Will a Loss for Kessler Kill The Super 6?

by Paul Magno

Whenever you're dealing with elite professional boxers, the best planning you can sometimes hope for is a pair of crossed fingers and a silent prayer.

The Super Six World Classic was supposed to be different.

Six top fighters in a highly competitive, but definitely non-glamor division. No HBO/Golden Boy/Top Rank politics...Just the best fighting the best until there was one elite superstar left. It was a beautiful concept and a testament to what can be accomplished when fighters want to fight and their management isn't afraid to let them.

Unfortunately, the Super Six tournament may be two fights away from falling apart and, if we really would've paid attention, the writing was on the wall all along.

As Mikkel Kessler prepares to take on Carl Froch in what promises to be a Fight of the Year candidate this Saturday, there has to be one simple question on the minds of Kessler and his team: "What if we lose?"

A loss for Kessler would mean an 0-2 mark in the tourney and almost no chance to make it into the final four. What would be the point in going on? What if there were a third loss? Kessler, who was the favorite to win it all, is facing the distinct possibility of having his career crushed.

"The Viking Warrior" has always demonstrated the same type of stiff caution outside the ring as he demonstrates inside of it. The best move, yeah, maybe even the smart move, would be to pull Kessler out and make a grab for a lesser title en route to a cushy Calzaghe-esque reign in his home country of Denmark with packed stadiums and the comfortable assurance that every other top super middleweight will be occupied with one another.

Another option for Kessler would be Lucian Bute and an attempted short cut back to the front of the 168 lb. line.

The other questionable piece of the puzzle is American, Andre Ward, but for completely different reasons.

A win against Allan Green on June 19th puts Ward up 2-0 and further cements his status as breakthrough fighter of the tournament. Things can only go downhill form there.

His next fight would be a supremely tough stylistic encounter against good friend, Andre Dirrell, but why risk it? An impressive win against Green will have HBO calling (if they haven't been ringing the phone off the hook already).

The Miranda, Kessler and Green wins will put the Olympic gold medalist in the perfect position to make some real money and HBO has the cash and a list of potential opponents, strong enough to give Ward a real push as "America's Next Big Thing."

Any way you slice it, Ward and Kessler pulling out after the second round would kill the credibility of the tournament and make it little more than a parody of what it was intended to be.

When you think about it, Andre Dirrell is no sure thing to finish the tourney, either. It's easy to envision a scenario where Dirrell, convinced of the fact that he should be 2-0, decides to explore the open market and see what's available for a flashy, yet inconsistent, Roy Jones substitute.

Froch, Abraham and Green are likely to stay in the Super 6; Froch and Green, because there's nowhere else to go...and Abraham, despite the loss to Dirrell, is still in the lead (at least until Ward fights).

Maybe all this is  just paranoia on my part...Maybe everybody stays put and completes their commitment to Showtime and the fans. But it sure would make business sense for some fighters to pack their things before the end of the tourney. And just how often does the good of the sport take precedent over a management team's personal interests?

Your Ad Here

Allegations of Dirrell Cheating Are Unwarranted

by Dafs117

Experienced writer and analyst, T.K. Stewart, has been the first to openly criticize Andre Dirrell following his disqualification victory over Arthur Abraham at the weekend, accusing Dirrell of 'mock pain and agony' as he was laid flat on the canvas following a cheap shot from Arthur Abraham in Detroit.

Stewart complains that Dirrell faked injury to claim his first victory in the Super 6 Boxing Classic so he can continue on in Showtime's 168-pound tournament.

As always, Arthur Abraham's fan club has used this to back their poorly thought-out argument on how their guy was badly treated by Michigan officials, and how he was robbed of a 32nd career victory.

Dirrell was clearly ahead at this point in the fight and looked relatively comfortable, if slightly tired, as he hopped on his motor scooter and stayed well clear of Abraham, who stalked him looking for another dramatic knockout. The momentum was hardly with Abraham, even though he should have been awarded a knockdown in the tenth.

