Former champion Anthony Dirrell and Avni Yildirim will meet Saturday night for the vacant WBC middleweight title, but the two almost came to blows already once before.
Dirrell and Yildirim got heated during a final press conference ahead of their meeting from the Armory in Minneapolis as part of the Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 event. The card begins at 10 p.m. ET.
“At the end of the day, he’s getting knocked out. That’s it,” Dirrell said. “He doesn’t have what it takes. I’m just a higher level fighter than him. I’m coming to take him out.
“I’m thankful to my team for helping me get another shot at the championship. I’ve already proven everything I have to in this sport. Saturday night, I’m taking back what’s mine.”
Like Dirrell, Yildirim was also short on words, saying “I’m very happy to be here. Saturday, I’m ready to do my talking. I’m going to show everyone what happens in the ring.
“Everybody knows that I’m coming to win that world title. This is my time on Saturday night. I will leave the ring with that belt.”
Along with Dirrell vs. Yildirim, Jamal Jones tangles with Janer Gonzalez in a welterweight contest.