Sakio Bika vs. Anthony Dirrell
Photo by Esther Lin/Showtime
Lou Catalano, Staff Writer
Sakio Bika has been fighting since 1974. He fought the previous generation’s best at 168, losing to Joe Calzaghe, and the current 168 king, Andre Ward. Bika is brutal to watch, and to fight. He will hit you with his fists, skull, knee, elbow, groin, stool and if that doesn’t work he’ll just do some good old fashioned wrestling.
He has never beaten an elite fighter; he’s just not good enough. But he is good enough to give those next level guys a serious run. That’s what he did last time out with Anthony Dirrell. The fight started with some solid action, but eventually devolved into something you see happening at your local bar during a UFC card. It was hideous.
It was also difficult to score, and it ended in a draw. Bika clearly wore Dirrell down as the fight went on, and that’s exactly what he’ll try to do here Saturday night. His problem is that he isn’t a huge puncher, and Dirrell can bang. He had Bika badly hurt a couple of times. A major player in this scrap might end up being the ref. If Bika is allowed to maul and hold, Dirrell will have some issues. In the end, I see Dirrell pulling out the win.
Prediction: Dirrell
Gabriel Polanco, Staff Writer
In a rematch to a horribly dirty first fight last December, Sakio Bika once again defends his WBC title against the younger Dirrell brother, Anthony. Dirrell did enough in my opinion to beat the ugly fighting Bika the first time around. Bika was being beat up pretty badly early on in their first fight and was even dropped in the fifth round by Dirrell. I feel Dirrell can come up with a game plan to isolate Bika’s dirty tactics and box him long enough to wear him down and win by a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Dirrell
Donte Brown, Owner of Donte’s Boxing Gym, Contributing Writer
I believe Anthony Dirrell will out box Sakio Bika in a very tough fight.
Bika is ALWAYS awkward with his style, but I think Dirrell will make the right adjustments and come out on top.
Prediction: Dirrell
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Their last bout ended in a split draw as both sides expressed discontent with the outcome, with Anthony Dirrell, younger brother of Andre Dirrell, being most vocal. Sakio Bika, of Contender fame, is a very unorthodox fighter.
He may have a reputation for dirty tactics, but I respect him for taking this rematch. In this fight, I look for Dirrell to be more aggressive from the start and outbox the sturdy, but stylistically aggravating Bika. It should be noted that Dirrell has decent punching power, but I have yet see Bika hurt.
Prediction: Dirrell
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
The first bout between Sakio Bika and Anthony Dirrell turned into exactly what I thought it would, Wrestlemania. Dirrell must realize that against Bika, he’s always going to be in for a rough, foul-filled night. If Dirrell is mentally prepared to deal with Bika’s shenanigans, he should be able to come out on top.
But like I said the first time around, Bika’s awkward and uncomfortable style can be too much for a lot of guys to handle, so there is always a chance that Dirrell will struggle to find his rhythm and loses an ugly decision.
Prediction: Dirrell
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