Andre Dirrell Is Ready To Take On Second Tier Fighters at Light Heavyweight
Two-time super middleweight title challenger “The Resurrected” Andre Dirrell (29-3, 19KO) is flourishing in a deep light heavyweight division. The 39-year-old from Flint, Michigan has looked fairly good in his last three fights after taking some much-needed time off. The question remains: is he ready for the next level of opponents?
In 2018, during an interview with 3kingsboxing.com, Dirrell expressed a desire to return to boxing following the long layoff in the new division. Since that interview, Dirrell has won three straight fights by knockout.
In 2019, in his debut bout against Juan Ubaldo Cabrera, Dirrell performed as if he found the fountain of youth. After dropping his opponent in the third, he hurt Cabrera badly and stopped him. Dirrell followed that up with another good performance by making quick work of Christopher Booker in three rounds. In his last outing, he stopped veteran #12 WBA-rated Yunieski Gonzalez in the final round on November 5.
IS DIRRELL READY FOR THE SECOND TIER?
Dirrell has benefited nicely from those victories as he is ranked #7 (WBO) and #11 (WBA, WBC), and his stock is climbing with each victory. Yet, he is approaching the second-tier fighter’s list, and the competition will get a little stiff.
Several intriguing fights could be made that would help boost Dirrell up the rankings further. He could look to fight top-rated Radivoje Kaldjdzic, Conor Wallace, Igor Mikhalkin, or Marcus Browne.
As 2023 approaches, there is no shortage of opponents for Dirrell. He has come a long way from that infamous moment when he quit on the stool against Jose Uzcategui in 2018.
By: Garrisson Bland
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