Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui 2 on Jan.27

Boxingnews24.com

By Jim Dower: Interim IBF super middleweight champion Andre ‘Matrix’ Dirrell (26-2, 16 KOs) and Jose Uzcategui (26-2, 22 KOs) will be fighting a rematch on January 27 in Los Angeles, California. The Dirrell-Uzcategui rematch still isn’t official yet, but they have an agreement for the fight.

The rematch is necessary to clear up the controversy from their previous fight earlier this year on May 20. The fight ended in round 8 after Uzcategui knocked the 34-year-old Dirrell out with a shot after the bell had sounded to end the round. Uzcategui was subsequently disqualified and Dirrell was given the victory. Some boxing fans thought Dirrell was faking being hurt. Whatever the case, there’s no disputing that Dirrell was hit after the bell by Uzcategui. Dirrell was out cold on the canvas after getting hit 3 times in the final sequence by the hard hitting Uzcategui in round 8.

“Uzcategui goes on January 27 with Dirrell, in Los Angeles,” said Uzcategui’s promoter Fernando Beltrán to ESPN Deportes. ”My prediction is that once again Uzcategui will win by way of the knockout,” said Beltran.

Dirrell was losing the fight to the 26-year-old Uzcategui at the time that he was knocked out after the bell in round 8. Through the first 8 rounds, Uzcategui led by the scores 77-74, 77-75 and 76-76. Dirrell didn’t do much in the first 3 rounds. However, Dirrell started to get into the fight and control with the action from round 4. But at the end of round 8, Dirrell got cornered by Uzcategui and took some shots against the ropes. The final punch that knocked Dirrell out was a shot after the round had ended. Previous to that, Dirrell had been taking a lot of risks in the fight by backing into the corner, and looking to counter Uzcategui. Dirrell had done a good job of ducking the huge punches that Uzcategui was throwing at him each time he would go the ropes.

Eventually, Dirrell’s luck ran out with him getting caught by a big shot from Uzcategui. It was fortunate for Dirrell that the knockout occurred after the bell. In the rematch, Dirrell is going to need to stay off the ropes if he wants to win the fight. Dirrell is not going to be able to last the entire 12 rounds against the hard hitting Uzcategui if he’s going to keep backing up against the ropes.

Earlier in his career in March 2010, Dirrell was knocked unconscious in the 11th round in a fight against Arthur Abraham in the Super Six tournament. The referee gave Dirrell an 11th round disqualification win. Dirrell did the same thing in that fight as he did against Uzcategui. Dirrell backed up against the ropes against Abraham. The main difference is Dirrell slipped on the canvas, and was hit by Abraham while he was down. But it was the same situation where Dirrell went to the corner, and was knocked seemingly unconscious. Abraham thinks Dirrell faked being knocked out. A lot of boxing fans also thought Dirrell was faking as well. Never the less, the referee still gave Dirrell an 11th round disqualification win.

Dirrell will need to fight a lot better if he wants to beat Uzcategui a second time. Dirrell has got to stay out of the corner if he wants to avoid getting caught by the hard hitting Mexican fighter. Uzcategui is going to be teeing off on Dirrell, trying to get to his vulnerable chin like he did last time. It would be in Uzcategui’s best interest to stop punching when he hears the 10 second timer to signal the rounds nearing the end. If Uzcategui catches Dirrell with another shot after the bell, it could result in another problem for him.