​After almost three years out of the ring, Providence native Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade (32-1, 19 KOs) will make his return on Friday, July 24, against 35-year-old Brazilian Douglas Ataide (20-5-1, 11 KOs) at Mohegan Sun Arena.Andrade is a U.S. Olympian and a former three-time, two-division world champion. His last professional fight was against David Benavidez on Nov. 25, 2023, where he suffered his first professional loss.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs he prepared for the fight, Andrade’s personal life was taking a turn for the worse. His mother had become terminally ill, and his younger brother was shot and left paralyzed. Andrade changed his training plans so that his father, who was his head trainer, could stay behind and take care of his mother and brother.“I was literally going from one hospital floor to another – seeing my mother in a coma and then going upstairs to see my little brother – while trying to prepare for the biggest fight of my career,” Andrade said in a press release. “That’s something no one can prepare you for.”Even though Andrade was struggling more than anyone could imagine, he didn’t want to pull out of the fight due to the fear that he may never get another chance to face an opponent like Benavidez again.WBO middleweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade exults after his unanimous, 10-round decision over Maciej Sulecki in June 2019 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. [Matchroom Boxing USA / Melina Pizano]Andrade was landing early blows in the fight that were winning him rounds on the judges’ scorecards, but in the fourth round, a right hand from Benavidez rocked Andrade, and he was never able to recover fully. At the end of the sixth round, blood was pouring from Andrade’s mouth, and his corner waved off the fight.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter the match, Andrade stepped away from boxing to mourn the loss of his mother as well as focus on his family and “developing several thriving businesses.”Now paired with CES Boxing founder and longtime Rhode Island boxing promoter Jimmy Burchfield Sr., Andrade believes it’s time to return to the ring.“I give Douglas [Ataide] a lot of credit,” Andrade said in a press release issued by CES Boxing. “We reached out to a lot of fighters with bigger names who didn’t take the fight. Douglas stepped up and accepted the opportunity, and I respect that. Once that bell rings, though, it’s my job to hurt him.”Before this fight, Ataide had fought former world champion Ryota Murata and world title challenger Jorge Heiland.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAndrade believes he’s ready for a late-stage resurgence in his career and has already thought of a few names he’d like to face in the future.“I want to become a three-division world champion, but there’s also unfinished business,” Andrade said in the press release. “There are fights that should have happened years ago that still make sense today.