Stewart goes on to slate referee Laurence Cole, who made the decision to disqualify Abraham after the foul. He claims that Cole "went for the bait - hook, line and sinker", which is uncalled for in my opinion. Cole's job is hard enough without writers like Stewart on his case every time he gets a big fight, constantly referring to this fight for extra credibility from casual fans.

Abraham claims that he "did not see that he was down." Is that his best response? C'mon get real. He'd been looking up at Dirrell, 6'1'' no less, who had been towering over him, 5'9'', all night, but then suddenly Dirrell was clutching Abraham's ankles. Maybe Stewart went for the bait - hook, line and sinker?

Stewart closes his article with "the boxing ring is no place for actors - especially ones as putrid as Andre Dirrell." But the only actor I saw in the ring on Saturday night was Arthur Abraham, who complained and nagged at referee Cole about non-existent low blows. Trying to buy points from officials is a form of cheating, and because he didn't have 'his' referee, frustration boiled over which ultimately led to a thundering right hand from one of the biggest punchers in boxing landing on a defenseless Dirrell.

If Dirrell was acting, he should really try to get a part in an action film, because I was sold. He was obviously not, as he still hadn't realised that he had won moments after he regained consciousness. The twitching, the disorientation; both obvious signs of concussion, was enough for the doctors to make a thorough check on Dirrell in the ring and at the hospital.

The conspiracy theories are flooding in on forums across the web, but you only need to look at other televised fights to see why there is such skepticism of Dirrell. Francisco Lorenzo's melodramatic actions against Humberto Soto is a prime example, even if the aftermath was as despicable. Lorenzo is the scapegoat here, but he and many others are partly responsible for making spectators doubt the true purity of one's actions. It's the same in other sports, not just boxing.

Was Abraham's foul malicious? Probably not, I think it was more out of frustration than anything. It was out-of-character for a guy that has been very laid-back on Fight Camp 360, without even a mention of hatred towards his competitors. His reputation has been tarnished because of one moment of madness. It was a rush of blood to the head type of thing, nothing more.

Everybody's entitled to their opinion, and I'm not trying to brainwash you into thinking that Abraham's shot was intentional, but the correct decision was made. Make up your own mind, the video is here.

Your Ad Here

Andre Dirrell Out Of Hospital

According to BoxingScene, Andre Dirrell has received the all clear from the hospital following his visit after last night's disqualification win over Arthur Abraham in Detroit.

Dirrell was knocked-out on his back when Abraham landed a brutal right foul as Dirrell slipped on a canvas logo in the eleventh round. Abraham was disqualified by referee Laurence Cole.

Rick Reeno also reports that the brain scans are negative, which is always good to hear. On our forum, people question how much impact the knockout will have on Dirrell mentally. I honestly don't think it'll have any affect on him what-so-ever. Dirrell didn't expect the blow, and will probably not be in that situation again where someone crouches over him and lands a blatant foul. I have no reason to believe that Dirrell will be at a slight disadvantage because of Abraham's cheap shout.

His next opponent is Andre Ward, who first has to defend his new WBA belt against Allan Green on June 19.

Wilfred Sauerland, Abraham's promoter, has said that he will file a protest over Dirrell's 'acting'. The protest will be pushed aside, as anyone in their right minds can see that Dirrell was not messing around on the canvas.

Your Ad Here

Arthur Abraham Disqualified Against Andre Dirrell

Detroit, Michigan - Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO) dethroned Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KO) via disqualification tonight in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, picking up two points in the process. The BTBC had Dirrell leading 97-92 after ten.

Abraham was a long way behind on the cards in the eleventh round, when Dirrell slipped for the second time on an advertisement logo, and went down with his hands out in front of him to keep him from falling on his face. Abraham saw the perfect opportunity to land a right hand that put Dirrell's lights out. Abraham was disqualified by referee Laurence Cole, losing for the first time in his professional career.

