Andre Dirrell

Andre Dirrell
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Matrix The Resurrected
Rated at	Super middleweight
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Reach	75 in (191 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1983-09-07) September 7, 1983 Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	27
Wins	25
Wins by KO	16
Losses	2
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games 2004 Athens Middleweight

Andre Dirrell (born September 7, 1983) is an American professional boxer who has challenged twice for a super middleweight world title, in 2009 and 2015. As an amateur he won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2004 Olympics.

Amateur career

Dirrell and his younger brother, Anthony, began boxing while still in elementary school in their hometown of Flint, Michigan. The brothers have been trained from the beginning by grandfather Leon "Bumper" Lawson Sr., a former sparring partner of Muhammad Ali, and uncle Leon Jr.^[1]

Dirrell was a standout as an amateur and won the 2003 United States national amateur championships at middleweight. He also competed at the 2003 Pan American Games, with his results being:

• Lost to Yordanis Despaigne (Cuba) 20-21

He avenged the Despaigne loss 41-28 in their second bout later and world champ Gennady Golovkin 15-14 at the 2003 USA vs. Kazakhstan Dual.^[2] He qualified for the Olympic Games by ending up in first place at the 1st AIBA American 2004 Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Tijuana, Mexico. Prior to the Athens Games he won the 2004 Acropolis Boxing Cup in Athens, Greece by defeating Cuba's Yordanis Despaigne in the final of the middleweight division.

He won the middleweight bronze medal for the United States at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. His results were:

• Defeated Ha Dabateer (China) 25-18
• Defeated Nabil Kassel (Algeria) RSC-2 (1:59)
• Defeated Yordanis Despaigne (Cuba) 21-20
• Lost to Gennady Golovkin (Kazakhstan) 18-23

Professional career

Dirrell began his professional career in 2005. Possessing exceptional athleticism and tremendous amateur experience, he was considered among boxing's young prospects. As of August 2014, Dirrell holds a record of 22 wins (15 KO) in 23 professional fights with one loss. Dirrell defeated prospect Curtis Stevens on HBO's Boxing After Dark in June 2007.

Super Six

Dirrell was one of the six super-middleweights who competed in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, a boxing tournament, along with Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Jermain Taylor. His first fight and only loss was against Englands Carl Froch on October 18 for the WBC Super Middleweight Championship.^[3][4][5][6] Two of the judges scored the fight 115-112 for Froch, with the third scoring it 114-113 for Dirrell.^[7]

On March 27, 2010, Dirrell faced undefeated former Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham in Detroit, Michigan. In the fourth round, Dirrell knocked Abraham down for the first time in his career. Dirrell was outboxing Abraham throughout the bout and comfortably ahead on the scorecards 97-92, 98-91, and 97-92. In the 11th round, a slick spot in the corner of the ring caused Dirrell to slip to one knee. While down, Abraham delivered a punch to the chin of Dirrell; a delayed reaction was followed by Dirrell lying on the ground, unconscious and shaking. The referee ruled the blow by Abraham an intentional foul and awarded Dirrell a victory via disqualification. Some critics contested the ending of the fight, claiming that Dirrell may have overreacted after Abraham's final punch.^[8][9] However, Dirrell said he was really knocked out and did not know what happened after he fell down.

On October 7, 2010, Dirrell declined to face his friend and eventual Super Six tournament winner Andre Ward, and announced that he was withdrawing from the tournament due to neurological issues.^[10]

After Super Six

Dirrell took a 21-month layoff to heal from the neurological injuries sustained in the Abraham fight. Dirrell defeated Darryl Cunningham via second-round technical knockout.^[11]

Thirteen months after that, Dirrell made a return to the ring with a unanimous decision win against Michael Gbenga after knocking him down in round 9.^[12]

Andre was set to headline Friday Night Fights on April 12, 2013, but withdrew for undisclosed reasons.

Eighteen months after the Gbenga fight, Dirrell returned to score a fifth-round KO against Vladine Biosse.^[13]

On May 23, 2015 Andre Dirrell fought against British star James DeGale at the Agganis Arena, Boston. DeGale gained two knockdowns in the second round, which proved to be the difference as he won a unanimous decision over Dirrell to win a 168-pound world title. DeGale won 114-112 on two judges’ scorecards and 117-109 on the third.^[14]

Fighting style

A southpaw, Dirrell is a switch hitter and a natural left-hander.

