Thursday 9 June 2016 17:04, UK
Demetrius Andrade is back in action on Sky Sports screens in the early hours of Sunday and can resume the art of proving himself one of the world's best.
The 28-year-old (22-0-KO15) takes on Willie Nelson (25-2-1-KO15) in Verona, New York on a card that also includes Ruslan Provodnikov v John Molina Jr and Dejan Zlaticanin v Franklin Mamani for the vacant WBC world lightweight title.
Andrade may steal the show entirely.
The American has fought just twice since beating Vanes Martirosyan to the vacant WBO world super-welterweight title in November of 2013, recording a clinical seven-round dismantling of Brian Rose in June 2014 and then taking less than two to dispatch Dario Fabian Pucheta after being stripped of the title.
Promotional and legal wranglings prevented Andrade from being more active but now, under the glare of the bright lights and with Sky Sports and Showtime broadcasting, the slick southpaw from Rhode Island has a chance to begin re-establishing himself at the top of the sport.
The super-welterweight division is in bloom at the moment. The Charlo twins - Jermell and Jermall - hold the WBC and IBF crowns respectively. Erislandy Lara is the skilful WBA champion from Cuba. Britain boasts WBO king Liam Smith. None is yet to emulate middleweight Gennady Golovkin in turning the ownership of a world title into clear-cut, divisional supremacy.
Some expect Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez to drop back to 154lbs if and when he's faced Golovkin. Some of those expect the Mexican's return to cause another seismic shift of power, because if there's been a super-welterweight overlord in the last five years, it was surely the redhead.
With Alvarez's limitations against technical boxers exposed by Floyd Mayweather and Lara (he won the latter bout via controversial split decision), Andrade will provide a serious alternative in the future. Like Lara, who gave Alvarez problems from a southpaw stance, Andrade is skilled and wily. The thought of Alvarez v Andrade is intriguing.
Needless to say, the incumbent champions will have their own ideas. Andrade faces Nelson for the right to fight the winner of Jermell Charlo's maiden WBC defence against Charles Hatley.
Of course, looking along Andrade's route to reclaiming a super-welterweight world title, there are obstacles and 'ifs.' Nelson will be no pushover, for starters. The Cleveland fighter has lost twice but never been stopped and certainly won't be heading for New York to celebrate the return of 'Boo Boo' by laying down.
There's also WBC champion Charlo himself. 'Iron Man' overcame a shaky start to clinch the vacant belt in May. He looked slightly bereft of ideas early on against John Jackson (son of the legendary Julian Jackson), and was five points behind on all scorecards before a shuddering overhand right turned the fight on its head. As Jackson pawed at his nose and half-turned his head, Charlo pounced with a heavy left that forced the referee to jump in.
Although Charlo's ruthlessness was impressive and there's no doubt that the achievements of the Texan twins is a truly remarkable one, the suspicion remains that Andrade is a cut above. Delving back into amateur careers, the Charlos amounted solid records but neither can match Andrade's 2007 World Championship gold medal at welterweight.
If Andrade has a technical equal currently operating as a super-welterweight, it is probably Lara. The Cuban also boasts a World Championship welterweight gold (from 2005) and as previously mentioned, pushed Alvarez closer than anyone outside of Mayweather. Many thought he actually deserved to be awarded the decision.
Like Andrade, Lara is looking to hit the big time financially. He's already asserted that he's prepared to step up to middleweight and try to shatter Golovkin's air of invincibility. Andrade stated at the end of last year that he has designs on the Kazakh. As thrillingly brutal as GGG has been in blasting aside middleweight contenders, he's yet to face a fighter with speed and southpaw talent comparable to either Andrade or Lara. Both would be genuine challengers.
Unusually for a climate of British success, American-based fighters currently rule three-quarters of the super-welterweight landscape. Smith has made two emphatic defences of the vacant strap he won by stopping John Thompson in October 2015, but he's yet to find a truly top class opponent to test him, if truth be told.
Miguel Cotto deserves a mention, too. The boxing pride of Puerto Rico is in the twilight of his career and appears in no rush to decide on his next move after falling short against Alvarez, but he remains an attractive proposition on the basis of a huge name and a huge following.
While Andrade will almost certainly need to acquire a title before he's handed bouts as lucrative as Cotto or Alvarez, he can start making the necessary noise by overcoming Nelson in style in fair Verona.
The US isn't enjoying its most fruitful era in the sport, but on Saturday night they welcome back one of their leading lights in Demetrius Andrade.
Watch Andrade v Nelson, Zlaticanin v Mamani and Provodnikov v Molina Jr live on Sky Sports 1 from 2am on Sunday.
