After long layoff, Dirrell ready for Mouton at Cosmopolitan

He survived cancer. He bounced back from a motorcycle accident. So when Anthony Dirrell says he’s a blessed individual, believe it.

The 28-year-old super middleweight from Flint, Mich., returns to the ring tonight almost a year after breaking his arm and leg when a car cut him off, and he flew off his bike. Dirrell (24-0, 21 knockouts) faces Don Mouton (11-6-1, nine KOs) in an eight-round bout at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

“I feel good,” Dirrell said Thursday. “The only downfall of being off a year was watching other guys fight that I knew I could beat. But I’m back, and I’m ready to pick up where I left off.”

Dirrell has dealt with long layoffs before. In 2007, he battled non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and went 17 months between fights. Before the May 12 motorcycle accident in Michigan, Dirrell last fought in December 2011, when he stopped Renan St. Juste in the fourth round.

He doesn’t think he’ll be rusty tonight.

“I had a good camp and focused on what I needed to do,” Dirrell said. “I’ve had a few nicks in my career. But I’m like a new golf ball with all the dimples in place and uncut. I’m ready to fly long and far.”

Dirrell has sworn off motorcycles.

“It was a hobby,” he said. “When you get on, you’re not thinking you’re going to get into an accident or die. I know what happened to Diego Corrales when he was in his motorcycle accident (in 2007), and he wound up dying.

“I was very lucky, and I’m not going to take a risk like that again.”

The card took a hit Thursday when the scheduled main event was scratched after Jose Aguiniga became dehydrated in his attempt to make 130 pounds for his vacant NABF super featherweight title fight against Francisco Vargas. The main event now will be a 10-round junior welterweight bout between Antonio Orozco and Jose Reynoso.

The card will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Networks, and Dirrell’s fight remains the co-feature.

“This is an important step back for me,” he said. “Fighting on national TV after a long layoff, it’s a good opportunity to take the next step.”

The first bell for the eight-bout card is set for 7 p.m. The telecast begins at 8.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.