Current Super-Middleweight Titlist Andre Ward on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights’ Season Finale;
ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra, will close out the 2011 season from Hammond, Ind. on August 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.com when undefeated junior middleweight Demetrius Andrade (13-0, 9 KOs) and Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (28-12, 16 KOs) meet in the 10-round main event. The card is presented by Banner Promotions/HITZ Boxing.
Joe Tessitore and Andre Ward, Ring Magazine’s No.1 ranked super-middleweight, will be ringside at the Horseshoe Casino describing the action, while studio host Brian Kenny will present the latest boxing news. Ward, a 2004 Olympic Gold medalist, who will meet Carl Froch in the Super Six World Boxing Classic in late October, is sitting in for Teddy Atlas who is in Russia training Alexander Povetkin.
Andrade, a 2008 U.S. Olympian from Providence RI., is coming off a second-round knockout win over Omar Bell. After the fight ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote, “It was business as usual as he (Andrade) dominated the first round and then ended it in the second. He caught Bell with a left hand to the body and Bell went down. Although he didn’t look too hurt, Bell got to a knee and took the full count from the referee at 1 minute, 31 seconds.”
Lawton Okla.’s Brewer, 2006 winner of The Contender, is coming off a June fourth-round TKO win over previously undefeated Fernando Guerrero.
After the fight Rafael wrote, “Brewer took care of another highly touted youngster in shocking fashion. He pounded Guerrero with clean right hands and uppercuts, finally sending him falling through the ropes onto the ring apron for a knockdown. Guerrero made it to his feet, but he was done. As soon as the fight resumed, Brewer was all over him again. He continued to pound him with body shots and uppercuts until Guerrero finally slumped forward and fell to the mat. A stunning finish that ranks up there with any of the biggest upsets of the year.”
Friday’s card will also feature former lightweight titlist David Diaz (36-3-1, 17 KOs) and “Hammerin’ ” Hank Lundy (20-1-1, 10 KOs) in the 10-round co-feature. Chicago’s Diaz, is coming off a 10-round majority decision win over Rob Frankel, while Philadelphia’s Lundy is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision win over Patrick Lopez.