Professional boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
27	Win	25–2	Blake Caparello	UD	10	Apr 29, 2016	Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
26	Loss	24–2	James DeGale	UD	12	May 23, 2015	Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.	For vacant IBF super middleweight title
25	Win	24–1	Derek Edwards	UD	12	Dec 19, 2014	Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
24	Win	23–1	Nick Brinson	TKO	4 (10), 2:12	Oct 8, 2014	Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
23	Win	22–1	Vladine Biosse	TKO	5 (10), 2:46	Aug 1, 2014	Little Creek Casino Hotel and Resort, Shelton, Washington, U.S.
22	Win	21–1	Michael Gbenga	UD	10	Feb 2, 2013	Convention Center, McAllen, Texas, U.S.
21	Win	20–1	Darryl Cunningham	TKO	2 (10), 2:05	Dec 30, 2011	Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, Cabazon, California, U.S.
20	Win	19–1	Arthur Abraham	DQ	11 (12), 1:13	Mar 27, 2010	Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Super Six World Boxing Classic: group stage 2
19	Loss	18–1	Carl Froch	SD	12	Oct 17, 2009	Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, England	For WBC super middleweight title; Super Six World Boxing Classic: group stage 1
18	Win	18–0	Derrick Findley	RTD	6 (10), 3:00	Mar 28, 2009	Buffalo Run Casino, Miami, Oklahoma, U.S.
17	Win	17–0	Victor Oganov	TKO	6 (12), 0:28	Nov 1, 2008	Home Depot Center, Carson, California, U.S.	Won vacant WBO–NABO interim super middleweight title
16	Win	16–0	Mike Paschall	TKO	4 (10), 1:32	Aug 2, 2008	Emerald Queen Casino, Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
15	Win	15–0	Anthony Hanshaw	TKO	5 (10), 1:13	May 2, 2008	Chumash Casino Resort, Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
14	Win	14–0	Shannon Miller	TKO	3 (6), 1:58	Dec 6, 2007	Grand Casino, Hinckley, Minnesota, U.S.
13	Win	13–0	William Johnson	KO	3 (8), 2:03	Feb 1, 2008	Tachi Palace, Lemoore, California, U.S.
12	Win	12–0	Curtis Stevens	UD	10	Jun 16, 2007	Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S.
11	Win	11–0	Kenny Kost	UD	8	Feb 16, 2007	Playboy Mansion, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
10	Win	10–0	Cullen Rogers	TKO	3 (8), 1:19	Dec 22, 2006	Perani Arena and Event Center, Flint, Michigan, U.S.
9	Win	9–0	James Sundin	TKO	2 (6), 2:33	Nov 17, 2006	Soboba Casino, San Jacinto, California, U.S.
8	Win	8–0	Marcus Don Hall	TKO	3 (6), 1:57	Jun 23, 2006	Oakland Arena, Oakland, California, U.S.
7	Win	7–0	Alfonso Rocha	UD	6	May 25, 2006	Pechanga Resort and Casino, Temecula, California, U.S.
6	Win	6–0	Mike Eatmon	UD	6	Apr 21, 2006	Omar Shrine Temple, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, U.S.
5	Win	5–0	Juan Camacho	KO	2 (4), 2:42	Aug 18, 2005	HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, U.S.
4	Win	4–0	Carl Cockerham	UD	6	Apr 15, 2005	Northern Quest Resort & Casino, Airway Heights, Washington, U.S.
3	Win	3–0	Jacob Rodriguez	KO	2 (4), 1:12	Mar 10, 2005	Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S.
2	Win	2–0	Walter Coles	KO	1 (4), 2:16	Feb 11, 2005	Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
1	Win	1–0	Carlos Jones	TKO	4 (4), 2:50	Jan 27, 2005	Michael's Eighth Avenue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S.	Professional debut

Titles in boxing

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Andre Dirrell from BoxRec
• Bio – file interview w/ Andre Dirrell @ BoxingInsider
• Profile of Andre Dirrell from the Premier Boxing Champions website