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The first PBC on Fox event of the new year revealed the next installment of the series.
Former two-time super middleweight titlist Anthony ‘Dog’ Dirrell will headline a Feb. 27th Fox primetime card, as he will face Kyrone ‘Shut It Down’ Davis. The scheduled bout was announced during Saturday’s edition of PBC on Fox, which saw Dirrell’s divisional rival, reigning IBF super middleweight titlist Caleb Plant (21-0, 12KOs) score a 12-round shutout of former beltholder Caleb Truax (31-5-2, 19KOs) at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
The same venue will likely house the Feb. 27 card, although such details were not confirmed at the time of the announcement.
Dirrell (33-2-1, 24KOs), 36, has not fought since a 9th round stoppage loss to David Benavidez in Sept. 2019 to end his second title reign. The defeat came just seven months after the Flint, Michigan native regained his old belt, doing so in a technical decision win over Avni Yildirim in their Feb. 2019 vacant title fight which was pre-empted due to a horrific cut over Dirrell’s left eye from an earlier headbutt.
Prior to the loss to Benavidez, Dirrell won six straight fights following a competitive but clear 12-round defeat to Badou Jack in April 2015 to end his first WBC title stay. Both title reigns ended without registering a successful title defense.
Davis (15-2, 6KOs) has not fought since a 4th round stoppage of Antonio Todd last January in Philadelphia. The win came in supporting capacity to a Fox show topped by Jeison ‘Banana’ Rosario’s upset knockout win over local hero Julian ‘J-Rock’ Williams to win the WBA/IBF/IBO junior middleweight titles. Davis and Williams were stablemates at the time, as both trained with Stephen “Breadman” Edwards. Williams split with Edwards after the loss, while Davis—a 26-year old from Wilmington, Delaware—continues to work with the sharp-minded coach.
Davis has won his last two starts though steps up well in competition versus Dirrell, who represents the first former titlist on his resume.
Also announced for the show were a pair of unbeaten young guns on the undercard. Rising junior welterweight Jesus Ramos Jr. (14-0, 13KOs)—a red-hot 20-year old prospect from Casa Grande, Arizona—and 18-year old Northern New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. (7-0, 4KOs) will appear in separate bouts.
Both enjoy relatively quick turnarounds, having fought three weeks apart last December. Ramos scored a 4th round knockout win over Naim Nelson on a Dec. 26th show in this very venue, while Mielnicki earned a six-round decision in a preliminary FS2 bout beneath a Fox Sports PPV headlined by Errol Spence’s 12-round win over Danny Garcia in his triumphant ring return on Dec. 5th in Arlington, Texas.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox