Professional Career
Though ranked in the top twenty-five in the division for the last couple of years, Andrade has faced little real opposition leading up to his bout against WBA/WBC champion Mikkel Kessler. Prior to the Kessler fight, he was best known for his first round knockout of former contender Richard Grant and defeating former middleweight champion Otis Grant. He also gained some recognition for being asked to be Bernard Hopkins sparring partner in preparation for Hopkins' rematch with Jermain Taylor. Andrade declined this request at the behest of his manager Al Haymon, who told Andrade: "You can't have the mentality of being a helper for another fighter. You have to have the mentality of a champion.". In 2005, Kessler himself had used Andrade for a three-round sparring session while training in Los Angeles for a fight with Anthony Mundine.
In the Kessler fight, Andrade showed an incredible ability to endure an all-out assault. Kessler landed 348 punches, almost all to the head of Andrade. Throughout the punishment, Andrade showed no facial, or mental wear and tear and continued to press the fight each round by coming forward, at Kessler. Prior to the last round, the two fighters, in a rare display of respect in boxing, embraced each other rather than simply touching gloves. The judges at ringside, Tom Kaczmarek, Tom Miller and John Keane, all had the bout score 120-108 in favor of Mikkel Kessler. The fight was aired live on HBO's Boxing After Dark.
On October 6, 2007 on a Marco Antonio Barrera vs Manny Pacquiao II main event undercard fight, Andrade won the vacant USBA 168-pound title with a 7th-round TKO of Yusaf Mack.
On March 22, 2008, Andrade scored the biggest victory of his career against former IBF number one contender Robert Stieglitz of Germany. Andrade dominated the fight from the opening round with uppercuts and body shots that left Stieglitz continually on the defensive. Landing a solid right in the eighth round, Stieglitz was left staggered. Andrade followed up with flurry of shots that led to referee stop the fight, giving Andrade a TKO victory. As this was an eliminator bout, Andrade has been lined up for a fight with IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute.
Read more about this topic: Librado Andrade
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