Whether he was at 154, 160, and even to a certain extent, 168 pounds, Demetrius Andrade was considered the boogeyman.

As a junior middleweight, Andrade was unable to lock in any of the big fights he was looking for. It was much of the same six pounds north. So, with the sand in his pugilistic hourglass running low, Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) moved up again. This time, he found someone willing to take him on.

In November of 2023, Andrade stood across the ring from David Benavidez, The Ring's No. 2 ranked light heavyweight. Never in a million years did Andrade believe he could lose to anyone but he knew Benavidez would be a handful. After three incredibly competitive rounds, things took a turn for the worse as Andrade was dropped in the fourth and eventually stopped in the sixth.

The aura of invincibility that once surrounded him is now gone. But Andrade isn’t bothered by the fact that he’s no longer undefeated. Simply put, a one in the loss column doesn’t alter anything.

“That one defeat doesn't change who I am,” Andrade told Fight Hub TV. “It doesn’t change my boxing.”

Since coming up short, Andrade has been sequestered. Being both out of sight and out of mind has allowed him to work on his game in silence. That soundlessness has also allowed him to hear the flippant words of his naysayers.

Andrade can take criticism. After all, conjecture is simply one man’s opinion. Hate, however, is something else. And from his point of view, those who have something to say about his defeat were waiting for this day to come.

“I hear certain people out there talking s*** because of what? They were never two divisional world champion, trying to make it three, 2008 Olympian. I go many years without taking a defeat. It didn’t change who I am.”