Boxing: Demetrius Andrade vs. Maciej Sulecki preview

Undefeated WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade will defend his title against Maciej Sulecki Saturday at 9 p.m. ET inside Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

Andrade (27-0, 17 knockouts) is the heavy favorite (-615) in Saturday’s bout, which will serve as a homecoming for the Providence native. The 31-year-old has been eyeing Canelo Alvarez and hopes a win over the weekend could land him a match with the No. 1 middleweight in the world.

First, Andrade, the No. 7-ranked boxer by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, will have to take down No. 10 Sulecki (28-1, 11 knockouts) in the Polish boxer’s first title challenge. Sulecki defeated Gabriel Rosado in March, the 30-year-old’s last bout. His sole loss came to Daniel Jacobs in April of 2018, though Sulecki took the former IBF middleweight champion through all 12 rounds.

Sulecki (+405) will be a tough competitor for Andrade, but it’s difficult to imagine the rising hometown hero losing Saturday. The southpaw has a 5 1/2-inch reach advantage and possesses greater athleticism and endurance.

There’s no real value in taking Andrade on the moneyline, but round group betting is where your money is best spent. There's a good chance the fight will go the distance (-335) based on Sulecki’s track record. Andrade to win in Rounds 10-12 provides a nice payout (+1600) and is worth consideration.

Against Rosado, Sulecki nearly lost the fight in the second-to-last round. Sulecki also showed weakness in the seventh and ninth rounds against Jack Culcay, whom he defeated by unanimous decision at the end of 2017. Culcay also faced Andrade earlier the same year, and Andrade pulled out a split-decision win.

With Andrade on his home turf and looking to prove he’s one of the best in the middleweight division, the American will send Sulecki packing. Sulecki's stamina will begin to fizzle as the fight goes past the ninth, allowing Andrade to land one fatal blow (Andrade by knockout or TKO is +300) to knock out the underdog in the 10th round.