By Ian S Palmer
Super Middleweight Andre Dirrell of Flint, Michigan will take on Derek Edwards of Las Vegas in a 12-round bout at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada this Friday, December 19th. Dirrell’s career nearly came to an end early in 2010 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit when he was hit while he was down by Arthur Abraham in the 11th round of a scheduled 12-round contest. Abraham was disqualified and Dirrell sat out for 21 months due to ongoing neurological problems. This bout is listed as an IBF eliminator and can be seen on Showtime in the U.S. and on pay-per-view in Canada.
The 31-year-old Dirrell enters the ring with a record of 23-1 with 16 Kos while the 35-year-old Edwards is 27-3-1 with 14 Kos. Dirrell is and has fought 122 rounds since turning pro in 2005 while Edwards has gone 143 rounds since 2002. Dirrell is just 6-feet-1-inch tall and possesses a 75-inch reach while Edwards stands just over 5-feet-9-inches in height and has a 72-inch reach. Dirrell has beaten the likes of Darryl Cunningham, Derrick Findley, Curtis Stevens and Anthony Hanshaw while Edwards has beaten Badou Jack and Carl Daniels. Edwards has lost to Adonis Stevenson, Marcus Johnson and Matt Korobov and has a draw with Hanshaw. Korobov and Stevenson both stopped him.
Dirrell returned to the ring in December of 2011 and has won his four bouts since then, but he sat out all of 2012. He’s fought twice already this year in August and October and feels he’s back in top shape. The southpaw his hoping to earn a title shot against IBF kingpin Carl Froch of England and knows he has to get past Edwards to be considered for it. His last fight came back on October 8 when he stopped Nick Brinson in the fourth round in Mississippi.
Dirrell had a fine amateur career and capped it off by winning a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The main reason he’s aiming at getting a shot at Froch is because Froch has been the only man to beat him as a pro so far. The Englishman earned a controversial split decision over him back in October of 2009 in England during the Showtime Super Six Tournament. Dirrell claims that he won that contest and is anxious to prove he can handle Froch if the champion should decide to give him a rematch.
Dirrell is well aware that Edwards carries a lot of power in his fists and is capable of beating anybody when he’s at his best. Dirrell feels Edwards’ style is tailor made for his boxing skills though and he should be able to box to a comfortable decision if needed. Dirrell has decent power, but isn’t known as a heavy puncher. He knows how to box and that will be his game plan. Edwards will try to work his way to the inside and pound away at Dirrell’s body and head while attempting to engage his opponent into a bit of a brawl.
Prediction
This is Dirrell’s first stiff test since beating Darryl Cunningham 36 months ago. It’s his third fight in the last six months so he shouldn’t have any ring rust. Edwards hasn’t fought since February when he stopped Badou Jack in the first round. This should be a decent fight, but Dirrell has a solid chin and should be able to take Edwards’ best shots. Look for Dirrell to take a decision here or score a late stoppage.
