Andre Dirrell faces James DeGale in Boston on Saturday hoping to finally end his long wait to become a world champion in the super-middleweight division.
READ MORE:
Brook gives DeGale title advice: Fellow Brit knows about winning Stateside.
Groves backs DeGale to win: Rival wishes him good luck.
DeGale destined to become world champion: (Video) Brit adamant that he will create history.
The American is the only thing that stands between DeGale making history, as he bids to become the first British Olympic gold medallist to go on and win a world title as a professional.
While most British fans will remember him from his bout with Carl Froch back in 2009, exactly how difficult is DeGale’s task this weekend?
Dirrell fact-file:
Age: 31 years old
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 6ft 1′
Reach: 75″
Nickname: ‘The Resurrected”
Record: 24-1 (16 KOs)
Anthony Dirrell, Andre’s brother, previously held the WBC strap in the super-middleweight division before losing it to Badou Jack earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Andre still remains adamant that he defeated Froch which turns out to be the only loss on his professional record, with the Nottingham-born fighter getting the nod 114-113, 112-115 and 112-115 on the judges scorecards in his hometown.
While he has had to battle adversity during his life away from the ring, he has momentum on his side entering this fight after getting in the ring three times in four months to keep active and shake off any rust.
The 31-year-old is a slick southpaw and has skill, but he has often been criticised for holding and making fights a messy encounter. Whether or not he is able to do that to DeGale on Saturday remains to be seen, but if the fight gets scrappy it will most certainly favour the American.
DeGale undoubtedly has a tough task ahead as there is an argument that he couldn’t have faced a more difficult opponent in his first world title shot. However, his time has arrived and he remains full of confidence as he hopes to make history and bring the title home this weekend.
COMMENTS