Shaw Says Andre Dirrell's Reason For Withdrawal is Legit
By Lem Satterfield
According to promoter Gary Shaw, the super middleweight Andre Dirrell's reason for withdrawing from the Super Six is legitimate. The General Manager for Showtime Sports, Ken Hershman, announced on Thursday that Dirrell had withdrawn from the tournament. He was scheduled to face WBA champion Andre Dirrell in the third stage of the Super Six on November 27.
Over the course of the last few months, there has been speculation that Ward and Dirrell were refusing to fight each other because of their close friendship. They were 2004 Olympic teammates. They were initially set to fight on September 25, but the two sides never reached an agreement on the venue and the date had to be postponed. Due to the widespread rumors that both fighters were unwilling to face each other, Showtime issued legal letters to promoters Dan Goossen and Gary Shaw, reminding them of their contractual obligation to make the fight happen.
Shaw says the friendship with Ward had nothing to do with Dirrell's withdrawal. Dirrell is reportedly suffering from a "neurological problem."
"The injury, and I wouldn't call it an injury, but a neurological problem. We have had him examined by a neurologist, who advised Andre not to train or to fight until further notice. Another advanced battery of tests will be done in a little while," said Shaw.
"It wasn't something where I could not give Showtime a new start time for him. It's for right now, how long that he will be out, we just don't know until we get clearance. It's something that we will have to wait on until we receive clarity from the doctors."
Hershman said that Ward is still going to fight on November 27, either against a Super Six replacement or take part in a contest that is "outside of the tournament" at the Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Lem Satterfield is the boxing editor at AOL FanHouse and the news editor at BoxingScene.com. To read more from Lem Satterfield, go to AOL FanHouse by Clicking Here.
