Super middleweight contender Anthony Dirrell halts Hanshaw in San Antonio; calls for clash with WBC champion Sakio Bika

Anthony Dirrell in Las Vegas this past May prior to his victory over Don Mouton (Photo: Chris Robinson – www.HustleBoss.com)

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By Chris Robinson

Earlier tonight, inside of the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, super middleweight contender Anthony Dirrell pushed forward with his latest comeback as he stopped former amateur star Anthony Hanshaw in a Showtime Extreme-televised attraction.

Dirrell’s superior punching power came through in the third round, as he hammered Hanshaw along the ropes, forcing both a knockdown and a referee’s stoppage.

Dirrell sees his record climb to 25-0 with 21 knockouts after his second victory in less than three months. On May 3rd in Las Vegas, Dirrell won a hard-fought eight-round decision over Don Mouton inside of the Cosmopolitan Resort.

“It felt good,” Dirrell said when asked of his stoppage of Hanshaw. “I knew right when I got to camp that I felt good. When I first got back I told my coach ‘I feel different.’ Of course, I should feel different.

“I got all the rust off in my first fight, fighting Don Mouton,” Dirrell continued. “I moved on to this fight and I had to do it quick, so that I wouldn’t sit out as long and I did that.”

Prior to defeating Mouton, Dirrell had been inactive for nearly a year and a half following a disastrous motorcycle accident that left him in the hospital.

Before the accident, Dirrell was being looked at as one of the true contenders at 168 pounds and he again has visions of a championship, setting his sights on newly-crowned WBC champion Sakio Bika.

“I want Bika,” Dirrell said sharply. “I want that WBC belt. I want the green monster.”

Bika is coming off of a grueling slugfest with Mexico’s Marco Antonio Periban last month but Dirrell was far from impressed with his effort.

“He won the fight, that’s all that matters,” said Dirrell. “I’m going to whoop him though. He’s a basic fighter. He looks for one punch.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com

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