Anthony ‘The Dog’ Dirrell 33-2-2 (24) and Kyrone ‘Shut It Down’ Davis 15-2-1 (6) both firmly believe they won their fight that was ruled a draw at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night.
It was a tactical clash of styles with Dirrell throwing the more accurate shots but Davis being busier. According to CompuBox, former WBC super middleweight champion Dirrell, 36, landed 37% of his punches to 27% for Davis. The 26-year-old Davis threw 521 shots to 435 for Dirrell but was outlanded 139 to 161.
Judge Patrick Russell scored it 115-113 for Dirrell, judge Lou Moret saw it 115-113 for Davis and Judge Zachary Young had it 114-114 even.
“I thought I won the fight. I pushed the fight, hit him with cleaner punches,” said Dirrell, who was coming off a ninth-round knockout loss to David Benavidez in September 2019. “He hit gloves a lot. I knew it was going to be a draw—as soon as they said it was going to be a split decision.
“I can’t control what the judges do and I respect them all because they have different perspectives and angles on what is happening. I was pressing the fight, I wasn’t tired at all. My jab was working. But I can’t stop what the judges think.
“Davis fought well. He did what he was supposed to, came in with a good game plan. He was boxing, he normally doesn’t do that. But we pressed the action.”
Dirrell wants a shot at a world title sooner rather than later and has nominated WBC champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 55-1-2 (37) and IBF counterpart Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant 21-0 (12) as his primary targets.
“I’m looking for a title. I’m not looking for just another fight. I’m looking for a big fight. That’s the plan,” Dirrell said. “I’ll take whoever has a belt, whoever we can get. I’ll take a Canelo, or a Caleb Plant.”
Davis was taking a big step up in class to face Dirrell. The most notable victory of his career had come against Marcos Hernandez in 2017 who was undefeated at the time.
In the early rounds against Dirrell, Davis seemed a bit hesitant but settled in as the fight rolled on to the middle rounds. He pressed the action at times, but it wasn’t enough to convince two of the judges to give him the decision.
“I thought I won the fight, 116-112. It was a great opportunity. They doubted me. They told me he was going to knock me out. This was supposed to be a showcase for him but it wasn’t,” Davis said.
“My body felt well. I felt good. Anthony Dirrell is a two-time world champion. I really wanted to make a statement. A draw is not as bad as a loss but I really don’t like breaking even.
“It was my first 12-rounder so it was a little unfamiliar for me. I knew he was experienced, but I kept my composure and pushed through it. I stuck to the game plan that (trainer) Stephen ‘Breadman’ Edwards gave me.”