Jack Culcay will defend his junior middleweight world title against former titleholder, mandatory challenger and amateur nemesis Demetrius Andrade, promoter Team Sauerland announced Friday.
The fight is scheduled to take place March 11 at the Friedrich-Ebert-Halle in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Culcay (22-1, 11 KOs), a 31-year-old native of Ecuador who fights out of Germany, held an interim belt but was elevated to a secondary titlist last year and will make his first defense.
He was supposed to fight Andrade (23-0, 16 KOs), a southpaw from Providence, Rhode Island, on Nov. 5 after Team Sauerland won a purse bid to gain promotional rights to the bout, but it did not come off. Then Team Sauerland won a second purse bid.
Andrade, 28, who was stripped of a 154-pound world title for inactivity in 2015, figures to be easily the toughest opponent of Culcay's career.
"I'll beat his ass like he stole something," Andrade told ESPN. "I agreed to take the fight because I'm not going to turn down the only opportunity in front of me to get back in the ring. I'm not going back to being inactive. I'm ready to fight. There's not much more I can say."
Andrade and Culcay both competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won amateur world championships.
It was during the 2007 world amateur tournament in Chicago that Andrade defeated Culcay on the way to a gold medal. Culcay won it all in 2009, after Andrade had turned pro.
Culcay said he is anxious to avenge that loss.
"Losing to Andrade in the 2007 amateur championships is something that has stayed with me to this day," Culcay said. "I'm so happy that I will finally get the chance to get my revenge against Andrade and show I am the better fighter."
Andrade said he is not apprehensive about fighting on hostile turf in Germany.
"I'm going to have to take my talents all over the world," he said. "My nickname is 'Boo Boo,' so if they're booing me, I think they're just calling my name. I like being the guy everyone's not rooting for. I know how to fight under pressure. I'm ready for whatever. This is my obstacle. There is nobody else in this world who actually said my name and wanted to make a fight happen. Hopefully, when I win, it will give me some leverage to demand bigger type of fights."
Promoter Kalle Sauerland said the amateur rivalry only adds to the magnitude of the fight.
"We have two of the top names in the division going head-to-head in what promises to be an explosive encounter," Sauerland said. "Their amateur rivalry will be sure to add to the intrigue. Jack is out for revenge. He may have lost out to Andrade in Chicago, but now the American must travel to Jack's homeland to try to take the title from him."
German super middleweight prospect Leon Bauer (10-0, 8 KOs), who is just 18, will face an opponent to be named on the undercard.