Anthony Dirrell vs Marco Antonio Rubio Preview September 6th
Former WBC Super Middleweight Champion Anthony Dirrell of the U.S. steps back into the ring on Sunday, September 6th when he takes on Mexican veteran Marco Antonio Rubio at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi. Dirrell suffered the first loss of his pro career the last time out when he was beaten by a majority decision by Badou Jack in April. This bout is part of the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series and can be seen live Sunday afternoon on CBS. Fans in Britain can tune in and see the 10 rounds of action on Sky Sports.
Dirrell vs Rubio Betting Odds
Here are the winner odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Marco Antonio Rubio +600
- Anthony Dirrell -900
My Pick
The 30-year-old Dirrell will enter the ring with a fine record of 27-1-1 along with 22 Kos while the 35-year-old Rubio is 59-7-1 with 51 Kos. Rubio also lost his last time out as he was stopped by in the second round by middleweight king Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan last October. Before that loss, Rubio was enjoying a six-fight winning streak. He’s still 15-2 in his last 17 outings since 2009, but always seems to fall short when facing elite opposition as he was also outpointed by Julio Cesar Chavez Jr as well recently. Dirrell is a good boxer, but not really in the upper echelon at the moment. However, Rubio did manage to beat current middleweight belt holder David Lemieux of Canada last year via a seventh-round stoppage.
Rubio will give Dirrell a tough fight, much like Sakio Bika did on two occasions. Dirrell fought to a draw with Bika in their first meeting and then took Bika’s WBC crown via unanimous decision the next time out last August. Dirrell is just over 6-feet-2-inches tall and has a 74.5-inch reach. He may not be the most well-known boxer out there as he’s mainly fought against Grade B opponents. However, he’s beaten everybody who has stood in front of him other than Jack and has an impressive knockout rate of 76 per cent.
Dirrell was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma back in 2007 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments for close to two years before fighting again. He turned pro back in 2005 and has met the likes of Bika, Anthony Hanshaw and Jack. Other than that really, there aren’t too many opponents anybody is going to recognize in the 107 rounds he’s fought. Rubio stands just over 5-feet-10-inches tall and possesses a 70-inch reach, which puts him at a disadvantage in both the height and reach departments. However, he matches Dirrell in power as he also has a 76 per cent knockout ratio. Rubio’s has been a pro since 2000 and has 319 rounds under his belt.
Rubio has been beaten seven times by the likes of Golovkin, Kelly Pavlik, Zaurbek Baysangurov, Kassim Ouma, Kofi Jantuah, Saul Roman, and Julio Cesar Chavez and Pavlik, Jantuah, and Roman all stopped him. Dirrell, of Flint, Michigan, may not be known as a hard hitter, but his power is underrated. And when that’d factored in with Rubio’s questionable chin, we could see a knockdown or two along the way.
Prediction……
Again, we have another tough fight to call. Rubio likes to mix up his attack and be the aggressor while Dirrell probably has the better boxing skills overall. They both have good power and up to now Dirrell has shown he’s got a good chin. Some fans were disappointed with Rubio in his fight against Golovkin as they feel he perhaps could have continued. This could go either way, but Dirrell may be more motivated at this point in his career and should take the bout by decision. A late stoppage is possible if he gets Rubio in trouble.
A Rubio win wouldn’t be a surprise at all though and he’s probably worth backing as the underdog if you’re willing to take a chance.
Play: Rubio +600 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Anthony Dirrell betting • Marco Antonio Rubio betting