The disqualification has taken a little bit of the limelight away from something much more important; Dirrell's coming of age. He used his attributes to his advantage and learned the harsh lessons he learned from the Froch fight in Group Stage 1. Even though he got tagged often by Abraham, he annihilated the Super 6 Boxing Classic leader over ten eventful rounds.

Dirrell floored Abraham for the first time in his career in the fourth, landing a straight right on an unbalanced Abraham. Abraham was down again in the seventh, but referee Cole made the wrong call. However, Cole evened things up as he failed to award Abraham a knockdown when he put Dirrell on the canvas legitimately in the tenth.

This has made the Super Six a lot more interesting, with every fighter still with a strong case in making the semi-final spots. If Abraham would've won in Detroit tonight, he could've retired on his stool after the first round against Carl Froch and still qualified.

After the bout, Abraham irritatingly claimed that Dirrell was "acting to get the DQ", which erased any sympathy left for King Arthur. The most frustrating thing for me was that it was getting interesting too, with Abraham getting real close at times to nail Dirrell with those trademark right hands as they approached a nail-biting conclusion.

Next up for Andre Dirrell is fellow Olympian Andre Ward, who first has to tackle the obstacle that is Allan Green. Arthur Abraham will be back at home against Carl Froch, who faces Mikkel Kessler on April 17.

Your Ad Here

Abraham-Dirrell Postponed To March 27

After revealing that he's injured his back in sparring, Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) has been forced to push back his upcoming fight against Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) from March 6 to March 27.

The bout will still open the second stage of the Super 6 Boxing Classic, with Andre Ward making his first defence of his WBA belt against Allan Green and Carl Froch travelling to Denmark in his third defence of his WBC crown versus Mikkel Kessler on April 24.

Abraham leads the way in the groundbreaking tournament with a stunning twelfth-round knockout win over Jermain Taylor, who has since pulled out of the tournament. Andre Dirrell received his first defeat as he was on the wrong-end of a split decision defeat to Carl Froch, and is still searching for his first point of the tournament.

The March 6 card was clashing with HBO's World Championship Boxing broadcast of Devon Alexander's unification fight with Juan Urango for the WBC and IBF junior welterweight titles.

However, the March 27 card also clashes with another HBO broadcast which features Daniel Jacobs, Marcos Rene Maidana vs. Victor Manuel Cayo and a rematch between Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka for the vacant IBF lightweight title.

The fight will still take place at Rancho Mirage, California, also featuring Vic Darchinyan on the undercard.

This fight is an interesting clash of styles, showing how Dirrell's adapted to the Froch defeat and how Abraham controls a quicker opponent. A win for Dirrell adds another dimension to Stage 3, with possibly five fighters in the hunt for four spots.

Your Ad Here

HBO's Cheap Shot Makes Super 6 Pointless

by Dafs117

When the Super 6 Boxing Classic tournament was launched, it received the same amount of good karma as Manny Pacquiao gets for feeding the homeless in General Santos City. Boxing forums were buzzing, fans ecstatic; HBO fuming.

Angry people at the top of the HBO tower attempted to devise different strategies to work around the tournament, even build something of the same stature. But they couldn't. Showtime had outthought HBO. 1-0 Showtime.

Angered by Showtime's unique approach to the sport that had befuddled everyone at the network, there was only one answer from HBO, screw it up.

Showitme carelessly let a jewel in Lucian Bute slip out of their grasp, and HBO duly took advantage. The 'Super Seventh' as he's known to many, Bute is probably the best fighter at 168 pounds. Why isn't he in the tournament is beyond me.

Surely, letting Bute go will hardly ruin the tournament. Wrong. Bute goes on to score a stunning knockout win over Librado Andrade to climb to the top of the super middleweight ratings, live on HBO.

So HBO are squaring up with its own take on the super middleweights.

The whole point of the tournament is to find out the best in the weight class. How are they going to do that when the #1 fighter is outside of the tournament?

