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DeGale-Dirrell lands in Boston, May 23

James DeGale and Andre Dirrell now have a site set for their bout, where they'll both be meeting in Boston to fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight title.

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Wil Esco is an assistant editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2014.

Fights in Boston come few and far between, and I'm not quite sure why. It's a huge sports hub where most people love action in all forms so I'd think it would be more of a staple in the boxing business...but it isn't for whatever reason. I mentioned in a previous article that Andre Dirrell wasn't keen on making a trip across the pond to fight DeGale in the U.K., after his controversial loss to Carl Froch, and now it's being reported that Boston has been selected as the U.S. location for the title fight on May 23rd. The actual venue hasn't been named yet but I'd have to believe it will be held at the TD Garden.

"Finally it's here," said DeGale, when interviewed by Sky Sports News in the UK. "Andre Dirrell is a very good opponent. He's a tall tricky southpaw, like me, and while a lot of people say our styles will clash - I think they'll gel.

"We're both young, hungry and ambitious so it's going to be a hard fight, but one that I'm very confident of winning."

This should shape up to be an interesting title fight between two skilled opponents. I'm leaning towards Dirrell in this one because he's immensely talented, but that pick is highly dependent on him actually keeping it together and focused. DeGale is clearly no slouch himself. Who do you favor in this match-up?

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