Andre Dirrell: “I know I’ll be world champion”

By Boxing News - 04/30/2016 - Comments

Image: Andre Dirrell: "I know I'll be world champion"By Scott Gilfoid: #5 IBF, #5 WBC super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell (25-2, 16 KOs) put on a beautiful boxing display last night in beating the capable Blake Caparello (22-2-1, 6 KOs) by a lopsided 10 round unanimous decision at the Taj Mahal Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Other than a flash knockdown that Dirrell suffered in the 2nd round when he was hit by a left hand from Caparello when he didn’t have his feet set, Dirrell looked sensational. He wasn’t hurt by the shot that knocked him down. It was more of a case of Dirrell’s feet being squared when he was hit by a shot he wasn’t expecting from Caparello.

Dirrell got back to his feet and finished the round in style in boxing clever and not letting Caparello land any other flush shots. After the fight, Dirrell put the 168lb champions on notice, telling them that he’s coming for all their belts. Dirrell says he won’t rest until he’s a world champion.

Dirrell beat Caparello by the scores of 98-91, 98-91, and 98-91.

“I wanted to send the boxing world and this whole division a message. I’m coming for anyone with a belt,” said Andre Dirrell. “I’ll take on anyone who’s a champion. I know I’ll be a world champion. I have to be a champion. I don’t slow down for anyone. I’m going to keep pushing to get where I’m going.”

I don’t think there’s going to be any takers for Dirrell in his challenge. He’s too good, and the champions in the division aren’t going to want to take on a fighter of his class and risk getting out-boxed and possibly knocked out. Dirrell has too much talent for his own good. If he were a flawed and/or old fighter like Lucian Bute, he might be getting a world title shot. Look at Bute. He’s fighting tonight against WBC champion Badou Jack in Bute’s second straight title shot. He was beaten in his last fight by IBF champ James DeGale.

So why is Bute getting another title shot after a loss to DeGale? I think it’s because he’s flawed and seen as harmless. If Bute were still the same fighter he was in his prime years of 2007 to 2011, I think he’d be ignored like Dirrell is right now. Dirrell is probably going to need to work his way to the Number 1 spot in the IBF and WBC’s rankings before he gets a title shot. He’s too talented for his own good.

Now if Dirrell were to start looking bad in either losing fights or struggling to win, then I could see the champions beating down his door to give him world title shots left and right. I also think the sanctioning bodies would shoot him to the top of their rankings. I know it’s weird how boxing goes like that. You look terrible, lose a couple of fights, and then you’re getting world title shots 24/7. If you do good like Dirrell, then you’re ignored and not driven to the top of the rankings.

Dirrell’s younger brother Anthony Dirrell (29-1-1, 23 KOs) looked downright sensational in smashing Caleb “Golden” Truax (26-3-2, 16 KOs) to bits in a 1st round knockout. Dirrell landed a peach of a right hand in the first minute of the round that separated Truax from his senses. Dirrell then tapped him with a right hand that put Truax down.

Truax got back up and the process was repeated, but this time with a left hand to the head. Referee Harvey Dock knew better than to let the massacre continue, so he halted the fight at 1:49 of the 1st round. Truax probably could have kept fighting, but he would have kept getting knocked down no matter how many times he got back to his feet.

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Dirrell has his number and he wasn’t messing around. It was a straightup mismatch. The thing is on paper it didn’t look like a mismatch. Truax had given talents like Daniel Jacobs and Jermain Taylor problems in the past. Dirrell had struggled in a loss last year to Badou Jack, and he also had problems in his two fights against Sakio Bika. However, Dirrell showed a mean streak last night in going after Truax with a thunderous right hand after he had hit Dirrell with a good shot.

Dirrell wasn’t going to play that. He immediately bounced a right hand off the head of Truax in retaliation and this stunned the 32-year-old to the point where he could barely defend himself. Dirrell then dropped him with a good right hand.

Anthony Dirrell’s impressive win over Truax will almost certainly lead to him getting pushed up the WBC’s rankings. He’s ranked #3 by the WBC behind #2 George Groves and #1 Callum Smith. I don’t agree with that ranking. Groves has lost a mess of fights in the last three years, and I don’t think he rates a #2 ranking. He was beaten by Badou Jack just last September.