By Jake Donovan

Anthony Dirrell made headlines for all of the right reasons one year ago, with his super middleweight title win over Sakio Bika in their rematch last August coming on the heels of fellow cancer survivor Daniel Jacobs earning a middleweight belt just one week prior.

Fast forward to present day, where Jacobs has twice defended his belt to remain champion, while Dirrell is in search of a second title reign. The two shared a stage in Chicago this past April, only for Dirrell to fall short versus Badou Jack in losing his super middleweight title.

He has since rebounded, scoring a 10-round shutout over veteran middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio in their CBS-televised headliner Sunday afternoon at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The bout was never competitive, save for a couple of moments where Rubio—who moved up in weight for the non-title fight—was able to press the action and score with left hooks. Dirrell was otherwise in control of the bout, and insists as much holds true of his career as he seeks another title run.

"I had an off night when I fought Badou Jack," Dirrell (28-1-1, 21KOs) said of his performance in the lone loss of his career. "Everyone saw what I was able to do tonight."

With the win, Dirrell—who served on the 2004 U.S. Olympic team with his brother Andre, a bronze medalist—now has his sights set on his conqueror's next fight which comes this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Jack will make the first defense of the title, though comes in as the underdog versus mandatory challenger George Groves. The bout comes in supporting capacity to Floyd Mayweather's Pay-Per-View headlining World welterweight championship defense versus Andre Berto, but as far as Dirrell is concerned, the super middleweight fight is the only one that matters in terms of shaping up his own future.

"I deserve another shot," Dirrell believes, already calling out the winner of the forthcoming title fight. "Jack, Groves, let's go."

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com.
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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