That Demetrius Andrade completed the mission of regaining world champion status in Germany on Saturday night is not up for debate. However, with some tipping the slick southpaw to establish himself as one the sport’s premier figures, his performance in earning a split decision over Jack Culcay left something to be desired.

Culcay must be handed credit for a robust attempted defence of the WBA super welterweight title — even if the scorecard in his favour was hugely generous — but Andrade’s often sluggish showing was an even more significant factor in turning a fight most expected to be a walkover into something competitive.

Bar a promising start to the second round, the American never seemed to shift up from second gear. So what, exactly, is the issue with ‘Boo Boo’?

Well, he’s still unbeaten, has won a world title as an amateur and already two as a professional and is now likely to chase the lucrative bouts at 154lbs, so on paper there is no issue at all. The problem is that prior to his contractual issues, Andrade was being hotly tipped alongside the likes of Terence Crawford as a king in waiting; a technician with the potential to inherit the American throne vacated by Floyd Mayweather.

While he was clearly the superior boxer in Ludwigshafen, Andrade did little to suggest he is ready to meet those lofty expectations.

It seems the inactivity of the past three years has taken some kind of toll. Since his first and only defence of the WBO crown — a ruthless seven-round destruction of Blackpool’s Brian Rose in June 2014 — Andrade fought just twice before Saturday night.

The pedestrian nature of some of his work may be the result of a lack of mental motivation rather than physical shortcomings. Experts and bookmakers alike asserted that Culcay did not pose a threat to Andrade. Such airs of inevitability can cloud focus — fighters themselves often talk about needing to feel threatened and alerted by a sense of danger in order to produce their best.

None of this is to say that there were not moments when the gulf in class was as clear as day. After a range-finding opener, Andrade worked like lightning at the start of round two. With such natural hand speed and shot selection, the Rhode Islander in full flow is a joy to behold and for around a minute, a combination of spearing southpaw jabs, meaningful straight lefts and whipping right hooks hinted at a puzzle solved and an early night.

Culcay certainly regrouped from that brief lesson manfully and, by the middle rounds of the fight, Andrade had settled into a rhythm of token raids, his occasional counter right hooks often missing by a distance.

Did Andrade throw too much, too hard and too soon? Was he simply sensible in pacing himself after a fast start? Was his approach conservative all along? Did he decide after the exchanges of the first two rounds that a stoppage was never likely and instead focused his efforts on eliminating the possibility of a home-town decision by simply scoring points?

Only Andrade and possibly his trainer know the answers to the questions this coronation posed. What is worth highlighting is that he’ll need to be in sharper form if he’s to eclipse divisional rivals such as WBA ‘Super’ champion Erislandy Lara and compatriots Jermell Charlo and Jarrett Hurd, not to mention the most attractive financial prospect of all: Canelo Alvarez.