Mexican Brothers Head for Montreal to Train

Librado Andrade will train in Montreal for his rematch challenge against IBF 168-pound titlist Lucian Bute.

Brothers Librado Andrade and Enrique Ornelas, via Mexico via La Habra, Calif., are heading to the Great White North to prepare for the biggest fights of their careers.

The pair will soon begin training in Montreal for their upcoming fights. Andrade tackles Lucian Bute Nov. 28 at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City in a rematch for the IBF super middleweight title.

Meanwhile, younger brother Enrique, in a fight just announced on Tuesday, will prepare to face-off against Bernard Hopkins for a Dec. 2 clash at the Liacorous Center in Philadelphia, Penn.

Andrade, the #1 IBF contender with a record of 28-2, 21KOs is no stranger to Montreal. He trains under the auspices of former fighter and Montreal-based Howard Grant. This will be Andrade's third shot at a world title and he is aware much is on the line for him.

“I'm ready to go and I can't wait to start training camp,” said Andrade. “I've had a long year since our first fight. So, once I get started with camp I'm really going to get down to business. We're going to isolate ourselves the best we can and do better, the best we can.”

Good news got even better when Ornelas made the decision to train alongside his brother.

“I'm very happy all of this is happening,” said Andrade. “The timing of it all is really perfect. We've just to get our training in Montreal going and the get ready for the fights.”


Enrique Ornelas (right) bounces a shot off Marco Antonio Rubio. Ornelas will meet Bernard Hopkins on Dec. 2 in Philadelphia, Penn.

While Andrade lost a unanimous decision to Bute the first time around, he came as close as a fighter can to knocking out another boxer when he had Bute reeling around the ring on unsteady legs in the final round. Only a hapless referee and the diminishing sands in the hourglass kept Andrade from winning the title. He came heartbreakingly close to a victory, but he isn't dwelling on his missed shot at glory.

“I've put all of that behind me and that's out of my mind,” he said. “I'm just going to forget about everything that happened and just start new. We know there is controversy [about the first fight] but we're just going to forget about all of it. We're going to start fresh.”

Andrade fights under Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions banner and the promotional firm won the purse bid for the fight. It came as a surprise to many in the industry that the fight will take place in Quebec City as the California-based GBP usually promotes in much warmer climates. November in Quebec City can be one of the most frigid places in all of Canada. And besides, Bute fights out of Montreal which is about 2 1/2 hours away. Many think he could benefit from "hometown" cooking.

But Andrade claims none of that is a concern to him.

“The fight belongs up there,” he said. “I train with the Grant brothers in Montreal and I was happy when I heard the fight was going to be up there. The promoters did the right thing. This fight doesn't belong anywhere else.”


October 2009