Andre Dirrell vs James DeGale Preview May 23rd
The Premier Boxing Champions Series returns to North American television this Saturday, May 23 when American Andre Dirrell takes on James DeGale for the vacant IBF Super Middleweight Championship. This bout will take place at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts and will be broadcast live in the U.S. and Canada on NBC. Meanwhile, British fans can catch the scheduled 12 rounder on Sky Sports 1. DeGale won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China and is attempting to become the first British gold medalist to win a world title. Dirrell is also an Olympic medalist as he captured a bronze in Athens, Greece back in 2004. He’s also looking to take home a world crown for the very first time.
The 31-year-old Dirrell is a southpaw who hails from Flint, Michigan and he’ll climb into the ring with an impressive record of 25-1 along with 16 Kos. His lone defeat came at the hands of another British boxer when Carl Froch of England beat him by a split decision back in 2009. Dirrell stands 6-feet-1-inches tall and has a 75-inch reach. He turned pro back in 2005 and has fought 134 rounds as a pro with a 64 per cent knockout ratio. His best wins have been against the likes of Curtis Stevens, Anthony Hanshaw, Derrick Findley, Arthur Abraham, and Darryl Cunningham. Dirrell’s last bout took place in December when he beat Derek Edwards by a 12-round unanimous decision in Quebec, Canada.
The 29-year-old DeGale is also a southpaw and he hails from London, England. He’s half an inch shorter than Dirrell and there’s no current record of his reach. He’s got 123 rounds under his belt since turning pro in 2009. DeGale’s KO percentage stands at 66.6 per cent. He’ll be entering the fight with a record of 20-1 along with 14 Kos. His only loss came to George Groves by way of a 12-round majority decision back in 2011. The Briton hasn’t fought the same quality of opponents as Dirrell with his toughest foes being Sebastien Demers, Fulgencio Zuniga and Brandon Gonzalez. His last outing came in December when he stopped Marco Antonio Periban.
These fighters are pretty close in size and skill as they both possess good hand speed, intelligence, and mobility. Their knockout ratios are also quite similar, but Dirrell has been in against the tougher opposition. Their power is pretty comparable and both of them own a solid chin. Dirrell does have a slight edge in experience and he’ll be fighting in his home country. Other than that, the boxer who’s most motivated for this fight could end up taking the title due to his work ethic. Since the bout’s for a vacant belt, they both need to take the initiative and let their hands go.
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Prediction
This is a real pick’em contest and there’s a good chance it will go the distance. Whoever can get off first with the cleaner, crisper shots should win the majority of rounds. Look for this to be a fairly entertaining fight between two equally fine boxers. But unless it’s scored a draw, look for Dirrell to take the belt via a close decision.
Odds
Sportsbook 5dimes.eu has the latest odds on all of the big fights. The current odds of a Dirrell victory are listed at -125 while a DeGale win is listed at +105. Visit 5Dimes.eu to see up to date odds and to bet on this fight. You should also check out our recent boxing betting predictions to see how we’ve done.
Andre Dirrell betting • James DeGale betting