Recent rumours suggest that Showtime are shifting the dates of their Super 6 doubleheader involving Andre Ward’s first defence against Allan Green and Carl Froch ‘s title fight versus Mikkel Kessler, back a week to April 24.

While the exact reason has not been confirmed, it seems pretty clear that HBO’s muscle flexing counter-programme has caused the shift. HBO will be airing a split-site doubleheader, opening with Lucian Bute defending his IBF championship against Edison Miranda in Canada, finishing in Atlantic City with Kelly Pavlik defending his middleweight championship against Sergio Martinez.

I think you've cracked it by now. HBO are hyping up a Bute-Pavlik showdown for the future, erasing all hopes for Showtime to crown the new super middleweight champion in Andre Ward. To make it doubly worse, Bute-Pavlik will be for the vacant RING super middleweight belt, yes, the holy grail for any fighter in the sport today.

The winner of Bute-Pavlik will be the real deal at 168, while the tournament contestants are battling for pride and position, not for #1 spot. Cue fist pumping from Ross Greenburg.

HBO have built their battle for #1 spot the HBO way. They will build Bute-Pavlik into a major attraction and put the fight on at the same time as it gets tense in the Super 6. After the tournament has ended, HBO will bully Showtime in negotiations to win the right to broadcast the biggest fight of them all; Bute-Pavlik winner vs. Super 6 winner.

Is it only me that will find the run-up adverts about the major fight cringe-worthy? Imagine Max Kellerman rambling on about the Super 6 Tournament winner with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

I'm all for cutthroat competition between networks as fans benefit from it, but is this really competition? They're not trying to better Showtime, they're trying to demolish something that could've changed the shape of the sport. Because it's Showtime's product, it must be destroyed. I think fans should have a problem with that.

If HBO competed with Showtime by putting on rival cards that were matching up with theirs, I think I would be fine with that. That's not the case here. This is a sabotage operation to spew out any chance of Showtime success.

If they do eventually match-up the winner of Bute-Pavlik and the Super 6, what right do HBO have to broadcast the fight that's been hyped up by another network? It seems to me that HBO's goal here isn't to stay ahead of the game, but to eliminate the competition. HBO's response is not to improve it's own product, but destroy their rivals'.

Since 2007, Showtime have consistently put on better fights than HBO with a much smaller budget. This proves that HBO's marketing strategy isn't working, hasn't been working, and doesn't look like it will suddenly work.

Showtime is never going to back down. If you think this will jeopardize the chances of Showtime investing heavily in the sport, I would disagree. I think incidents like this will teach Showitme an important lesson, and ultimately, spur them on in their fierce battle with HBO. Remember, HBO can't host everything.

These broadcasters are behaving like sanctioning bodies, playing games with super champion statuses and interim farces. Again, the boxing world is reminded why the world tuned out of the sport many years ago.

Your Ad Here

Your Ad Here

Super 6 Boxing Classic Stage 2 All Set

March 6: Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham - Andre Dirrell will fight Arthur Abraham at the Rancho Mirage in California. This fight will open the second stage of the Super 6 Boxing Classic Tournament on Showtime, which Abraham tops at the moment. Could Dirrell make up for his split decision defeat to Froch?

April 17: Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler - Carl Froch will make his third defence of his WBC Super Middleweight belt against Dane Mikkel Kessler, in either the City Ground, Nottingham, or a venue in Copenhagen or Parken. The venue will be decided in the subject of a purse bid. Could Kessler get back on track or will the Cobra qualify for the semi-finals?

April 17: Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor - To finish off the live doubleheader on Showtime, Andre Ward will defend his WBA Super Middleweight belt for the first time against Jermain Taylor at Oakland. Ward suprised most by defeating Kessler in Stage 1, and should have enough in the tank for Taylor. Could Taylor roll back the years and outbox Ward?

