http://www.pound4pound.com/FightReport/2012/AndradeSetsTheRecordStraight.htm For the past 72 hours there have been various reports about an IBF Super Middleweight title eliminator bout between Librado Andrade and Adonis Stevenson taking place. Pound4Pound got in touch with Andrade and let him clear the air in regard to the proposed Montreal fight. Pound4Pound: There are reports you are fighting Adonis Stevenson in April for the IBF Super middleweight title eliminator and others saying you are not. I know you want to clear this up. Librado Andrade: Yes...The IBF did order the fight, but I have no interest in this fight and I told them no, I do not want to fight. I also want to make it clear there has been no contract signed by our side. P4P: GYM Promotions Yvon Michel has been quoted saying he spoke to your managers and they seemed happy the fight was ordered and looked forward to negotiating the deal. What do you say to that? L.A.: It may be true that they spoke but Michel must have greatly misunderstood them because as I said, there is no contract signed, nor will there be. I spoke with my management team long before Michel's comment's were printed and we decided that Canada and Adonis were not the avenue we are going to take at this time. P4P: There is already speculation that maybe Stevenson's strong southpaw style was the reason you said no, but that is not the case at all, can you tell us about this decision. L.A.: Okay, maybe Adonis is high risk, but I have shown in the past I am willing to take those risks. At this time I see this as a road I have been down before and I don't want to go there again. I climbed all the way to the top of the IBF rankings to get my shot at Lucian Bute. After I was ranked # 1 it took a year to get in the ring with him in 2008. Of course, that fight didn't go as we wanted but we collected ourselves and again got to the top of the IBF by beating Vitali Tsypko. Again I had to wait another year to get my shot at Lucian. I have done this twice now with the IBF and I appreciate their support but it's time for me to go another direction. As you know, I was going to give it a go (fighting an IBF eliminator) one more time with Donovan George because of the time frame of the scheduled mandatory bout to the winner. That fight in December was an IBF title eliminator and had it gone the way I wanted, I would be in camp right now preparing for a mandatory shot at Bute that was scheduled for April. But the fight didn't happen and now Lucian is fighting Froch in May and then there is talk about him fighting Ward after that. Who knows how long it will be before Lucian has to make another mandatory defense? We are going to go another way now starting with this fight on April 21st. I trust my management team to get me the best opportunities and I hope to be fighting for a world title in the near future.
Fair enough. Makes sense to go another route; Andrade is right. At his age, he cannot afford to wait around and he's not beating Bute anyway.
Just bumping this because I posted it at an odd hour. This fight was getting some attention in the other thread so wanted those to see it.
