Dirrell Vs  Yildirim…experience against historic ambition

Former WBC super middleweight champion, American Anthony Dirrell, has the chance  to rejoin the ranks of world champions when he faces  heavy handed  Avni Yildirim, for the vacant WBC super middleweight belt.

It’s the main event of Premier Boxing Champions on FOX Sports, on February 23 at The Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Tickets for the event, promoted by Warriors Boxing and TGB Promotions, are now on sale and can be purchased at http://ArmoryMN.com/  and through  Ticketmaster.com

Dirrell (32-1-1, 24 KOs) won the WBC super middleweight title by defeating former champion Sakio Bika in 2014.

It was the culmination of a long and difficult road for Dirrell, originally from Flint, Michigan, after fighting with all his might to overcome Hodgkin lymphoma. He received the official go ahead to

return to boxing after completing chemotherapy in 2008.

His reign as world champion was cut short when he  lost by majority decision to Badou Jack in 2015. Anthony has won five consecutive battles since then.

“This is an important fight for which we’ve devised, crafted and designed  a plan to perfectly execute.. I saw Yildirim lose to Chris Eubank.  I’ve kept my mind, body and soul together and remain totally  focused to be a two-time WBC champion.”

Yildirim (21-1, 12 KOs) is one of the most active contenders in the super middleweight division. The 27-year-old from Istanbul, Turkey, has fought at least four times a year since 2014. Avni wants to become the first ever Turkish fighter to win an Absolute Green and Gold belt.

The bout  against Dirrell will be the second time he fights in the United States after defeating Glen Johnson in Miami in 2015. Yildirim suffered the only defeat of his professional career against Chris Eubank, Jr. in 2017. In his last fight he won a majority decision against Lolenga Mock and comes to this fight with a streak of five consecutive victories.