The fight looked to be an almost pick 'em bout and the winner would certainly have moved into the mix with some top fights to come.
A VADA test has put an end to that Title fight though as the Commission refused to give Saunders a licence to fight in Boston and that means Andrade is fighting for the now vacant WBO Title.
We could see Saunders and Andrade at some point in 2019, but it is disappointing to see this fight set aside for now.
There are a couple of other cards of interest this weekend with the World Boxing Super Series continuing in Orlando and a potential Gennady Golovkin opponent fighting in Las Vegas where Ryota Murata takes on Rob Brandt in the main event.
Anthony Yarde is also out again as the British Light Heavyweight prospect takes another step in his development before entering 2019 looking for the big fights in a loaded Division.
Last weekend was another positive one for the Boxing Picks with three winners from the five Picks which keeps the momentum going.
Terence Crawford was the big winner last week as he underlined his pound for pound status, but I was not overly impressed and I really do think Errol Spence Jr will be the man to stop his run. As far as I am concerned I think Spence is the best in the tough Welterweight Division, although it would be nice if someone steps up to the plate and gives the Texan his chance for another big fight.
Being more active would be good for Spence too and I am hopeful 2019 is going to be the year when he really announces himself at the very top of the sport.
We also heard the huge deal that Canelo Alvarez signed with DAZN which will begin with a move up to Super Middleweight to challenge Rocky Fielding. That looks an interesting clash on the size difference alone, but Canelo should be able to pick up a Title in another Division and then it will be interesting as to the direction he goes with some huge possibilities both up at Super Middleweight and back down at Middleweight.
Anthony Yarde vs Walter Gabriel Sequeira
The Light Heavyweight Division looks a very strong one both Worldwide and in the UK domestic scene and one of the leading prospects is Anthony Yarde who returns to the ring on Saturday.
There are a number of people arguing that Yarde is being protected and needs to step up his level of competition but the fighter is happy with his development and not worrying about anyone else. He continues to show he can finish fights before reaching the cards and it will be interesting as to how soon it is before Frank Warren puts Yarde in with someone like Frank Buglioni.
Joshua Buatsi has been impressing with two strong finishes since Yarde has last been in the ring and there will be comparisons between the two undefeated fighters. That would have especially been the case last week when Buatsi was able to stop Tony Averlant in the First Round, a fighter who had gone Seven Rounds with Yarde back in February.
The triangle theory rarely applies in Boxing, but casual fans will look at those two fights and put them side by side.
Yarde himself has made it clear he doesn't care what others think but is doing the best for his own career and that makes all the sense in the world to me. While he has been a strong favourite in his last few fights, Yarde has not exactly been fighting against no-hopers and he should be happy with the development.
He is in for another test on Saturday against Walter Gabriel Sequeira, although one that Yarde is going to be able to break him down as far as I am concerned.
This is only the second time Sequeira has fought outside of Argentina, but I expect him to be rugged and at least put a few more Rounds into the bank for Yarde. The last couple of fights have seen Yarde break down opponents on his way to a Seventh Round stoppage and I think this fight will go a similar distance.
Backing Yarde to come through in the second half of this Ten Rounder looks the selection here even if most will be looking for the British fighter to produce a stunning win much like Buatsi has in his last two outings.
Yunier Dorticos vs Mateusz Masternak
The Cruiserweight World Boxing Super Series Season Two got underway last week in a snooze-fest in Russia, but Yunier Dorticos is back after impressing in Season One.
The Cuban doesn't do boring fights and his Knock Out power is very, very impressive.
Of course you have to question how Dorticos feels after suffering the first professional loss of his career in a Fight of the Year candidate against Murat Gassiev. He did look to run out of gas a little bit in that fight, but Gassiev is better than Mateusz Masternak even if the Pole is coming in off a five fight winning run.
It does feel like Masternak has a limit to his abilities and his step up fights against Grigory Drozd and Tony Bellew. He was stopped late in one, and looked close to being stopped late on in the other and I think it could be argued quite convincingly that Dorticos is the biggest puncher Masternak has faced.
There have been plenty of early stoppages on the Dorticos record, but I do want to give Masternak some credit for the toughness he can display. It may also take Dorticos a few Rounds to build his rhythm up having been out of the ring since February, but eventually I would expect the power to wear down and break down Masternak.
Demetrius Andrade vs Walter Kautondokwa
The Billy Joe Saunders situation will overshadow this WBO World Title fight but neither Demetrius Andrade or Walter Kautondokwa will be losing any sleep over it.
The winner will likely know they are going to have to face Saunders at some point in 2019, but they will also be well placed to take on some of the other big names in a tough Division with Canelo Alvarez the ultimate prize at the moment.
For now the concentration has to be on this fight for Andrade and I think he is going to know about as much about Walter Kautondokwa as most do outside of Namibia.
Kautondokwa is unbeaten and has Knocked Out 16 of 17 opponents, but only one of those fights have taken place outside his home country. You can't rule him out being a surprise, but at 33 years old it would need to be a big surprise although Julius Indongo came out of Namibia and reached a Unification with Terence Crawford on his journey through the Lightweight Division.
I expect Kautondokwa to be tough and Andrade to just have to figure out a few problems against an orthodox fighter after preparing for a southpaw. That may take a few Rounds but then I would expect Andrade, who has shown some power up at Middleweight, to begin to pepper Kautondokwa.
The Namibian is likely to be a tough character, but it's hard to know much more about him and I think Andrade is going force a stoppage late in the fight. There will be some unfinished business against Saunders to settle in 2019, but for now Demetrius Andrade can call himself a Middleweight World Champion by taking home the WBO Title.
Ryota Murata vs Rob Brant
There is much on the line for Ryota Murata when he defends his WBA 'Regular' World Title at Middleweight in Las Vegas. This is the just the second time he will be fighting in the United States and Murata is looking to make a statement with suggestions he is being lined up for a fight against Gennady Golovkin in the spring of 2019.
That would be a huge fight for Murata with Bob Arum discussing taking that to Japan, but he can't afford to overlook Rob Brant who was last seen in a real competitive fight in the World Boxing Super Series last year.
The American decided to move up to Super Middleweight to compete in that tournament, but he was beaten in the Quarter Final and has come back down to Middleweight. Brant has had just one fight since the loss to Juergen Braehmer and that last a single Round so I am not sure preparation is ideal to take on a big hitter like Murata.
Brant has shown toughness, but he hasn't really stepped up to this kind of level of opponent too often.
He has to know he may be the home fighter in terms of the country of the fight, but Murata is the one being positioned for a big fight and that likely means going to the cards would be a defeat for Brant.
I am not sure he will take the risks needed to win this fight and it just depends whether he can stand up to the Murata power.
So far that has been a tough ask for the majority of the Murata opponents and he has found a way to break down fighters. It won't be easy to do that against a decent boxer like Brant, but Murata may begin to find more and more success which leads to a corner pull out or a referee intervention once Brant looks to be some way behind in the fight.
MY PICKS: Anthony Yarde to Win Between 6-10 @ 2.75 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Yunier Dorticos to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Demetrius Andrade to Win Between 7-12 @ 3.50 Sky Bet (2 Units)
Ryota Murata to Win by KO, TKO, Disqualification @ 2.80 Paddy Power (2 Units)
Boxing 2018: 31-50, + 24.44 Units (125 Units Staked, + 19.55% Yield)
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