Andre Dirrell | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Born | Flint, Michigan, U.S. | September 7, 1983||||||||||||||
Other names |
| ||||||||||||||
Statistics | |||||||||||||||
Weight(s) | Super middleweight Light Heavyweight | ||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||
Reach | 75 in (191 cm) | ||||||||||||||
Stance | Southpaw Orthodox | ||||||||||||||
Boxing record | |||||||||||||||
Total fights | 32 | ||||||||||||||
Wins | 29 | ||||||||||||||
Wins by KO | 19 | ||||||||||||||
Losses | 3 | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Andre Dirrell (born September 7, 1983) is an American professional boxer.
As an amateur, he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2004 Olympics. His younger brother Anthony Dirrell is also a professional boxer.
Dirrell and his younger brother Anthony began boxing while still in elementary school in their hometown of Flint, Michigan. The brothers have been trained from the beginning by grandfather Leon "Bumper" Lawson Sr., a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali, and uncle Leon Jr. [1]
Dirrell was a standout as an amateur and won the 2003 United States national amateur championships at middleweight. He also competed at the 2003 Pan American Games, with his results being:
He qualified for the Olympic Games by finishing in first place at the 1st AIBA American 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tijuana, Mexico. Prior to the Athens Games he won the 2004 Acropolis Boxing Cup in Athens, Greece by defeating Cuba's Yordanis Despaigne in the final of the middleweight division.
He won the middleweight bronze medal for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. His results were:
Dirrell completed an amateur record of 210–26.
Dirrell began his professional career in 2005. A southpaw possessing exceptional athleticism and the ability to switch-hit, he was considered among boxing's top young prospects following an extensive amateur career. Dirrell defeated future world title challenger Curtis Stevens on HBO's Boxing After Dark in June 2007.
Dirrell was one of the six super-middleweights who competed in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, a boxing tournament, along with Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Jermain Taylor. His first fight and only loss was against England's Carl Froch on October 18 for the WBC Super Middleweight Championship. [3] [4] [5] [6] Two of the judges scored the fight 115-112 for Froch, with the third scoring it 114-113 for Dirrell. [7]
On March 27, 2010, Dirrell faced undefeated former Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham in Detroit, Michigan. In the fourth round, Dirrell knocked Abraham down for the first time in his career. Dirrell was outboxing Abraham throughout the bout and comfortably ahead on the scorecards 97–92, 98–91, and 97–92. In the 11th round, a slick spot in the corner of the ring caused Dirrell to slip to one knee. While down, Abraham delivered a punch to the chin of Dirrell; a delayed reaction was followed by Dirrell lying on the ground, unconscious and shaking. The referee ruled the blow by Abraham an intentional foul and awarded Dirrell a victory via disqualification. Some critics contested the ending of the fight, claiming that Dirrell may have overreacted after Abraham's final punch. [8] [9] However, Dirrell said he was really knocked out and did not know what happened after he fell down.
On October 7, 2010, Dirrell declined to face his friend and eventual Super Six tournament winner Andre Ward, and announced that he was withdrawing from the tournament due to neurological issues. [10]
Dirrell took a 21-month layoff to heal from the neurological injuries sustained in the Abraham fight. Dirrell defeated Darryl Cunningham via second-round technical knockout. [11]
Thirteen months after that, Dirrell made a return to the ring with a unanimous decision win against Michael Gbenga after knocking him down in round 9. [12]
Andre was set to headline Friday Night Fights on April 12, 2013, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Eighteen months after the Gbenga fight, Dirrell returned to score a fifth-round KO against Vladine Biosse. [13]
On May 23, 2015, Andre Dirrell fought against British star James DeGale at the Agganis Arena in Boston. DeGale gained two knockdowns in the second round, which proved to be the difference as he won a unanimous decision over Dirrell to win a 168-pound world title. DeGale won 114–112 on two judges' scorecards and 117–109 on the third. [14]
On May 20, 2017, Dirrell faced Jose Uzcategui for the vacant IBF interim super middleweight title. Uzcategui was disqualified in the eighth round for punching after the bell, and Dirrell was awarded the DQ victory. After the fight was stopped, Dirrell's trainer and uncle Leon Lawson approached Uzcategui and sucker-punched him before fleeing the scene. After the incident, Dirrell apologized for his trainer's actions. [15]
