Andre Dirrell withdrawn from “Super Six” after fight with Arthur Abraham
Super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell has withdrawn from Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic due to neurological problems that could end his career, Leon Lawson Jr., Dirrell's uncle and trainer, told ESPN.com on Thursday.
Not only is Dirrell's career in jeopardy, but his medical issues are yet another blow to the fast-fading six-man tournament, which has been beset by numerous delays and has now seen half of the original field withdraw because of injuries: Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler and Jermain Taylor.
Lawson said that Dirrell's symptoms of "headaches and dizziness" began shortly after his March fight against Arthur Abraham in Group Stage 2 of the modified round-robin tournament. In that fight, Dirrell was on his way to a lopsided decision when he slipped to the canvas in the 11th round and Abraham nailed him with a flush right hand to the temple while he was down. Dirrell, who never saw the punch coming, was knocked out and declared the winner on a disqualification because of the flagrant foul.