Your Ad Here

Super Ward Tears Kessler to Shreds

Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KOs) outclassed and outfought defending WBA Super Middleweight Champ, Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs) to finally put the American portion of the Super 6 Tourney on the leader-board via Technical Decision with scores of 97-93, 98-92, 98-92 (The BTBC also had it scored 98-92).

Every round seemed similar as Ward's speed and reflexes seemed too much for the game, but stiff defending champion. Ward, fighting in his hometown of Oakland, CA, employed a distinct strategy of tying Kessler up on the inside and using his hand speed to potshot Kessler from the outside.

Kessler, on his part, never adapted and seemed a step behind the entire night.

Several headbutts occurred along the way with Ward rushing forward and Kessler slow to react and, ultimately, it was one of those butts that resulted in the fight being waved off and sent to the scorecards in the eleventh.

Up next in the tournament for Ward is a bout with Jermain Taylor, while Kessler will take on Carl Froch.

Your Ad Here

Deja Vu for Taylor as King Arthur Lays Down Marker

Arthur Abraham KO 12 Jermain Taylor

Too skilled, too accurate and too good of a puncher, Abraham, 168, Berlin, Germany, via Yerevan, Armenia, outclassed, wore-down and ultimately stopped the brave Taylor, 166.5, Little Rock, Arkansas, in the closing seconds of the final round to take the maximum 3 points in the opening group stage of the Super 6 Boxing Classic. The two former middleweight champions battled in front of a packed crowd of 15,000 at the O2 Arena, Berlin.

Taylor started lively, outpunching Abraham to take an early lead in the first round. Abraham looked a bit tentative in the opening exchanges and kept a very high guard throughout the first two rounds. In the second round, Taylor was warned countless times for low blows and Abraham took a 30 second break for a punch that landed south of the border.

Abraham, 31-0 (25 KOs), had the edge in power, and while Taylor, 28-4-1 (17 KOs) utilized his jab in rounds three and four, the American got caught by wild left hooks in close that immediately got his attention. Neither blows took any discernible toll on “Bad Intentions”, and he exchanged combinations to the head and body with Abraham as the action warmed up in the fifth round.

As the rounds wore on, Abraham began to settle into the kind of rhythm on which he has forged his reputation. His right hand collided with Taylor’s chin several times, with increased authority, and the American’s punch output decreased significantly. Taylor’s punches lacked the kind of power that Abraham was able to demonstrate.

Taylor’s chin absorbed some more left hands and right hands in the seventh round before Abraham unleashed ominous series of left hooks to his rival’s body. With his confidence sky high, Abraham began to showboat, playing with Taylor and dropping his gloves. Taylor began to retaliate with a right uppercut that landed on the inside. This level of resistance by the former Olympian was not anticipated by Abraham or his team. Their expectation was that Taylor would crumble not long past the halfway point, but the American held his ground and was still in contention after round 8.

Taylor may have outworked Abraham in previous rounds, but the quality of punches were being thrown by the German based Armenian, who landed a hard right that wobbled his opponent in the ninth round. Remarkably, Taylor finished the round on his feet, but Abraham was confident that the win was already in the bag. “King Arthur”’s strength showed in rounds ten and eleven as he landed solid combinations of punches to the head and body of Taylor who was tiring rapidly, but he withstood a sustained assault over the final couple of rounds and stayed on his feet until 15 seconds from the end, Abraham landed a crunching straight and short right hand down the pipe which completely knocked Taylor out senseless. Taylor was counted out on 2:54.

The scores at time of stoppage were 107-102, 106-102, 105-103.

Your Ad Here

Super Middleweights Make Weight

WBC Super middleweight beltholder Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch and his American challenger Andre ‘The Matrix’ Dirrell both weighed in at 167½ pounds yesterday in front of a massive crowd of 3,500 people at the famed Market Square in Nottingham, England. Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) made weight on his second attempt, having weighed in earlier in the evening at 168.4 lbs. He had up to two hours to make the official weight for the title fight, but only took 50 minutes to return to the scales at 167½.