In the rematch, Uzcategui dominated Dirrell over eight rounds, and forced Dirrell's corner to stop the fight right at the beginning of the ninth round. [16]
In his comeback fight, Dirrell fought and defeated Juan Ubalado Cabrera via KO in the fifth round. [17]
On July 31, 2021, Dirrell fought Christopher Booker. Dirrell finished his opponent early, by dropping him three times in the third round, forcing the referee to stop the fight. [18]
31 fights | 28 wins | 3 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 18 | 1 |
By decision | 8 | 2 |
By disqualification | 2 | 0 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | Win | 28–3 | Christopher Brooker | TKO | 3 (10), 2:58 | Jul 31, 2021 | Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
30 | Win | 27–3 | Juan Ubaldo Cabrera | KO | 5 (10), 1:36 | Dec 21, 2019 | Toyota Arena, Ontario, California, U.S. | |
29 | Loss | 26–3 | José Uzcátegui | RTD | 8 (12), 3:00 | Mar 3, 2018 | Barclays Center, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost IBF interim super middleweight title |
28 | Win | 26–2 | José Uzcátegui | DQ | 8 (12), 3:00 | May 20, 2017 | MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S. | Won vacant IBF interim super middleweight title; Uzcátegui disqualified for hitting after the bell |
27 | Win | 25–2 | Blake Caparello | UD | 10 | Apr 29, 2016 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
26 | Loss | 24–2 | James DeGale | UD | 12 | May 23, 2015 | Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | For vacant IBF super middleweight title |
25 | Win | 24–1 | Derek Edwards | UD | 12 | Dec 19, 2014 | Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada | |
24 | Win | 23–1 | Nick Brinson | TKO | 4 (10), 2:12 | Oct 8, 2014 | Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. | |
23 | Win | 22–1 | Vladine Biosse | TKO | 5 (10), 2:46 | Aug 1, 2014 | Little Creek Casino Hotel and Resort, Shelton, Washington, U.S. | |
22 | Win | 21–1 | Michael Gbenga | UD | 10 | Feb 2, 2013 | Convention Center, McAllen, Texas, U.S. | |
21 | Win | 20–1 | Darryl Cunningham | TKO | 2 (10), 2:05 | Dec 30, 2011 | Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, U.S. | |
20 | Win | 19–1 | Arthur Abraham | DQ | 11 (12), 1:13 | Mar 27, 2010 | Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | Super Six World Boxing Classic: group stage 2; Abraham disqualified for hitting after a slip |
19 | Loss | 18–1 | Carl Froch | SD | 12 | Oct 17, 2009 | Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, England | For WBC super middleweight title; Super Six World Boxing Classic: group stage 1 |
18 | Win | 18–0 | Derrick Findley | RTD | 6 (10), 3:00 | Mar 28, 2009 | Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
17 | Win | 17–0 | Victor Oganov | TKO | 6 (12), 0:28 | Nov 1, 2008 | Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S. | Won vacant WBO–NABO interim super middleweight title |
16 | Win | 16–0 | Mike Paschall | TKO | 4 (10), 1:32 | Aug 2, 2008 | Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | |
15 | Win | 15–0 | Anthony Hanshaw | TKO | 5 (10), 1:13 | May 2, 2008 | Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S. | |
14 | Win | 14–0 | Shannon Miller | TKO | 3 (6), 1:58 | Feb 1, 2008 | Grand Casino, Hinckley, Minnesota, U.S. | |
13 | Win | 13–0 | William Johnson | KO | 1 (8) | Dec 6, 2007 | Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino, Lemoore, California, U.S. | |
12 | Win | 12–0 | Curtis Stevens | UD | 10 | Jun 16, 2007 | Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S. | |
11 | Win | 11–0 | Kenny Kost | UD | 8 | Feb 16, 2007 | Playboy Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | |
10 | Win | 10–0 | Cullen Rogers | TKO | 3 (8), 1:19 | Dec 22, 2006 | Perani Arena and Event Center, Flint, Michigan, U.S. | |
9 | Win | 9–0 | James Sundin | TKO | 2 (6), 2:33 | Nov 17, 2006 | Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, U.S. | |
8 | Win | 8–0 | Marcus Don Hall | TKO | 3 (6), 1:57 | Jun 23, 2006 | Oakland Arena, Oakland, California, U.S. | |
7 | Win | 7–0 | Alfonso Rocha | UD | 6 | May 25, 2006 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S. | |
6 | Win | 6–0 | Mike Eatmon | UD | 6 | Apr 21, 2006 | Omar Shrine Temple, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S. | |
5 | Win | 5–0 | Juan Camacho | KO | 2 (4), 2:42 | Aug 18, 2005 | HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S. | |
4 | Win | 4–0 | Carl Cockerham | UD | 6 | Apr 15, 2005 | Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington, U.S. | |
3 | Win | 3–0 | Jacob Rodriguez | KO | 2 (4), 1:12 | Mar 10, 2005 | Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S. | |
2 | Win | 2–0 | Walter Coles | KO | 1 (4), 2:16 | Feb 11, 2005 | Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | |
1 | Win | 1–0 | Carlos Jones | TKO | 4 (4), 2:50 | Jan 27, 2005 | Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S. | Professional debut |
Andre Michael Ward is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015, and unified light heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017.
Jermain Taylor is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2014. He remains the most recent undisputed middleweight champion, having won the WBA (Undisputed), WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring middleweight titles in 2005 by beating Bernard Hopkins, and in doing so ending Hopkins' ten-year reign as middleweight champion. This made Taylor the first, and to date, only male boxer in history to claim each title from all four major boxing sanctioning organizations in a single fight. He once again defeated Hopkins six months later, making him the only fighter to have defeated Hopkins twice. He retired as a world champion in the months that followed his capture of the IBF middleweight title for a second time, after making a substantial recovery from a brain injury sustained earlier in his career.
Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Mikkel Kessler is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) title three times between 2004 and 2013, and the WBC title twice between 2006 and 2010.
Avetik Abrahamyan, best known as Arthur Abraham, is an Armenian-German former professional boxer who competed from 2003 to 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the IBF middleweight title from 2005 to 2009, and the WBO super-middleweight title twice between 2012 and 2016.
Károly Balzsay is a Hungarian former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2012.
Carl Martin Froch, is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) title twice between 2008 and 2011, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2012 to 2015, and the World Boxing Association (WBA) title between 2013 and 2015. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles between 2004 and 2008, and won the Lonsdale Belt in 2006. As an amateur, in the middleweight division, Froch won a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships, and the ABA title twice.
Yordanis Despaigne Herrera is a Cuban professional boxer who, as an amateur boxer, has medaled repeatedly in international tournaments as a middleweight.
James Frederick DeGale is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019. He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweight titles between 2010 and 2012.
George Groves is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2018. He held the WBA (Super) super-middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. At regional level, he held multiple super-middleweight titles, including the European, British, and Commonwealth titles between 2010 and 2014. As an amateur, Groves won the ABA middleweight title twice in 2007 and 2008.
The Super Six World Boxing Classic was a professional boxing tournament organized by the Showtime television network in co-operation with Sauerland Event. The tournament was held from 2009 to 2011, with all fights being contested in the super middleweight division. The winner of the tournament, Andre Ward, unified the WBA, WBC and The Ring Super Middleweight titles.
Boxing in the 2010s includes notable events about boxing which occurred between 2010 and 2019. The decade saw high intensity action in the welterweight division. The match between veterans Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao broke PPV records. The broadcast of the fight in the Philippines was watched by nearly half the country's households. Mayweather retired at a record 50-0-0 while Pacquiao became the first eight division champion. The middleweight division saw immense action in the later years of the decade. After a draw in 2017, Canelo Alvarez ended Gennady Golovkin's long reign in 2018. The heavyweight division was dominated by Klitschko brothers before Wladimir's loss to Tyson Fury in 2015. Other talents that emerged were Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksander Usyk.
Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham was a Super Middleweight championship fight for the WBA Middleweight championship. The bout was held on May 14, 2011, at Home Depot Center, in Carson, California and was televised on Showtime. In the co-featured non-televised portion of the card, heavyweight world contender Cristobal Arreola took on Nagy Aguilera of the Dominican Republic.
Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson was a professional boxing match contested on June 4, 2011, for the WBC super middleweight championship. The winner of the bout went on to the Finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic and face WBA Champion Andre Ward, after his decision win over Arthur Abraham in May 2011. It was held at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, and televised on Showtime.
Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch was the Super Six World Boxing Classic Final championship fight for the WBC, WBA, & vacant The Ring super middleweight titles. The bout was held on December 17, 2011, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. and was televised on Showtime.
José Uzcátegui is a Venezuelan professional boxer who held the IBF super middleweight title from 2018 to 2019.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler was a professional boxing match contested on 24 April 2010, for the WBC super middleweight championship. The bout was the second match in the second group stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
Anthony David Benavidez is an American professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) interim light heavyweight title since June 2024, having previously held the WBC super middleweight title twice between 2017 and 2020. Claiming his first title at 20 years, eight months, three weeks and one day old, Benavidez holds the record as the youngest super middleweight title holder in history. He is ranked second by The Ring magazine, second by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and fourth by BoxRec.
Caleb Hunter Plant is an American professional boxer who held the IBF super middleweight title from 2019 to 2021 and the WBA Interim Super Middleweight title since September 2024.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler II, billed as Warrior's Call, was a professional boxing match between IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch and WBA (Regular) champion Mikkel Kessler. The fight took place on 25 May 2013 at The O2 Arena in London, England, United Kingdom. Froch was declared the winner by unanimous decision.