Anthony Dirrell isn’t buying into the logic that bigger is better for his next opponent.
Kyrone Davis has bulked up his middleweight frame in order to prepare for this weekend’s semifinal title elimination bout with Dirrell, a former two-time WBC super middleweight who is eager to reclaim his old crown. At first glance, it appears that the 26-year old rising contender from Wilmington, Delaware went about the weight gain the right way. His opponent, however, has a different take.
“He fat. He fat. He’s not big, he ate up to this weight. He’s fat,” Dirrell insisted during their final pre-fight press conference held Thursday afternoon. “He knows what he got himself into. He can collect this check and then go back to rapping.
“You know what I’m bringing. Collect that check and go back to rapping, man. It’s alright, maybe you can walk me out one day.”
Their bout headlines the latest edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox, airing live this Saturday (8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT) from Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The winner of the main event will be in position to enter a final eliminator later this year, which would in turn lead to a shot at the WBC super middleweight belt which Dirrell (33-2-1, 24KOs) claimed in separate title wins in 2014 and 2019.
The 36-year old from Flint, Michigan hasn’t fought since ending his second title reign in a 9th round stoppage to David Benavidez in Sept. 2019. Saturday’s bout pits him against a much younger and arguably faster foe in Davis (15-2, 6KOs) who is ten years his junior.
Still, there is no substitute for experience.
“I think he bit off a little bit more than he can chew with this fight when he accepted this one,” insists Dirrell. “I respect every man who get in that ring. But once he get in that ring with me, that shit go out the window. I’m ready to fight, I’m ready to go to the war.
“He can be quiet all day. He’ll be quiet on that canvas too. Real quiet. He says he do yoga – I’m gonna stretch him out.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox