by Chris Robinson
There are very few fighters who I have been taken aback with as much in terms of their natural talent than super middleweight contender and former world title challenger Andre Dirrell.
Training of Johnny Tocco’s Boxing Gym in Las Vegas on Friday afternoon, Dirrell’s skills were in full display as I caught the tail end of his training session with outspoken trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.
Adding the elder Mayweather to his team is something Dirrell admits he has been considering for quite some time and the 29-year old also spoke with exuberance about his return to the ring, which appears to be slated for Dec. 15.
However, Dirrell does appear to be caught in the crossfire of the recent rift between his promoter 50 Cent and his longtime friend Floyd Mayweather Jr. The two former friends are in the midst of a nasty fallout over various personal differences but Dirrell seems to prefer to stay away from the drama, instead putting all efforts into rebuilding his promising career.
Read below for some highlights from my one on one with Dirrell following his workout with Floyd Sr. to get a better sense of his mindset amidst everything going on at the moment...
A lot of catching up to do…
“Well, I’m back a week strong. I’ve been working back at home and I got here a week ago. I’ve been in the gym going pretty much full-fledged now, doing good. Floyd’s pretty much throwing new things my way. I’m adapting pretty well. Hard work has begun. I’m feeling great, I’ve got six weeks left. I should be fighting December 15. I fought two times in the last three years, so I got a lot of catching up to do with my youth, my talent, and my rep. I’ve got a lot to do, a lot to make up for, and my mentality is strong and I’m ready to take over these years to come.”
Keeping his eye on Floyd Mayweather Sr…
“Well, we always had an eye on Floyd. My grandfather, he had bad hands and he couldn’t work with me on the pads no more. That was really the main thing that he needed to work with me, so we decided to bring Floyd in. But we always had an eye on Floyd. He’s old-school, just like my grandfather, he knows the game like my grandfather, and they both love the sport. With the two top guys in my corner, I don’t see no wrongdoing there. I feel like I’m going to rise to the top and I’m going to rise to the occasion and I’m going to give the fans what they’ve been waiting for.”
No hard feelings towards his Uncle and former trainer Leon Lawson…
“Me and my uncle decided it would be best if we just decided to stay family members. As far as him being my uncle and me being his nephew, things work out a lot better that way. No bad blood between us at all. I love my Uncle to death. Leon Lawson is a hell of a trainer, he’s got a son on the way up, so I’m really proud of that.”
Possible ring return…
“December 15, we’re looking at England surprisingly. That’s the call. That’s the call so far. I believe it’s on George Groves’ undercard. He’s getting ready to fight; I don’t know who, I think it’s Glen Johnson. It would be a Showtime card, that’s what I’m hearing. It’s a TV date, I’m happy, I’m ready to fight, ready to go. I’m hoping December 15 [comes] through, so I can get this thing rolling.”
Being a part of 50 Cent’s team…
“I’m aligned with 50 Cent. Everything’s going great with him. He’s one hell of a businessman. He knows the ropes pretty well. He’s doing a hell of a job so far and I believe in him. A lot of guys believe his promotional company will fall, I don’t. He has a great fighter on his team in Andre Dirrell, [Yuriorkis] Gamboa as well, Billy Dib. He has a great starting three. I believe he’s going to take off and I’m glad just to be a part of the team.”
Giving praise to 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather…
“Well, I got to know [50 Cent] through Floyd. Floyd and 50 had their differences. I really give both of them praise because they both believed in me. Floyd brought me down for his training camp when he got ready to fight Cotto and everything was smooth there. Somewhere along the lines they fell off and I was just in the midst of it all and I ended up with 50. But like I said, they both know the ropes pretty well and they both believed in me so I thank them both for that. And I’m in the position I’m in now because of both of them. Floyd allowed me to meet 50 [and] 50 got me going right now the way I’m going.”
No strong opinions on the Floyd Mayweather-50 Cent fallout…
“I really have no thoughts on it. It is quite disappointing, because I know how good they would be, both running the game together. But just like the rest of y’all, I really don’t know the big deal behind it. I don’t know what the big reason is why they fell out or are going to be falling out for a long time to come. Maybe they’re going to rekindle, maybe they won’t. I really don’t know. But I really can’t let it have an effect on me at this point. I’ve been in the game for seven years, I fought for one world title; I see myself doing this for another seven years and I want to be out of here by then. So I plan on racking up as many titles as possible [at] ’68 and ’75.”
