Andre Dirrell vs Yunieski Gonzalez Preview November 5th, 2022
Former interim IBF Super Middleweight Champion Andre Dirrell of Flint, Michigan is back in action this Saturday, November 5th when he takes on Yunieski Gonzalez of Cuba. The 10-round light-heavyweight bout from Minnesota can be seen live in America on Showtime’s You Tube and Facebook channels. Gonzalez last boxed in December when he was stopped in the 10th round by Gilberto Ramirez. Dirrell last saw action in July of last year when he stopped Christopher Brooker in the third round.
Dirrell vs Gonazalez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Andre Dirrell +110
- Yunieski Gonzalez -125
My Pick
Dirrell is a former Olympic medalist as he captured a bronze in Athens, Greece back in 2004. He’s now 39 years old though and hasn’t been too active lately as this is just his seventh outing in the last seven years. The southpaw will climb into the ring with a record of 28-3 with 18 Kos. His defeats came at the hands of Carl Froch by split decision in 2009 in a shot at the WBC Super Middleweight Belt, to James DeGale by 12-round unanimous decision in May, 2015 in a shot at the vacant IBF Super Middleweight Title, and to Jose Uzcategui by eighth-round stoppage in 2018.
Dirrell stands 6-feet-2-inches tall and has a 75-inch reach and has boxed 180 rounds since turning pro back in 2005. He has decent power in his fists with a current knockout ratio of 58 per cent but is more known for his boxing skills. His biggest wins have been against the likes of Curtis Stevens, Anthony Hanshaw, Derrick Findley, Arthur Abraham, Darryl Cunningham and Derek Edwards. He also beat Arthur Abraham by an 11th-round disqualification on 2010.Since turning pro he’s also captured the interim WBO NABO Super Middleweight Crown.
The 37-year-old Gonzalez, who now fights out of Miami, Florida, enters the ring with a mark of 21-4 with 17 Kos. He stands six-feet-tall with an unlisted reach so gives up two inches in height to Dirrell. He possesses more power than his opponent thanks to a current knockout ratio of 68 per cent and that’s one of the main reasons he’s fought just 106 rounds in 25 fights since making his pro debut in 2010 following an excellent amateur career in Cuba.
Prior to losing to Gilberto Ramirez the last time out, Gonzalez’s first three losses came at the hands of former world champion Jean Pascal by 10-round unanimous decision in July, 2015, to Vyacheslav Shabranskyy by 10-round majority decision five months later and he was stopped in the third round by Oleksandr Gvozdyk in 2017 in a shot at the NABF, and WBO NABO Light Heavyweight Belts.
Gonzalez won the vacant WBA Fedelatin Title in 2020 when he stopped Alex Theran in the second round. Most of Gonzalez’s wins have been against Grade B opponents such as Tommy Karpency, Grover Young, Jackson Dos Santos, and Guillermo Romero. Each time he stepped up in class he was beaten and it’s probably accurate to say the same thing about Dirrell, so this appears to be a pretty even matchup considering their ages and the way their careers have panned out.
Prediction…
Gonzalez definitely has more power but he’s a bit of an enigma when it comes to his chin. Some nights it appears to be made of granite while on others it’s more like glass. Dirrell has decent power and has also been stopped before and his inactivity won’t help him. It’s an even matchup to me but I’m going to take Gonzalez in this one, while expecting his chin to hold out.
Gonzalez has more power and has been more active over the past couple of years.
Play: Gonzalez -125 @ BetOnline.ag
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Andre Dirrell betting • Yunieski Gonzalez betting