Former IBF 160-pound titlist Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs) weighed in bang on the super middleweight division limit of 168 pounds, while his opponent, another former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs) tipped the scales at 166¼ pounds.

Froch (25-0, 20 KOs), a Nottingham native, will attempt to defend his title on home turf at the Trent FM Arena, where a sell-out crowd of about 8,000 fans is expected. The other two super middleweights will fight in front of another sell-out crowd of more than 14,000 fans at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany, Abraham's adopted hometown, on Saturday, Oct. 17.

The 12-round bout is one half of the first stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, and will be broadcasted live on Showtime.

Your Ad Here

Magno vs. The Machine (Stage 1): The Super Middleweights

by Dafs117 / Paul Magno


John Henry was a Steel Drivin’ Man

John Henry is a figure from American folklore, a symbolic representation of the modern man vs. machine debate.

According to the story, John Henry was a famously strong “steel-driver” erecting railroads with his co-workers across the mountains to the West.

When the greedy railroad boss purchased a steam-powered hammer to replace the railroad crew, John Henry issued a challenge: him vs. the machine for the jobs of his crew.

Henry ended up beating the machine, but he paid the ultimate price; His heart exploded afterwards and he collapsed on the same railroad tracks that he had just put down.

Now, Boxing Tribune editor-in-chief, Paul Magno takes up the battle as he goes toe to toe with Title Bout Championship Boxing in a 21st century boxing-related battle of man vs. machine.

In this series, both Magno and the Machine will make predictions for all the upcoming major bouts and records will be kept to see whether a modern day John Henry stands a chance against a multi-functional, mega-powered computerized opponent.

And where better to start than a double-header from the revolutionary Showtime Super 6 Boxing Classic.

Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor

Magno: Both fighters made a name for themselves eight pounds lighter in the Middleweight division and, now, both are trying to establish themselves as top dog at 168.

Despite the odds being stacked against Taylor, he still represents the best and most accomplished fighter, by far, that Abraham has ever faced.

In a lot of ways, Taylor and Abraham are similar in style and ability. Both are multi-talented boxer-punchers who are separated from 98% of the pack based solely on pure athleticism.

Taylor’s major defects have been focus and stamina, with both becoming legit liabilities as a fight progresses. Recent losses against Carl Froch and Kelly Pavlik were testaments to Taylor’s flaws as a fighter. In both fights, Taylor was solidly ahead and ended up suffering TKO losses.

But the question is whether Abraham’s defects as a fighter negate Taylor’s biggest flaws. Abraham, as talented as he is, couldn’t be described as a pressure fighter by any stretch of the imagination. He mostly fights in flurries, content to let loose for brief periods of time and steal rounds with his flashes of ability.
The questions in this fight will be whether Abraham can significantly pressure Taylor so that stamina becomes an issue later in the fight and whether Taylor’s natural ability can negate Abraham’s natural ability.

This is an evenly-matched fight that will come down to Abraham’s hometown advantage.
Taylor will make the final bell, but he’ll lose a unanimous decision: 116-112, 115-113 and 118-110.

Machine: As a bigger middleweight, Arthur Abraham should hold a slight advantage over Jermain Taylor, with a perfect physical condition in a much more favourable weight.

Fighting in his adopted country Germany, Abraham will be at an immeasurable advantage as the officiating is one of the most biased on the planet. Any close fight on the scorecards, will go Abraham’s way. Tough luck. That’s why you need to do more than just win a fight in Germany.

Abraham is seen as a pressure fighter. Not so. Just because he’s the aggressor against mediocre opposition, he rarely sustains an attack throughout the round to be styled as a pressure fighter.

The magnitude of his punches should be enough to trouble a post-prime Taylor, who still has the ghost of Kelly Pavlik tap-dancing in his mind under any kind of pressure.

Abraham has been described as one of the best finishers pound-4-pound in the sport today, in the same category as his super middleweight rival Carl Froch, for his outstanding punch accuracy and output when an opponent is hurt.

