MINNEAPOLIS – Andre Dirrell delivered an entertaining performance and a stoppage Saturday night before the 39-year-old light heavyweight leaned on the ropes and screamed a message in its immediate aftermath.
Just seconds after the former IBF interim super middleweight champion stopped courageous Cuban Yunieski Gonzalez halfway through the 10th and final round, Dirrell yelled, “Give me some f***ing fights!” Dirrell hadn’t fought in 15 months before he overcame a shaky start against the hard-hitting Gonzalez and showed that the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist still has plenty of fight left in him 17½ years after he made his pro debut.
Referee Dave Smith stopped the action 1:30 into the 10th round, with a bloodied, battered Gonzalez still standing. Dirrell’s victory was part of the David Morrell Jr.-Aidos Yerbossynuly undercard at The Armory.
Dirrell (29-3, 19 KOs), a skillful, strong southpaw from Flint, Michigan, became the third opponent to beat Gonzalez (21-5, 17 KOs) by technical knockout. Former WBC light heavyweight champ Oleksandr Gvozdyk and ex-WBO super middleweight champ Gilberto Ramirez stopped Gonzalez in previous fights.
Before Saturday night, Dirrell hadn’t boxed since he stopped Christopher Brooker in the third round of a July 2021 bout at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Gonzalez halted a lengthy layoff of his own. His last bout before Saturday night took place last December 18, when Ramirez beat him by 10th-round TKO at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Dirrell was determined to get a stoppage in the 10th and final round Saturday night. He attacked a fast-fading Gonzalez early in that round and landed enough flush punches for Smith to step between them to prevent Gonzalez from taking even more punishment.
Dirrell hammered Gonzalez, who was backed against the ropes, with power punches in the final 30 seconds of the ninth round. Gonzalez stumbled when the bell sounded to end the ninth round, which oddly caused referee Dave Smith to give him a standing eight count
Gonzalez backed Dirrell into the ropes and unloaded punches, many of which Dirrell blocked or slipped with just under a minute on the clock in the ninth round.
Dirrell clipped Gonzalez with a left uppercut just before the eighth round ended. About 45 seconds earlier, Dirrell’s right hook knocked Gonzalez off balance and moved him into the ropes.
Dirrell nailed Gonzalez with a left hand that made Gonzalez stumble 1:15 into the seventh round. Another left hand by Dirrell moved Gonzalez backward later in the seventh round.
About 45 seconds into the sixth round, Dirrell drilled Gonzalez with a right uppercut. Gonzalez came right back with a straight right that backed up Dirrell.
Dirrell’s hard left to Gonzalez’s body made Gonzalez hold him 15 seconds into the sixth round.
A left uppercut by Dirrell stunned Gonzalez and backed him into the ropes with just under 20 seconds remaining in the fifth round. He pressed forward several seconds later, though, and threw hard shots at Dirrell.
Backed against the ropes as the end of the fourth round neared, Gonzalez landed power punches in combination, but nothing that affected Dirrell. Smith warned Dirrell for hitting when he called for a break with 50 seconds to go in the fourth round.
A straight left by Dirrell backed Gonzalez into the ropes barely 1:10 into the fourth round.
Dirrell’s left knocked Gonzalez off balance with just over a minute to go in the third round. Earlier in the third round, Dirrell backed into his own corner, allowed Gonzalez to throw a barrage of power punches and mostly slipped those shots before he landed a left uppercut and missed with a hard left and right.
An aggressive caught Gonzalez with a right hook, a straight left hand and then a right-left combination, all in the final 10 seconds of the second round.
Dirrell landed a straight left hand with just under 40 seconds on the clock in the second round, but Gonzalez pressed forward. A right hand by Gonzalez backed Dirrell into the ropes and caused him to initiate a clinch 20 seconds into the second round.
Gonzalez landed a right hand that made Dirrell hold him just 1:15 into the first round. Dirrell tried to fight inside with Gonzalez soon thereafter, but he took another hard right from Gonzalez.
Later in the opening round, a cut opened underneath Dirrell’s right eye.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.