-timed left hand again had him flat on his back in the third period, the referee Steve Willis intently watching on.
Once more though, the 33-year-old survived to hear the bell, but more damage was to come his way.
An overhand left had Kautondokwa down in the fourth and this time 'Boo Boo' went to the ground with him, after both men connected, but Willis decided not to credit the left-handed strike of the African.
If there was any doubt about the previous knockdowns, there was none about the straight left that came moments later, dropping the Namibian, on the brink of defeat, for a fourth time.
Despite the first-half blitz, Andrade hit complete cruise control for the second half of the fight, staying away from the African's big right hand, boxing on the back-foot and continuing to prove too quick and slick for his outmatched counterpart as he marched towards a decision win.