In front of the richest people in Berlin, Arthur Abraham will send a statement to the rest of the Super Middleweight fighters, with a quick stoppage victory over former Olympian Jermain Taylor.

Abraham hurts Taylor with a straight right in the early exchanges of the first round, and Taylor struggles to make it through the opening round on his feet. Abraham moves in for the stoppage in the second round, and punishes a negative Taylor who falls to the canvas under the heavy pressure from the Armenian. Taylor survives another minute, but it counts for nothing, as the referee judges that Taylor has received too much punishment and waves away the contest. Abraham is the winner by TKO in the second round.

Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell

Magno: This will be a fun match as two unorthodox talents with complete opposite skill sets and fighting philosophies do battle in a screamingly pro-Froch Trent FM Arena in Froch’s hometown of Nottingham, England.

Froch, the defending WBC Super Middleweight champ can be seen as a slow-footed pasty version of Tommy Hearns with arms down low and a desire to mix it up.

By far the more accomplished of the the two, Froch has already earned his place with wins over athletically gifted fighters Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor.

Froch’s success depends on his ability to lure Dirrell into a fight and not engage in a boxing match. He was able to do that with quick-fisted fighters like Pascal and Taylor, but Dirrell could be another story.

Andre Dirrell can be seen as the junior entrant of the Super 6 Tournament. He’s perhaps the most athletically gifted of the six, but also the least experienced.
Patterned after Roy Jones Jr., Dirrell is a speedster who, only recently, has started adding some power to his game. The question will be whether he can handle the pressure of fighting a guy like Froch in a place like Nottingham.

If the flat-footed Froch can’t lure Dirrell into a battle, he will be chasing the American all day and catching enough counters to lose rounds. Dirrell’s history suggests that, when pressed, he gets on his bike so that could mean big problems for Froch.

Despite the massive hometown advantage, Dirrell will prove to be too fast and too athletic for Froch. Dirrell wins this via split decision, 116-112, 115-113, 112-116.

Machine: The two unbeaten fighters should put on a show as their different styles will surely make a gripping fight at the Trent FM Arena. Could hometown scoring be a factor?

Froch will be defending his WBC super middleweight belt for the second time, against a switch-hitting speedster that has far superior footwork and a considerable hand speed advantage over the champion. The champion might be judged as flat footed, but makes up for it in the power stakes, as he will possess a serious threat to the untroubled Dirrell.

Dirrell is expected to be on his bike for most of the fight and his punch output should be greater than Froch, so if it goes to the scorecard, Dirrell will hold a major advantage.

Dirrell’s more eye-catching flurries are enough to win him the opening rounds on the judges’ scorecards, as he silences the Nottingham crowd. Froch takes the closer and gritty middle rounds to even it out on the scorecards. The champion edges ahead in a close 9th round, the best of the fight. Dirrell surprisingly thrives under the relentless pressure of Froch, and wins the final rounds to split the Showtime team... and the judges.

Both fighters think they have done enough to win it. Press row are all split with different opinions as the scorecards are announced. Dirrell wins a thrilling opening to the Showtime Super 6 Boxing Classic, with an extremely debatable split decision, 116-112, 115-114 to the American and 115-113 to Froch.

Current Scores: Magno 0-0 (0 KOs), Machine 0-0 (0 KOs)

Your Ad Here

There Can Only Be One (Part 2)

by Simon Garner

The “Super Six” tournament has brought together some of the best fighters at 168lb. But who will win? Who will be the surprise package? And will the belts change hands in each and every fight? There are many questions that need answering and will hopefully be resolved in the next 20 months or so.

Now we look to the contenders. So who’s battling it out? And what chance do they have of winning?


