Crisis of Confidence – Jason Quigley Questions Demetrius Andrade’s Self Belief

Jason Quigley [19(14)-1] believes Demetrius Andrade [30(18)-0] can be forced into a crisis of confidence – and plans to test the world champions self-belief come November 19.

The Donegal middleweight challenges the American for the WBO middleweight title once held by his coach Andy Lee at the SNHU Arena, Manchester, Boston in a matter of weeks.

World Amateur Championship gold medal winner, Andrade appears that confident going into the fight, that he has mentioned the names of potential future opponents more than that of the one he makes his fifth defence against.

For Andrade and his team, Quigley is seen more as a keep busy opponent and another stop-gap along the way to a possible mega-fight with Canelo Alvarez, Gennady Golovkin, or the like – and they are not afraid to suggest as much.

However, the popular 30-year-old feels Andrade is more fragile than all the bravado the big talk suggests.

Quigley believes confidence issues are behind Adrande’s propensity to start fast and then coast. The Ballybofey man wonders if the titleholder needs that fast start to steady nerves and feel self-assured during fights.

The challenger believes Andrade, who has scored early knockdowns before cruising his way to points win, is only comfortable boxing with a lead to fall back on.

At this stage, it’s just a theory but it’s a theory he plans to test on November 19.

“I know that I can bring stuff to the table that is going to upset him,” Quigley told press in Dublin today.

“I’ll show him things he hasn’t always seen inside the ring. I think he might lack a little confidence in himself and he feels he needs a fast start to get ahead. Then once he gets ahead he takes his foot off the gas a bit and gets into a comfort zone, so obviously, I’m not going to try and stop him getting into that comfort zone.”

1% better everyday, consistency, Patience, relentless, ruthless 😉🥊
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— Jason Quigley (@jay_quigley) October 19, 2021

It’s that ‘get the job in first gear’ approach that has every challenger confidently predicting Andrade’s demise only for the reign to continue.

It’s also a style that holds victory much higher than entertaining in terms of importance, which plays a massive part in the Rhode Island fighter struggling to secure big fights.

As Quigley suggests, Andrade’s contrasting levels of talent and pulling power means he isn’t overly appealing to star names.

“He’s not this so-called fan-friendly fighter, he can be very awkward and messy, his style is not very enjoyable to watch for those wanting to see blood and guts. He is a technical fighter. I think he is being avoided because of his style. Demetrius Andrade is a high-risk low reward option for all these big guys out there.”

Andrade may not have a style that attracts the masses but it’s one Quigley admires. In fact, the World Amateur Championship silver medal winner has been a fan of his next opponent since he first saw him fight in Chicago in 2007.

“He was an unbelievable amateur. I remember watching him in the Chicago World Championships, he is three or four years older than me, so I was just coming onto the Irish team and I was watching the lads boxing out in Chicago. I remember seeing this Demetrius Andrade and I loved his style and his skill set. He stood out to me and went on to win the World Championships. That’s when I first saw him, back then did I ever think I’d be fighting him for a world professional title? No, but we are here now,” he adds before revealing he has a ‘beat Andrade’ plan ready to be put into place.

“We have been working on this fight since four or five weeks before the fight was actually confirmed. We had a fair idea it was going to happen but it wasn’t signed and because of the previous fights [that fell through], I didn’t want to come out and say anything or get my excitement or hopes up too much. Myself and Andy have been working for weeks on end on certain tactics and strategies to beat Andrade.”

Photo Credit – Justin Farrelly Sport Endorse.