Flint’s Anthony Dirrell fights to draw in super middleweight title fight

Anthony Dirrell of Flint and Tyrone Davis of New Jersey battled Saturday in a super middleweight title elimination bout that decided absolutely nothing.

The fight was declared by split decision after two judges gave each fighter a 115-113 call and the third called it 114-114.

MLive-The Flint Journal and a Fox Sports analyst both scored it 116-112.

Fox analyst Lennox Lewis, a former world heavyweight champion who worked on ringside fighting, said he believed Dirrell was in control of the fight. Fox broadcaster Joe Goossen has said he believes Dirrell deserves the win.

The fight left two-time super middleweight world champion Dirrell with a 34-2-2 record which includes 24 knockouts. Davis is 15-2-1 with six knockouts.

Dirrell, 36, was fighting for the first time in 17 months. In his last fight before facing Davis, he lost his WBC super middleweight belt after being knocked out by David Benavidez on September 28, 2019.

Davis, 26, hadn’t fought since Jan. 18, 2020, when he recorded a TKO against Antonio Todd.

Dirrell paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant by wearing the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers.

He wore a purple and gold jacket in the ring with Bryant’s number 24 on the front, number 2 on the back in honor of Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, who was killed along with her father in a helicopter crash January 26, 2020.

Gianna wore number 2 for her basketball team.

Dirrell’s trunks were purple, gold, and white. They wore the numbers 24, 2 and 8. Bryant wore the No. 8 early in his career before moving on to 24.

Dirrell also wore purple gloves.

Dirrell is ranked No. 4 in the world among super middleweight.