Super middleweight contender Avni Yildirim and promoter Ahmet Oener met with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman on Tuesday in Mexico City in an effort to have the sanctioning organization order a rematch of Yildirim’s loss in a world title fight on Saturday night.
Yildirim lost a 10th-round technical split decision to Anthony Dirrell for the WBC’s vacant super middleweight world title in a closely contested and action-packed fight at The Armory in Minneapolis.
The fight was sent to the scorecards for a technical decision because Dirrell had been cut over his left eye by an accidental clash of heads in the seventh round and it had gotten considerably worse by the 10th round and caused the bout to be stopped.
One judge scored the fight 98-92 for Yildirim, but the other two judges had it 96-94 for Dirrell, who claimed the 168-pound belt for the second time in his career.
“My dream of becoming the first world champion from Turkey was finished but not with a clear ending,” Yildirim said in a statement. “I accept the result. I don’t ask to change the result of the fight. I please ask for WBC to support a direct rematch. I respect Dirrell and I know he wants to fight me again to show in the ring who is the best with a final and clear ending.”
The WBC said that Yildirim (21-2, 12 KOs), 27, of Turkey, had already filed an appeal and that it will consider the request based on its rules.
“I fought my best fight of life,” Yildirim said. “I go always forward and fight with heart, honor and pride. I respect WBC and the judges and referee. I am sorry that accidental head-butts happened and finished the fight before the fight was complete. I was coming on very strong and decisively won round 8 and 9 and then fight was stopped in the middle of round 10. The fight did not finish. Round 10 did not finish and I lost on the scorecards of two judges because round 10 was scored for Dirrell, but round was not finished. If I win round 10 then fight was a draw.”
Dirrell (33-1-1, 24 KOs), 34, of Flint, Michigan, said after the fight that if he continues to box — he is considering retirement — he is interested only in the biggest money fight available, which would likely be a potential unification fight with Caleb Plant or a fight with former titlist David Benavidez.