The world of boxing has been waiting to see this match ever since the Super Six tournament began in 2009. Let's put some background into it and start from the Super Six. Ward started the tournament very well, upsetting Mikkel Kessler in the first round and then beating a S6 replacement Allan Green. Andre Dirrell went to England and beat Carl Froch inside the ring, but the hometown judges didn't see it that way, so Dirrell lost a highly controversial SD. In the 2nd round, he won a somewhat controversial DQ against Abraham. The 3rd round was supposed to host a showdown between Ward and Dirrell. Considering that Dirrell had 1 home and 1 away fight, and Ward fought both rounds in his hometown (Oakland), Ward was supposed to travel to Michigan to fight Andre Dirrell, which he refused. A lot of controversy happened during the time prior to the fight and it eventually got canceled as Dirrell withdrew from the tournament due to an alleged injury. Andre Ward went on to win the tournament by winning decisions over Abraham and Froch in 2011. That was also the last time Andre Ward faced a top super-middleweight. Now, 4 years later, neither guy is in position where they once were. Dirrell successfully came back, but most recently lost his 2nd shot at world title against James DeGale in a close fight. Andre Ward didn't lose, but he didn't fight anyone of note either. He also managed to lose his WBC and Ring/Lineal titles due to inactivity and refusal to fight certain fighters. Now, This content is protected is coming back against a solid top 15-20 opponent in This content is protected on October 17th. This content is protected has defeated a very poor opponent in This content is protected at 172lbs catchweight (even then, ex-middleweight Smith was so out of shape that he came over the 172lbs limit). Now, Andre Ward is rumored to return either on Cotto-Canelo undercard or on his own event against another relatively poor opponent (Zack Dunn is among the rumored foes). Andre Dirrell has said numerous times recently that he is ready to take on Ward and that the fight has to happen and will happen. According to various sources, if Dirrell gets past his next opponent, he will be granted another title shot sometime in 2016. Could that be the long awaited showdown against Andre Ward? If Ward calls for the Dirrell fight, it might be. On the other hand, Andre Ward has spent years being either inactive or facing mediocre opposition. Let's not forget that he decided not to fight This content is protected when Bute was at his peak. Ward also turned down This content is protected and went on to face little known opponent in 2013. Recently, DeGale publicly called for the Ward fight, yet there was absolutely no response from team Ward. In the meantime, Andre Ward simply decided to keep calling out middleweights (Kelly Pavlik, Sergio Martinez, Chavez Jr and most recently Golovkin) while successfully avoiding to face This content is protected . There are numerous interviews (both old and recent) where Andre Dirrell speaks about willing to fight Ward and being confident that he beats Andre Ward. We are yet to see Ward expressing any desire to face Andre Dirrell. All the true boxing fans want to see this fight, especially those who have been tracking both guys since their arrival on the scene. Feel free to comment and give out your opinion regarding the topic.
i am a true boxing fan and i have followed both guys since they arrived and i'm so indifferent to them now based on how they've gone about their business that i don't really care. i picked ward over kessler when the whole super six thing was blowing up on here. i picked dirrell to beat froch and still think he edged it. i'm not sure what each has been thinking over the past several years. it's none of my business but it is puzzling. it would be a rather boring affair with ward taking it via wide ud or possible late stoppage if andre actually tries to engage late to close the gap on the cards.
I've wanted to see this fight for years and would still like to see it. I see Dirrell getting the better of the early stages before award takes over, getting inside and roughing Dirrell up, working the body, making Dirrell gunshy and breaking Dirrell's heart before stopping him late.
Both guys have been somewhat Cobra'd, but Andre D's reinvented himself far better than Andre W. It's a hard call. I'll go with D, though post Cobra W would never take the fight
Looks like Ward has left the division and is on the path to fight the light heavyweight champ Sergey Kovalev. It seems that we'll likely never get to see Ward/Dirrell.
Often a loss can affect certain fighters and I am not sure Dirrell recovered from the Froch loss. I seem to remember that Ward and Dirrell didnt seem happy to face each other in the others home area. Ward has not fought boxer movers so undefeated Dirrell may have caused problems, but I think Ward would have hit and held enough to upset the rhythm to win a close decision. If it were to happen today, I would favour Ward to win a wide decision now that Degale has shown the way. Ward hasnt faced a top undefeated fighter or top prime SMW. It may have been interesting once, but I dont think so now
The Super Six scandal is a mystery that only Ward and Dirrell know the truth of. Why would 2 guys who admitted were very close friends and like brothers and even picked different weight classes in the Olympics so they wouldn't have to fight. Then enter a tournament knowing it would be inevitable they have to fight? Dirrell showed have been taken to court if he couldn't show documents of a brain damage.