Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
In the main event of the April 24 edition of PBC on Spike, Badou Jack (18-1-1, 12 KOs) scored an upset majority decision victory over Anthony Dirrell (27-1-1, 22 KOs) to win the WBC Super Middleweight title at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.
Jack, 31, won with scores of 116-112 and 115-113, while one judge scored it a draw.
“Nothing he did tonight frustrated me. He’s a good fighter, and I didn’t fight a perfect fight, but I got the win,” said Jack.
Indeed, the fight was close in the early rounds as Dirrell landed punches from a distance, but Jack stuck to his plan of calmly pushing forward with a high guard.
Jack’s high guard and short punches bothered Dirrell in the early rounds, but by Rounds 7 and 8 Dirrell was clearly overwhelmed.
Dirrell spent the latter part of the fight on his back foot and eating several right hands.
Jack was outmuscling Dirrell, but it was also caused by the psychological edge he gained after easily defending Dirrell’s early attempts at combination punching.
Dirrell, a 30-year-old native of Flint, Michigan, had just won the title less than a year ago against Sakio Bika, but tonight suffered his first defeat in the first defense of his title.
“He fought a great fight tonight. I want a rematch,” said Dirrell.
However, Jack, who becomes the third man in the Mayweather Promotions stable to have a world title along with Floyd Mayweather and Mickey Bey, has other plans.
“I want George Groves next,” said the native of Sweden.
