Saturday, February 27 on FOX PBC Fight Night & on FOX Deportes Beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Los Angeles (February 19, 2021) – Two-time super middleweight world champion Anthony “The Dog” Dirrell and Kyrone “Shut It Down” Davis previewed their WBC Super Middleweight World title eliminator on a media conference call Wednesday before they headline FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes, Saturday, February 27 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.
The show features two of the most sensational teenage boxers in the sport as 19-year-old welterweight rising star Jesus Ramos battles Jesus Bojorquez in a 10-round co-feature and 18-year-old exciting prospect Vito Mielnicki, Jr. squares off against Noe Lopez in an eight-round welterweight match to open the broadcast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The event is promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.
Here is what the conference call participants had to say Wednesday:
ANTHONY DIRRELL
“Training camp has been going good. I’ve been in camp probably three months. I think this is the longest camp I’ve been in. Weight is not an issue, it’s coming down fairly easy. I’m just ready to go. I thought I was fighting earlier, it got postponed and I’m fine with that. The extra time has given me more time to practice my craft and showcase it on Saturday, February 27.
“I think Davis bit off more than he can chew. He’s good but I’m in a different bracket. There’s levels to this. I’m going to go in there and display my experience, what I can do and just get him out of there.
“I honestly thought I was winning the David Benavidez fight until I got cut. But that’s water under the bridge. The fight happened how it was supposed to happen. He’s a true champion. Unfortunately, I got cut and I couldn’t continue to fight. But they know it was a competitive fight until then, I was basically boxing him. You have to learn how to bounce back from your losses. Right now, I’m focused on Kyrone Davis because you can’t overlook anyone in boxing. I’ve been in camp too long and I’m missing my family. I want to get to see them quickly.
“I feel good at 36-years-old. I feel strong. I know everyone says this is one of my better camps but it has been. I feel we were able to do more to get ready. We had time to do a lot more to slowly build to where we want to be. I feel tremendous. I’m literally ready to fight right now. I’m knocking his a– out.”
KYRONE DAVIS
“I’m feeling confident. I’ve been training since August, just trying to stay active because of the pandemic. I’m just walking into my moment and my destiny.
“I’ve learned a lot under Stephen “Breadman” Edwards. He’s been a role model and a great teacher.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve been boxing since I was eight-years old. I’ve had trials and tribulations, just working hard and staying focused no matter what happened in my life. I feel like this is my moment. I’ve always dreamed of this kind of opportunity. I’m confident and I believe I’m going to be victorious.
“This is an ultimate challenge. Dirrell is a two-time world champion, he has a lot of pedigree, a lot of experience. But every dog has its day and I plan on capturing my moment. I’m not worried about what he has done. What he has done makes this moment bigger and I’m just thankful for this opportunity.
“I can’t say the game plan but I’m bringing tenacity. It’s going to be a great fight. I think he’s going to bring it. I think he knows what this means. I feel my edge is youth and I feel I’m going to be the better man that night.
“I’m a lot bigger than people think that I am or expect me to be. I think people are going to be surprised when they see me in the ring, the way I look. My sparring partners are bigger but I always spar with bigger guys. I’m eating a little bit more and I feel comfortable. It’s a weight class jump but it’s nothing crazy. I feel like I’m going to be in good shape.
“David Benavidez is a good fighter and he was coming in against Dirrell with the momentum. I feel like Dirrell couldn’t handle what Benavidez was bringing to him. I think he fought well. I don’t know if the eye had something to do with it, I don’t know if he could see or what. I just think Benavidez looked like the hungrier fighter.
“Dirrell can say what he wants to say. A lot of people have a lot of feelings about this fight. I’m not getting wrapped up into what anybody says. We’ve got to fight.
“I’m absolutely motivated. This is something I’ve always dreamed of. The moment is bigger so I have to rise to the occasion. That makes good fighters great and that’s what I expect to do.
“Sometimes you look for the knockout and you don’t get it, sometimes you look for it and get caught. I don’t expect Dirrell to say anything less than wanting a knockout and look impressive. So do I. I’m going to adjust to what he’s doing, he’s going to try to adjust to what I’m doing and we’ll see how it goes. Whatever fight it’s going to be, I’m going to be ready for it.
“I have high aspirations. I want to be world champion. I’m just trying to walk into my own footsteps, I’m not worried about what anyone else is doing. I’m just trying to put respect on my name and I’m ready to prove that.
“I’m going to keep my eyes on him. We’re going to work, see what opens up and see what we can land. There are a lot of layers to this fight so we’ll see what happens. We’ve got a game plan. We’ll stay composed and do what we have to do. This is my defining moment. This is a big fight. I’m not taking anything for granted. A win will put me where I need to be.”
“This will definitely boost me. Dirrell has done some good things in the sport so a win over him, definitely puts me on people’s radar. People are writing me off. I win this fight, you’ve got to look at me different. I’m looking to seize this opportunity.
“I’m excited to try this new body out at a new weight and see what we can do. I could still make 160 but we’ll see what happens and what opportunities are there. I feel great right now. My energy level, my moves, just overall, it’s just a different feeling. Even though I’ve cut at 154 and 160, I had to make that weight. I’m still making 168 so I’m not as small as you think I am. I’m dedicated and I know how to manipulate my body to make it do what I need to do. But fighting at 168 is like a weight off my shoulders. I’m excited. I’m looking forward to February 27.
“Every fighter has their weaknesses. Without giving anything away, I’m just going to try and exploit them. I’m young, more talented than people probably give me credit for. We’re going to see.”
TOM BROWN, President of TGB Promotions
“Thank you for joining us on this call today. I said a few weeks ago on the Caleb Plant-Caleb Truax call that the 168-pound division is quickly becoming one of the hottest divisions in the sport. Boxing fans say that the older fighter should pass the torch to the younger fighter, the changing of the guard. Anthony Dirrell isn’t quite ready for that to happen yet. He’s had a tremendous camp and he feels great going into this fight. He holds the edge in terms of experience and quality of opposition. He’s already made his mark on the sport of boxing as a two-time champion.
“Davis, on the other hand, is the younger fighter. He was a decorated amateur standout, a 2012 Olympic alternate and he believes this is his time to shine. So I believe we have all the ingredients to just a terrific fight. I’m really looking forward to it.”
