Boxing: Dirrell Brothers Put Face on Flint Water Crisis

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media. ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey — There are some things more dangerous than stepping inside a boxing ring and facing an opponent intent on knocking you out. Like, for instance, a thirsty child getting a drink of tap water from the faucet in the family’s kitchen sink. Andre and Anthony Dirrell — the former an Olympic bronze medalist, the latter a onetime world champion — were fighting for something far more important than the advancement of their own boxing careers when they appeared in co-featured bouts on Friday night at the Trump Taj Mahal, both of which were televised via Premier Boxing Champions on Spike TV. The Dirrells were fighting for the children and even unborn infants of their hometown of Flint, Michigan, who have been exposed to “extremely high” levels of lead in the city’s water supply as a result of cost-cutting measures by local officials that created a health crisis which has mushroomed into a potential national tragedy. Anthony (29-1-1, 23 KOs), the ex-WBC super middleweight titlist, is likely to find the remedy for Flint’s drinking-water problem will take much longer to effect than his conquest of Caleb Truax (26-3-2, 6 KOs), whom he floored twice in the first round of a scheduled 10-rounder. Referee Harvey Dock waved off the bout after an elapsed time of just 109 seconds, prompting the 31-year-old Dirrell to do a backflip to celebrate a victory he hopes will take him closer to another shot at a world championship. However, Dirrell’s jubilation was soon tempered by the sobering message he relayed to Spike TV viewers and to spectators in the Mark G. Etess Arena. The situation in Flint thankfully has been identified and steps finally are taken to rectify the problem, but much work and even more money is needed to complete a job that never should have been needed to undertake. “My work tonight inside the ring made a big statement for what my brother and I are doing outside of the ring,” Anthony said. “A lot of people were watching tonight, and now they know a little bit more about what’s going on with the Flint water crisis.” Andre (25-2, 16 KOs), who won his bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, basically expressed the same sentiments after his bout, although he was extended the 10-round distance in scoring a wide unanimous decision over Australia’s Blake Caparello (22-2-1, 6 KOs). Despite Dirrell’s being knocked down in the second round, all three judges had him winning by identical scores of 98-91. “Tonight, my brother and I were both able to display our talents in front of a national audience on Spike,” said Andre, the waistband of his trunks bearing the message “Support Flint.” He also noted that something more tangible than good wishes was going to be needed if Flint, a city with a shrinking population, soaring crime rate and unconscionably high poverty exacerbating its water crisis, is to survive this latest blow in a series of civic beatings dating back 30 or so years. Were it not for the Flint water crisis, the Dirrells’ main concern would be repositioning themselves as major players in the super middleweight division. Anthony, who …

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