Dirrell: I Honestly Believe Carl Froch is Scared To Fight!

By Jake Donovan

More than four years after making the strange decision to drop out of Showtime’s Super Six super middleweight tournament, Andre Dirrell has slowly pieced back together his career. The once-beaten Top 10 contender has now won six straight, his latest coming Friday evening in a 12-round virtual shutout of Derek Edwards at Colisee de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada.

The win put Dirrell in position to eventually challenge for a super middleweight title. More important to his career – if not his fighting pride – the belt owner is none other than unified titlist Carl Froch, the only fighter to hang a loss on Dirrell.

Both fighters were unbeaten at the time of their Oct. ’09 clash, which came in the opening stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Dirrell traveled to jolly old England, dropping a split decision in Froch’s hometown of Nottingham in a fight whose outcome generated plenty of debate.

Froch went on to face – and lose to – Andre Ward in the Super Six championships. Dirrell never made it out of Stage Two, taking a 10th round disqualification win over Arthur Abraham but citing injuries suffered in the bout as grounds to withdraw from the round robin tournament.

His career was in disarray as he broke ties from Al Haymon and promoter Gary Shaw, a move that resulted in just two fights spread out over a four-year stretch before picking up the pace in 2014. Dirrell has now fought three times less than five months, and with Friday’s win now moves towards a title shot.

Whether or not it will actually come against Froch remains to be seen. For the moment, Dirrell – now the #2 challenger for the belt - is prepared for the possibility of vying for a vacant title versus #1 contender James DeGale rather than being afforded the opportunity to avenge his lone loss. 

“I honestly believe that he's scared to fight me,” Dirrell insisted to Showtime’s Jim Grey after improving to 24-1 (16KOs). “It's too risky of a fight for him to take. But I'm gonna push for it.

“There's a win on his record that is questioned. I may be cheated but never defeated.”

Froch has hinted at retirement unless able to land a truly big payday, such as a lucrative showdown with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The best active super middleweight in the world is coming off of two knockout wins over countryman George Groves, though both fights showing that he has lost a step or two as he creeps towards the twilight of his career.

All the more reason Dirrell would like to get his shot at revenge before it’s too late.

“You might have stopped him, but I ain't no George Groves, baby,” Dirrell insisted.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox