ANTHONY DIRRELL and Badou Jack clashed at a heated weigh-in Chicago on Thursday (April 23). WBC super-middleweight champion Dirrell, backed by a knot of whooping supporters, marched into Jack when the two went head to head, shoulder barging him. The two jostled before they were engulfed by a throng of animated spectators. No great damage was done and Friday’s title fight at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago goes on. The champion weighed 167.4 lbs, the challenger scaled 167.6lbs.
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At the previous day’s press conference Dirrell had declared, “I’m a better fighter now because I’m working harder. You have to work harder to stay at this level. Now everybody is gunning for you because you have what they want.”
He warned Jack, “On Friday night I just have to hope that Jack doesn’t run. I want him to stand in there with me and we’ll see who’s better. I’m going to test his chin like nobody else has.”
Jack appeared the calmer man at the weigh-in. “”His team likes to bark and talk a lot of trash but they can’t fight for him. Come Friday night it’s just going to be the two of us in the ring,” Badou said. “I don’t bark, I don’t talk trash, I let my fists do the talking.
“Opportunities like this don’t always come around and I will make sure I don’t let this one slip away.”
On the same bill Danny Jacobs, known as “The Miracle Man” for his inspiring comeback from cancer, will box Caleb Truax, 159.6lbs, for the version of the WBA middleweight title that Danny holds. Gennady Golovkin, pretty much universally regarded as the division’s supreme ruler is for the WBA a ‘Super’ champion but Jacobs, 159.4lbs, holds a ‘regular’ title.
“People love a great story. I’m extremely proud of my story and for having beat cancer, but let’s not forget about my skill set,” Jacobs said. “I’m not saying I’m going to knock him out. I’m just saying I’m going to win because that’s what I came to do. I’ll take a win however I can get it.”
Weights for the rest of the bill as follows:
Roberto Garcia, 150lbs – James Stevenson, 146 1/2lbs
Darryl Cunningham, 160 1/2lbs – Maciej Sulecki, 160 1/2lbs
Artur Szpilka, 234lbs – Ty Cobb, 247lbs
Rickey Edwards, 140lbs –Shiwone Gortman, 142lbs
Semajay Thomas, 143lbs – Jose Santiago, 143lbs
Jose Felix Quezada, 135lbs – Jamar Saunders, 133lbs
Eddie Ramirez, 142lbs – Jerome Rodriguez, 144 1/2lbs
Keith Tapia, 203lbs – Jason Smith, 203lbs
Alex Martin, 148 1/2lbs – Jonathan Garcia, 151lbs
Ramiro Carillo, 139lbs – Ramon Guevara, 135lbs
