Andre Dirrell

Can a fighter damage their legacy if they miss one fight?

Can a fighter damage their legacy if they miss one fight?

Over the years there has been much speculation as to what extent Floyd Mayweather’s reputation and legacy will be tarnished should he retire without facing Manny Pacquiao. The fans are split between two opinions, the Mayweather fans claim it will have no meaning and what he has already accomplished is enough to support his claim as a true all time great.

The critics respond by saying it will leave doubt and at the end of the day he will be remembered more for missing this fight than he will be for what he has done in the ring. Similarly some say a similar effect will take place when trying to establish Pacman’s place in history once he hangs up the gloves.

continue

Eddie Hearn: DeGale announcement coming next week

Eddie Hearn: DeGale announcement coming next week

In an interview with IFL TV Eddie Hearn said that he was looking to have the DeGale- Andre Dirrell fight in the UK on April 25th and was confident that he could make that happen. He said regardless of whether they can make that date happen, he is looking to finalize the deal and would make an announcement in a weeks time. This announcement should lay out most of the details of that show and what the card will be made of and detail what the situation is between DeGale and Dirrell.

This is a great fight between two once beaten fighters, which will provide a new IBF champion regardless of who wins. Certainly this is a tough fight for the pair of them due to their styles, but an impressive win could set up a string of super fights against the other talents in the division such as George Groves, Anthony Dirrell, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr and even Andre Ward.

continue

Andre Dirrell: Carl Froch is my number one target!

Andre Dirrell: Carl Froch is my number one target!

American Andre Dirrell is still hopeful of a rematch with current WBA super-middleweight champion Carl Froch. At this point it has to be seen as an unlikely prospect because if Froch is turning down fights with guys he has not faced in the past like James DeGale and Bernard Hopkins, it is unlikely that he would face a fighter he has already beaten in Dirrell.

Carl Froch has had a long career with a very long undefeated span for British and Commonwealth titles before going 10 – 2 – 0 (5KO) in world title fights. In his twelve world title fights he has held the WBC, IBF and WBA titles at one point or another.

continue

Andre Dirrell-Derek Edwards IBF Eliminator Dec. 19 On Showtime

Andre Dirrell-Derek Edwards IBF Eliminator Dec. 19 On Showtime

An IBF super middleweight elimination bout between 168-pound contender Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell (23-1, 16 KOs), of Flint, Mich., and veteran spoiler Derek “The Black Lion” Edwards (27-3-1, 14 KOs), of Las Vegas, has been confirmed as a 12-round co-feature of a SHOWTIME BOXING: Special Edition quadrupleheader on Friday, Dec. 19, live on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast) from Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.

For the switch-hitting Dirrell, the elimination bout for the IBF’s No. 2 position behind No. 1 James DeGale and champion Carl Froch will be his first start on SHOWTIME and fifth overall since getting injured against then-undefeated Arthur Abraham in his second Super Six World Boxing Classic fight on SHOWTIME on March 27, 2010.

continue

Taylor defeats Soliman; Dirrell destroys Brinson

Taylor defeats Soliman; Dirrell destroys Brinson

International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight champion Sam Soliman (44-12, 18 KOs) physically fell apart and he looked every bit of his 40 years in losing to 36-year-old Jermain Taylor (44-12, 18 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA.

Neither fighter looked good at all. Taylor may have won the fight, but he looked poor in comparison to the likes of Gennady Golovkin and Miguel Cotto, two of the best middleweights in the division. Soliman slipped on the wet canvas in the 7th, causing him to injure his left leg while being knocked down.

continue

Andre Dirrell in action this Friday in Shelton, WA

Andre Dirrell in action this Friday in Shelton, WA

Super middleweight Andre Dirrell (21-1, 14 KOs) has left his promoter 50 Cent and is now ready to resume his career in the ring with adviser Al Haymon guiding his career. The 30-year-old Dirrell, who hasn’t seen action since last year in February, will be fighting on August 1st on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights at Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington.

The opponent is not known at this time, but they’re looking for someone that can step in on short notice to take the fight with the speedy Dirrell. Renan St. Juste was the guy that Dirrell supposed to be fighting on the card, but he went down with a foot injury and won’t be able to take the fight.

continue

Jacobs, Quillin and Dirrell “Get In The Ring” To Knock Out Childhood Cancer, Obesity and Bullying

IMG_6465Yesterday, at the Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, the “Get In The Ring” foundation held its first ever awareness event. The charity targets childhood cancer, obesity and bullying and has been raising awareness since its inception earlier this year. Founder and cancer survivor Daniel “The Miracle Man” Jacobs was joined by WBO middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and super middleweight Anthony Dirrell.

Raffles were held to help raise money. With guests winning anything from signed boxing gloves, to a pair of tickets to see Jacobs fight Giovanni Lorenzno, August 19 at the Best Buy Theater in New York City.

“This feels better than the fight itself. I’m happy that a lot of people came out to support me,” Jacobs said. “I’m really trying to target some key issues in our community, so to know that people have my back means a lot to me.”

continue

Dirrell dominates Gbenga

dirrell23427By Michael Collins: Last Saturday night, super middleweight Andre Dirrell (21-1, 14 KO’s) showed boxing fans why he was so highly hyped in the past by beating an out of his class 2nd tier fighter Michael Gbenga (14-7, 14 KO’s) by an impressive 10 round unanimous decision at the Convention Center in McAllen, Texas.

The 29-year-old Dirrell, who hadn’t seen action in well over a year, knocked down with a right uppercut to the head in the 9th round, and Dirrell also had Gbenga hurt in the 7th and 10th rounds from blistering right hands.

Gbenga showed good power as well, but he wasn’t able to land many of his shots due to Dirrell ducking or pulling his head away to avoid his power shots. He looked pretty frustrated with his inability to connect.

Dirrell’s hand speed was just as fast as it was when was competing in Showtime’s Super Six tournament in 2009-2010.

continue

Andre Dirrell back in action on February 2nd in McAllen, Texas

dirrell23427By Bill Phanco: 29-year-old former super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell (20-1, 14 KO’s) will be making his long awaited ring return next month on February 2nd at the Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. Dirrell still doesn’t have an opponent for the fight despite it being only a week a half away from the fight. Dirrell last fought well over a year ago in beating Darryl Cunningham by a 2nd round knockout.

Before that, Dirrell hadn’t fought in a year and a half since beating Arthur Abraham by an 11th round technical decision in the Super Six tournament back in March 2010.

Dirrell has great hand speed and skills, but he’s going to have to seriously get his career in gear on the fast track if he wants to amount to something. Dirrell can’t afford to fight once a year if he wants to capture a title. What Dirrell needs to do is try and fight at least 8 times in 2013, so he can be in position to fight for a world title in 2014.

continue