Former two-time super-middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (33-2-1, 24 KOs) is now under consideration for Canelo Alvarez’s next fight this year Dirrell, 35, is someone that would give fans a chance to see whether Canelo is cut out to be fighting at 168.
This would be an excellent safe pick for Canelo if he were to select the aging, cut-prone Anthony Dirrell as his next opponent.
Yesterday, Sergiy Derevanchenko was mentioned as an option for Canelo’s next fight in September, and the fans expressed a lot of interest in this match. That doesn’t mean anything, though.
Canelo is going to pick his next opponent based on them being the most affordable option for him, and Derevyanchenko may price himself out. He’s always wanted to fight Canelo, but he likely thought it would be a big payday. It would be jarring for Derevyanchenko if he’s paid the same kind of money he gets for fighting ordinary guys.
If you’re one of the DAZN executives, you’re probably NOT going to be too happy at seeing Canelo fight Dirrell because the hardcore boxing fans have already sounded off on this news on social media, and they hate this fight.
Canelo is a stubborn guy, though, and he’s the type that would fight Dirrell just because the fans don’t want him to take on this opponent.
We saw Canelo do that with his fights against Rocky Fielding, Sergey Kovalev, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Amir Khan, and Liam Smith. Fans had no interest in those fights, and yet Canelo still fought them.
With this fight being behind closed doors in September, Canelo must get an opponent that won’t ask for a lot of money. What we’ll likely see is Canelo facing a fighter that is willing to take less money than they otherwise would have gotten before the pandemic.
If it’s Dirrell, then he’s got to hope that he can beat Canelo, and then get a bigger payday in the rematch.
“Yes, for the time being, Canelo is open to fighting in September with no fans. We’re discussing all the details now. But he’s open to it,” said Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez to ESPN.com about Canelo being willing to fight behind closed doors.
Dirrell is the younger brother of pro boxer Andre Dirrell, who is faster, more mobile and a better defensive fighter. Some casual boxing fans confuse Anthony with Andre and mistakenly believe that he’s a great mover. He isn’t.
Anthony Dirrell is a stationary fighter, which tends to stand and slug it out with his opponent. With that said, Dirrell is a big puncher, and he’s explosive. Even in his recent loss to David Benavidez, Dirrell was bouncing a lot of big punches off the jaw of the champion.
Dirrell has some things that make him a poor option for Canelo. For starters, Dirrell was knocked out in the 9th round in his last contest against WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez.
Secondly, Dirrell is kind of old at 35. Canelo is coming off of an 11th round knockout over 36-year-old Sergey Kovalev last November. Canelo doesn’t need to be viewed as a guy that faces older guys. A lot of fans already think he intentionally waited until Gennady Golovkin turned 35 before fighting him.
Dirrell and Sergiy Derevyanchenko are the two names that are in the running for Canelo’s next fight in September on DAZN. WBO super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders is out of the mix. It’s believed that the combination of money and Saunders not having a license that has foiled his chances for the fight.
Canelo has only had two fights at super middleweight since moving up to the weight class, and those were against Rocky Fielding and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Dirrell fits in nicely with those two.
