By Ryan Songalia



Undefeated junior middleweight prospect and 2008 US Olympian Demetrius Andrade will take his first leap in competition on August 19 when he faces Grady Brewer at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana.



Andrade's manager Ed Farris says that the fight will headline that week's ESPN2 Friday Night Fights. He has also penciled in Andrade for a fight the following month on September 21 at the Verizon Center in Manchester, New Hampshire against an opponent to be determined.



The 23-year-old southpaw Andrade (13-0, 9 KO) from Providence, Rhode Island is coming off a second round stoppage of Omar Bell in April.



Though 17 years older than Andrade, the 40-year-old Brewer (28-12, 16 KO) from Lawton, Okla. is far more experienced as a professional, having won The Contender: Season Two tournament in 2006 and holding victories over the likes of Steve Forbes, current IBF junior middleweight champ Cornelius Bundrage and previously unbeaten prospect Albert Onolunose.



In his most recent performance, Brewer knocked out previously undefeated contender Fernando Guerrero in four rounds this past June, which was also on Friday Night Fights.



Brewer has had success with left-handed fighters. In addition to Guerrero, Brewer was the first fighter to drop Sechew Powell in a fight some felt he won and was ahead 90-81 on two scorecards before being stopped in the final round by Erislandy Lara.



"[Andrade's] looking forward to a very tough match against a dangerous opponent," said Farris. "We’re hoping that everyone will appreciate his decision to take such a big challenge with such short notice."



The ten-round fight will be held at a catchweight of 156 plus a pound because Brewer won't have enough time to make the 154 pound weight limit, where he holds the NABF title. The NABF title is a regional belt that garners an improved ranking with the WBC organization.



"This is a great fight, said Valle. "I don't think we could ask for anything better. We're looking forward to the opportunity.



"A lot of people like [Friday Night Fights commentator] Teddy Atlas have looked for him to step up. Now everyone gets what they want."



Andrade says that he is taking the short notice risk in part to prove a point to critics that have questioned the resume' of the 200+ amateur fight veteran.



"Most of the guys I fought had good, winning records, but they want me to fight a guy with name. That's the main reason why we're taking the fight," said Andrade.



Farris said that there are some concerns about Andrade's fight dates being so close together and would remove him from the September card if need be.



Said Valle: "We're not gonna think about September's fight if we haven't fought in August yet. We're more concerned about getting this out of the way first."



Emails to Grady Brewer, as well as Andrade's promoter Joe DeGuardia, were not returned by Sunday evening.



Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) and contributes to GMA News and the Filipino Reporter newspaper in New York City. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com. An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia.