Dirrell vs Yildirim

Who won Dirrell vs Yildirim?

Anthony Dirrell beat Avni Yildirim by technical decision in their 10 round contest on Saturday, February 23rd, 2019, at Minneapolis Armory, Minnesota.

The scorecards were announced in favor of winner Anthony Dirrell.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Middleweight division, which meant the weight limit was 168 pounds (12 stone or 76.2 kg).

This contest was for the WBC super middleweight championship of the world.

Dirrell vs Yildirim stats

Back in February 2019, Anthony Dirrell stepped into the ring with a record of 32 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, 24 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Avni Yildirim made his way to the ring with a record of 21 wins, 1 loss and 0 draws, with 12 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Dirrell had an advantage in power over Yildirim, with a 75% knockout percentage compared to Yildirim's 57%.

Anthony Dirrell was the older man by 7 years, at 34 years old.

Dirrell had a height advantage of 3 inches over Yildirim. That also extended to a 4-inch reach advantage.

Both Anthony Dirrell and Avni Yildirim fought out of an orthodox stance.

Dirrell was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 12 more fights, and made his debut in 2005, 9 years and 1 month earlier than Yildirim, whose first professional fight was in 2014. He had fought 39 more professional rounds, totaling 184 compared to Yildirim's 145.

Anthony Dirrell went into the fight ranked number 1 by the WBC at super middleweight.

Avni Yildirim was ranked number 2 by the WBC in the 168lb division.

Dirrell vs Yildirim form

Dirrell had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 2 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Abraham Han on April 28, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Don Haskins Convention Center, Texas, United States.

Prior to that, he had won against Denis Douglin on November 17, 2017, by technical decision in their 6 round contest at Dort Federal Event Center, Michigan, Afghanistan.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Norbert Nemesapati on January 13, 2017, by technical knockout in the 6th round at Hialeah Park Racing & Casino, Hialeah, United States.

Before that, he had defeated Caleb Truax on April 29, 2016, by technical knockout in the 1st round at Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City.

He had won against Marco Antonio Rubio on September 6, 2015, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at American Bank Center, Corpus Christi.

Yildirim had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Lolenga Mock on September 15, 2018, by majority decision in their 12 round contest at Friedrich-Ebert-Halle, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.

Prior to that, he had been beaten by Chris Eubank Jr on October 7, 2017, by knockout in the 3rd round at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Halle, Stuttgart.

Going into that contest, he had defeated Marco Antonio Periban on May 13, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Teatro Palcco, Jalisco, Mexico.

Before that, he had beaten Aliaksandr Sushchyts on February 18, 2017, by knockout in the 1st round at Teatro Principe, Milan, Italy.

He had won against Schiller Hyppolite on November 5, 2016, by technical knockout in the 3rd round at Ballhaus Forum, Munich, Germany.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Avni Yildirim had been fighting more than Anthony Dirrell.

Going into this contest, Anthony Dirrell had last fought 9 months and 26 days ago, while Avni Yildirim's last outing had been 5 months and 8 days ago.

Dirrell's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 5 months and 17 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 8 months and 10 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

Yildirim's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 18 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 5 months and 17 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 31 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.2 rounds on average.

What time did Dirrell vs Yildirim start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST at Minneapolis Armory, Minnesota, United States, which was around 4:00 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Dirrell vs Yildirim?

Dirrell vs Yildirim was broadcast on Fox Sport 1 in the US, while the fight was broadcast in the United Kingdom by ITV Box Office.

What were the odds on Dirrell vs Yildirim?

Anthony Dirrell was a 7/50 (-710) favorite going into the contest, while Avni Yildirim made his way into the ring at 9/2 (+450) with oddsmakers.