Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York - A thrilling slugfest, had the excitable Barclays Center crowd on its feet at times. Sakio Bika (32-5-3, 21 KO's) and Anthony Dirrell (26-0-1, 22 KO's) went toe-to-toe from the first bell and battled to a split draw. Dirrell floored Bika early in the fight, and Bika later lost a point for a low-blow. In the end, the final tally was a split draw: 114-112 (Bika), 116-110 (Dirrell), 113-113. After the scores were announced, Dirrell immediately left the ring without commenting on his performance. Ringside reporter Jim Gray was able to catch up with Dirrell in his locker room shortly after.
"I want to apologize to the fans for leaving the ring like that but I was just disappointed," said a frustrated Dirrell. "He hit low and head butted. I definitely want a rematch."
Bika felt differently. "I feel like I was fighting the referee as well. The body shot was a legitimate body shot. Not below the belt line. I got him on the belt line, Dirrell just wanted to milk it. I was the busier fighter and now I just want to fight the best ahead of me."
