Anthony Dirrell Didn’t Know Jack: Badou Jack Wins WBC and Gets George Groves
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Chicago, IL (April 25, 2015)– One good thing about Badou ‘Jack the Ripper’ Jack being signed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s promotional company is you get a second chance on life. In the main event of a 12 bout Friday night card on Spike TV, Swedish-Gambian fighter Badou Jack, despite getting dropped twice and stopped in the first round by Derek Edwards in February 2014, won four fightsin a row on the comeback trail. With that, Jack added the World Boxing Council World Super Middleweight title by majority 12 round decision over 27-0-1 Anthony Dirrell at UIC Pavillion in Chicago, Illinois, on April 24, 2015.
Badou Jack’s win came from left field, and was not expected by either Anthony Dirrell or his brother Andre, who outpointed Derek Edwards in 12 rounds in Canada last December.
Jack, now 19-1-1 with 12 knockouts, a Stockholm, Sweden fighter now out of Las Vegas, Nevada, overcame a one and one half inch height advantage by coming forward and forcing the fight inside on Dirrell, who gradually tired and fought much of the fight backwards. It was a strategic war, with Jack the busier boxer outworking Dirrell by a clear margin on the inside to score the upset.Dirrell appeared to take a good shellacking early, and was somewhat frustrated at being unable to get back into the fight after falling behind on the cards. Dirrell’s weakness: he is a fine technical fighter but not a power hitter. Being unable to get Badou Jack out like Edwards meant he had to outbox him. Alas, he couldn’t. Anthony Dirrell, Andre’s younger brother, falls to 27-1-1, 22 knockouts, Flint, Michigan.
Jack now will defend against British challenger George Groves, a two-time loser to Carl Froch. Groves is susceptible to the right hand, which dropped him and stopped him against Froch in both matches. The winner of that bout could be in line to fight Anthony Dirrell, either a rematch with Badou Jack, or a bout with Groves.
In 2012, Floyd Mayweather Jr. spotted Jack in a sparring session with Andre Dirrell and signed him. If Andre Dirrell wins the vacant IBF Super Middleweight bout he has upcoming against James DeGale in Boston on May 23, 2015, perhaps Badou Jack will do the revenge dance in a WBC-IBF unification bout with the other Dirrell. Who knows what’s next? At least one news outlet mixed up the Dirrell names and erroneously reported Badou Jack had defeated Andre instead of Anthony, adding to confusion, and causing perhaps Andre’s thirst for Jack’s blood at some future point. It could be a good fight.
Result: Badou Jack Win Majority Decision 12 Anthony Dirrell, Super Middleweights
Jack wins World Boxing Council World Super Middleweight title.
Scoring: 114-114 draw. 116-112, 115-113 for Badou Jack.
Referee: Celestino Ruiz. WBC Supervisor: Peter Abdool
Badou Jack joins an extremely rare line of comeback boxers, including Jack Dempsey, Amir Khan, Roger Mayweather and Kuniaki Shibata, who have rebounded from a first round knockout to win a world title.
World champions such as Mike Weaver, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Ken Norton, Leon Spinks, Gerrie Coetzee, Michael Spinks, John Henry Lewis, Juan Meza, Eddie Gazo, Sam Langford, Vic Toweel, and Jaime Garza, were never able to regain a world title after first round losses. Others, like former WBC World Featherweight champion Abner Mares, are still trying. Mares has won three bouts since losing his title to Jhonny Gonzalez in 2013.
Other UIC Pavillion Results From Chicago, Illinois
Daniel Jacobs TKO 12 Caleb Truax, Middleweights (2:12)
Jacobs retains the WBO World Middleweight title
Referee: Dave Smith. WBO Supervisor: Matthew Podorski
If GGG Wants Danny Jacobs, Miguel Cotto, Andy Lee, or Peter Quillin, he can beat them anytime. WBO ‘champion’Jacobs won every round, then finished Truax. Not a close bout.
Artur Szpilka TKO 2 Ty Cobb, Heavyweights
Ranked Szpilka’s lone loss was to Bryant Jennings, number one heavyweight contender.
Keith Tapia KO 1 Jason Smith, heavyweights
Wow! 14-0 Tapia was covered by Real Combat Media in Brooklyn in May 2014, still rising.
Roberto Garcia Win 8 James Stevenson, Super Welterweights
Garcia down in first. Stevenson appeared to win at least four rounds, did not get the cards.
Maciej Sulecki KO 2 Daryl Cunningham, Middleweights
Cunningham, 40, knocked out six times since 2011-including Andre Dirrell. Should retire.
Alex Martin Win 8 Jonathan Garcia, Welterweights
Journeyman Jonathan Garcia has lost 12 of last 13 bouts. ABC Boxing should retire him.
Rickey Edwards Win 6 Shiwone Gortman, Super Lightweights
Texas journeyman Gortman won only one of last eleven. ABC Boxing should retire him.
Eddie Ramirez TKO 5 Jerome Rodriguez, Super Lightweights
Allentown, Pennsylvania southpaw Rodriguez winless in last five bouts. He should retire.
Jose Felix Quezada KO 2 Jamar Saunders, Lightweights
Atlanta journeyman Sandman Saunders loser of last six. One was for Georgia state title!
Semajay Thomas TKO 2 Jose Santiago, Welterweights
Journeyman Santiago knocked for fifth time in last six. ABC Boxing should retire him.
Ramiro Carrillo TKO 2 Ramon Guevara, Super Lightweights
Journeyman Guevara has been knocked out 19 times. ABC Boxing should retire him.
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