Anthony Dirrell drops the ball to put himself in position for one last world title run!
Anthony Dirrell (33-2-2, 24 KOs) is looking to make one final run. The two-time WBC World Super Middleweight champ is trying to get back into contention for one last world title opportunity.
At the Shrine Auditorium & Expo in Los Angeles, he faced Kyrone Davis (15-2-1, 6 KOs) in a WBC super middleweight title eliminator. The two ended up fighting to a twelve-round split decision draw. Dirrell did not end up with his hand raised in victory. However, the consensus among fans scoring the fight on social media was that he did enough to win.
Here is the problem. Davis was not the most stellar of opponents. A quick study of his record reveals someone who is far from elite. His wins have come against subpar opposition. In truth, this was a C-level fighter at best!
For Dirrell to go the distance against a fighter of this level is cause for pause and alarm. Someone with aspirations of winning another world title should have taken the likes of Davis out!
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
So where does the former champion go from here? Currently ranked #4 by the WBC at super middleweight, a win would have moved him further up the rankings. It would have put him one step closer to a potential WBC title shot in either late 2021 or early 2022. Also, keep this in mind, David Benavidez is currently ranked #1 by the WBC. Dirrell lost the WBC title to Benavidez in September of 2019 via a domination en route to a ninth round stoppage.
In August 2020, Benavidez lost that title for failing to make weight before a scheduled title defense against Roamer Alexis Angulo. A Dirrell win over Davis would have put him in a position to fight the winner of Benavidez’s March 13 bout against Ronald Ellis!
HARSH REALITY
All those possibilities have probably gone down the drain. The fighting pride of Flint, Michigan is 36 years old. His last march towards a world title is now severely stunted.
His fight against Davis will not motivate fans to believe he has one last push in him. The WBC will not show any favor with him either. It is clear at this point Dirrell is in the final stages of his career. It is unknown where he goes from here.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
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