Anthony Dirrell and Kyrone Davis fight to split-draw in tactical boxing bout

Anthony Dirrell vs. Kyrone Davis was no mismatch and developed into a technical chess match. Dirrell looked like he won, but the judges saw a draw.

Heading into their Saturday, Feb. 27, WBC super middleweight semi-final title eliminator Anthony Dirrell was a heavy fan favorite against Kyrone Davis, but a scientific boxing bout transpired.

Dirrell (33-2-2, 24 KOs) got stopped in his last contest against David Benavidez, but he showed his physical toughness and boxing ability in defeat. The two-time WBC division champion had all the accolades against the relatively unknown Davis.

Davis (15-2-1, 6 KOs) lacked name recognition but accounted himself well in the FOX main event from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, CA. Most sport betting books had Davis as a 3-1 underdog, but he gave Dirrell a fight.

At 36 years old, Dirrell had experience on his side, but Davis had youth. Davis is 10 years younger than Dirrell, but at 5-foot-10, he gave up 4 inches against the bigger, stronger Dirrell. This was his first time competing as a super middleweight, but he looked solid for the division.

The big knock on Davis was his résumé. He came in with two losses but explained to FanSided during fight week that they came when he was unprepared and uninspired to box. He nearly retired, but his love for boxing came back.

Kyrone Davis was competitive against Anthony Dirrell and was able to make things interesting on the judges’ scorecards

Against Dirrell, Davis showed the boxing skills that made him an amateur standout. He boxed intelligently all night, but Dirrell’s experience and power appeared to win out.

But as they say, looks can be deceiving.

There was a lot of back and forth action, and Davis had his moments, but Dirrell landed a higher volume of punches with more power than Davis could muster.

Both boxers had to use defense and take calculated risks in a fight that went all 12 rounds. Dirrell looked like he won the bout, but the judges scored it 115-113 for Dirrell, 115-113 for Davis, with an even score of 114-114, making this a split-draw.

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Davis gained a lot of experience and upped his stock at the same time. His size and power are a better fit for middleweight, but the split-draw could mean he stays at super middleweight.

The winner was supposed to fight the winner of Benavidez and Ronald Ellis. The draw complicates things. Dirrell and Davis may meet in a rematch. It’s hard to predict what’s next.