With the rematch between unified middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez in jeopardy of being canceled because of Alvarez's two failed drug tests last month, unbeaten contender Demetrius Andrade has volunteered to come out of the bullpen to face GGG if he needs an opponent.
Golovkin and Alvarez are scheduled to meet on May 5 (HBO PPV) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in a sequel to their controversial September draw, a fight most thought Golovkin deserved to win.
"I am ready, willing and able to step to the plate on May 5 to fight Golovkin," Andrade said Monday. "I am always in the gym and I will start [Voluntary Anti-Doping Association] testing right now. I guarantee that I will pass all the tests. I know other fighters can't say the same thing."
Alvarez was temporarily suspended on Friday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission while it continues to investigate him for twice testing positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug clenbuterol in random urine tests conducted by VADA in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20.
Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) maintains that the positive tests results were caused by his eating contaminated beef in Mexico, where that has been an issue. The commission has called Alvarez to a hearing on April 10 in Las Vegas, where the fate of the fight will be decided.
Andrade (25-0, 16 KOs), a 30-year-old southpaw from Providence, Rhode Island, is a two-time junior middleweight world titleholder, a former world amateur champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian. He is viewed by most as one of the most skilled fighters in the sport, but he has been unable to get any of the top names to face him.
"I am undefeated and a two-time world champion. Golovkin went through a period where nobody wanted to fight him. I am that guy now -- the man nobody wants to fight," Andrade said. "Everyone says, 'What does Demetrius Andrade bring to the table?' Besides being the best American middleweight, and one of the top three middleweights in the world, everyone knows who I am and they know how good I am.
"My question is to those who say that I don't bring anything to the table: What did [past Golovkin opponents Martin] Murray, [Osumanu] Adama, [Daniel] Geale, [Willie] Monroe and [Gabriel] Rosado bring to the table? None of the top contenders want to fight me, so I believe that if Canelo is unavailable for May 5, I want the opportunity to face Golovkin for the unified middleweight championship of the world."
Golovkin promoter Tom Loeffler told ESPN on Friday that whether Alvarez is available or not to fight on May 5, Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) plans to still fight on that date in Las Vegas.
"Whatever the commission does, Gennady would still fight May 5 if Canelo is out," Loeffler said. "If for some reason it's not against Canelo, we'll figure out the best course of action at that time. But he is training to fight May 5."