Dirrell Copes with First Loss, Wants Rematch with Jack
Apr 25, 2015 • 7:51 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
CHICAGO—The fight was supposed to be the jump off to a big moment for the Dirrell family. Instead, Anthony Dirrell struggled to find a second gear in suffering a major upset loss at the hands of Badou Jack in the Spike TV-televised headliner Friday evening at UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.
The majority decision loss is his first as a pro, coming eight months after Dirrell claimed a super middleweight title in his rematch win over Sakio Bika. The feat last summer allowed Dirrell to become the second fighter in history to overcome cancer and go on to win a major title.
Dirrell's accomplishment came just one week after Daniel Jacobs claimed a middleweight belt, doing so three years after a battle with osteosarcoma nearly cost him his life.
While Jacobs remains a belt holder - scoring a 12th round stoppage of Caleb Truax in Friday's chief support - it's back to the drawing board for Dirrell. Adding to the disappointment of his loss is that he doesn't enjoy the satisfaction of claiming title status a month from now, when older brother Andre Dirrell faces James DeGale on May 23 for a separate version of the super middleweight crown.
Should Andre do his part, there's always a chance of the Dirrell brothers simultaneously reigning as super middleweight titlists down the road.
If younger brother Anthony has his way, that opportunity will come against his lone conqueror.
"He fought a great fight tonight," a dejected Dirrell said of Jack's career-best performance. "I want a rematch."
Jack is due to next defend his new crown versus mandatory challenger George Groves.
It remains to be seen if Dirrell's affiliation with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions could serve as workaround to that dilemma. The fact that Groves flew in from England just to watch the fight from ringside probably suggests the dethroned titlist will need to seek an alternate route back towards the top.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
