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Last
update: 06-04-2009
Read more by
Jake Donovan
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| WBC Orders Ward-Dirrell Super Middleweight Eliminator
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By Jake Donovan
When they were in the amateurs, Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell campaigned in separate weight classes to avoid running into each other in efforts to both make the 2004 US Olympic squad. Today, the pair of Olympic medalists stand in each other’s way in pursuit of their first major title.
Boxingscene.com has learned that the WBC has ordered a final elimination bout between the former 2004 US Olympic boxing teammates. If the fight comes off, the winner will go on to face super middleweight titlist Carl Froch.
“The WBC ordered a final eliminator fight between Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward. The camps are now in the free negotiation period,” promoter Gary Shaw informed Boxingscene.com on Wednesday evening. Shaw has served as Dirrell’s promoter of record for his past four fights.
The two sides have until July 3 to negotiate a fight. If no deal can be reached, the bout will then go to purse bid.
Ward (19-0, 12KO) is coming off of the biggest win of his career, a rousing unanimous decision win against Edison Miranda last month in Oakland, California. The fight served as a homecoming and a coming out party, as the chief criticism surrounding his career has been the lack of a noteworthy test at any point since turning pro late in 2004.
With the recent retirement of Oscar de la Hoya, Ward is the last remaining active American fighter to have captured Olympic, doing so in the 2004 Summer Games.
During the same event, Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13KO) managed to capture Olympic bronze. Like Ward, Dirrell’s career has hardly been free of criticism. He was matched up in a perceived stiff test against Victor Oganov last fall; the bout turned out to be the defining moment in his young career, tearing through the crude puncher before taking him out in six rounds.
Boxing fans hoped that the fight would serve as the turning point in his career, but Dirrell has taken the slow road back to notoriety. His last fight came three months ago on Shobox, when he was forced to settle on late replacement Derrick Findley. Dirrell didn’t make things easy on himself, struggling at times before settling down and eventually scoring his second straight sixth round stoppage. It was a fight in which he received harsh criticism for what was viewed as a major step backwards
, even if original opponent Henry Buchanan didn't pull out.
Dirrell’s past four fights have come on Gary Shaw’s dime; the rest of the early years were spent on shows promoted by Goossen-Tutor Promotions, who just so happen to have promoted most of Dirrell’s earlier at-bats/struggles.
Goossen-Tutor is also the lead promoter for Andre Ward.
The winner will on to face titlist Carl Froch, who himself is coming off of the biggest victory of his career, scoring a last second bailout knockout of former lineal middleweight champion Jermain Taylor this past April.
Ward and Dirrell were elevated to the top two slots in the WBC super middleweight rankings shortly after Jermain Taylor squandered his lead and would eventually get got in the closing seconds of the aforemention fight with Froch.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
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on 06-05-2009 by Deja_Vous |
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[QUOTE=St@rscreem;5422656]Ward and Dirrell have just about all the 'buzz' they have earned thus far in their careers, which is a considerable amount. A superfight should not involve 2 prospects.
Eliminators are the best hope for boxing now. Let prospects [b]earn[/b] their spots, and then [b]or... |
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on 06-05-2009 by St@rscreem |
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Ward and Dirrell have just about all the 'buzz' they have earned thus far in their careers, which is a considerable amount. A superfight should not involve 2 prospects.
Eliminators are the best hope for boxing now. Let prospects [b]earn[/b] their spots, and then [b]order[/b] the champions to f... |
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on 06-05-2009 by Deja_Vous |
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[QUOTE=St@rscreem;5421318]About ****ing time. Too many prospects to try and follow...they need to make all these elimination fights instead of building these guys up for so damn long.
Angulo/Kirkland (yea im aware that this situation has already been resolved, but Kirkland in those interviews... |
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on 06-05-2009 by Deja_Vous |
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[QUOTE=MJ406;5419221]uh why, it's a business and considering Ward + Dirrell's current standings in the division, baring a major injury or division jump to either they'll most likely meet, so what makes it a "shady" move by the WBC?
and if it doesn't happen (Dirrell vs Ward )who will Ward fight... |
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