Demetrius Andrade Claims Middleweight Title With Unanimous Decision Over Walter Kautondokwa

Andrade had previously held junior middleweight titles in the WBO and World Boxing Association

BOSTON (AP) — Demetrius Andrade won the vacant World Boxing Organization middleweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Walter Kautondokwa of Namibia on Saturday.

Kautondokwa was a replacement for Billy Joe Saunders. Saunders tested positive for a stimulant in a drug test administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency. The WBO stripped Saunders of his title after the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission declined to give him a license in a hearing on Oct. 9.

Andrade (26-0, 16 knockouts) dropped Kautondokwa four times in the first four rounds, once in the first and third and twice in the fourth. Two judges scored the fight 120-104, and the other had it 119-105.

Andrade, of Providence, Rhode Island, previously held junior middleweight titles in the WBO and World Boxing Association. He was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.

Kautondokwa, a 32-year-old WBO African middleweight champion, dropped to 17-1 with 16 knockouts.