By Scott Gilfoid: WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell (27-0-1, 22 KOs) has an optional title defense coming up in the first part of 2015. Dirrell doesn’t know yet who he’ll be facing. However, he says he’s open to defending against his mandatory challenger George Groves (21-2, 16 KOs) if the money is right for that fight.
Groves didn’t have to do much to become Dirrell’s mandatory. After back to back knockout losses to IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch, Groves beat Christopher Rebrasse by a 12 round decision last September in a WBC eliminator bout.
Groves didn’t have to face anyone dangerous like Gilberto Ramire or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, and he was allowed to fight in the eliminator despite his two recent knockout losses to Froch.
“If the money is right,” Dirrell said via esnewsporting.com about him facing Groves. “That’s what it is.”
Dirrell is basically looking for the best paying fight he can get for his next fight in 2015. If that’s Groves then so be it. If not, then he’ll be looking to face someone else.
“We’re looking to make money, that’s what this business is about. I got the belt, I got what I came here for and now it’s time to get paid,” Dirrell said to the Dailymail.co.uk. “We should have one soon and that’s what I’m waiting on.”
Dirrell has no problems facing Groves, but he’s not too high on fighting him in the UK, because he saw what happened to his older brother Andre Dirrell when he fought Froch in the UK in 2009. Dirrell wound up losing a controversial 12 round decision in Froch’s home town of Nottingham. Dirrell wants Groves to come to the United States if he wants to fight for his WBC title. However, it’s likely that Groves’ promoters will attempt to have the fight staged in the UK.
Dirrell plans on hanging on to his WBC title for a long time, and his defense against Groves is more of something he needs to get out of the way so that he can go after the big money fights.
Anthony expects his brother Andre Dirrell to win a world title in 2015. “He should get a championship like I did, and he should be getting big fights in 2015,” Anthony said.
Andre has won his last three fights since starting his comeback earlier this year. He recently defeated the hard hitting Derek Edwards by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision on December 19th of this month in an IBF eliminator. The win puts Andre on crash course for a fight against James DeGale once Froch, the current IBF champion, either vacates or is stripped of his title.
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