Carl Froch (Current WBC Champion): 25-0 (20KO’s): 2/1F

The joint favourite to win the “Super-Six,” the Nottingham-based fighter who claimed the WBC belt last December in a war with Jean Pascal

Pros: “The Cobra” as he’s known to his fans, is the tallest are arguably the biggest puncher of the six combatants. He has recent wins over Pascal and Taylor which is superior to the other participants. He is the only one of the six to have a win over another one of the group. He comes on strong later in fights, epitomised by his KO of Taylor. His heart and mental strength are just as good as anyone in the tournament, if not just that little bit better. Arguably in his prime at 32.

Cons: In his fight with Taylor, he was out-boxed for large parts of it and his fight with Pascal was very close. His low guard can often make him vulnerable to attacks which could be a reason to bet against him in a tournament that includes more boxers than sluggers.

Next fight: vs. Andre Dirrell (October 17) (WBC Championship)

Opinion: Froch has the ability to go far in this tournament and is one of the most proven fighters here. However, if the other guys can out-box him and stay with him in the later rounds, he could be in trouble.


Mikkel Kessler (Current WBA Champion): 41-1 (31KO’s): 9/4

The most established man at 168lb is the “Viking Warrior.” He’s also previously held the WBC belt, which he lost to Joe Calzaghe in 2007.

Pros: He’s been in the 168lb division far longer than the other fighters and has more experience. Showed a lot of fight and heart in defeat in his unification bout with Calzaghe. Has a strong job and punches in bunches. Probably the most physically gifted of the group and in his prime at 30.


Cons: Hasn’t been in the ring since October 2008 due to contractual problems and hasn’t fought a name fighter since Calzaghe and Andrade in 2007. Despite his fight with Calzaghe, he has few names on his resume and has never fought outside of Europe. In order to win this tournament, he will have to travel well.

Next fight: vs. Andre Ward (21 November) (WBA Championship).

Opinion: This will be a big step up in opposition for Kessler and it will be interesting to see how he copes. Most people are calling him the No. 1 seed but we’ll see how he fares come November.


Arthur Abraham: 30-0 (24 KO’s): 7/2

The former IBF Middleweight king is stepping up and will face his first real tests at 168lb during the super-six tournament.

Pros: Successfully defended his IBF Middleweight title on ten occasions, something no other competitor in the tournament can claim. He’s unbeaten and at 30 is still in his prime. Clearly a tough fighter, he battled with a broken jaw for the majority of his first fight with Miranda. Just moved up from middleweight so won’t struggle to make the 168lb limit. Raul Marquez claims Abraham’s speed bothered him more than Shane Mosley’s, a bold claim.

Cons: He’s by far the smallest guy in the tournament and will be giving up a height and reach advantage to his fellow competitors. Hasn’t fought many guys who are larger than him and is largely untested at the weight. Furthermore, he’s only fought outside of Europe once and most of his fights in the super-six will likely take place in the USA. His middleweight defences were not against the highest opposition and therefore, flatter and deceive.

Next fight: vs. Jermain Taylor (17 October 2009)

Opinion: Abraham is an unknown quantity, he’s opposition hasn’t pushed him and he’s barely fought at 168lb. I expect him to challenge but probably won’t take home the overall crown to the disappointment of his subjects.

In Part 3, I will complete a review of the remaining three fighters and conclude who I think will win the super-six tournament.

Your Ad Here

Does Jermain Taylor Belong in The Super 6 Tournament?

by Paul Magno

The answer to the question posed in the title of this story is No....and Yes.

For anyone who has read my writings before, you know that I'm not one to walk the fence...and I have the bitter online arguments to offer as proof.

But on this subject, there cannot be any real definitive answer; The issue is just too complex and the answers, too simple.

On a pure merit basis, Jermain Taylor does not belong in a tournament to determine the best Super Middleweight in the world. With only two fights at 168 lbs. and zero wins, he really has no right to be listed among the top six in the division, but, neither does Arthur Abraham.

The former IBF Middleweight champion from Germany, has only fought once at the Super Middleweight limit in four years. If you exclude Taylor on the basis of not belonging, Abraham must go too.

However, when putting something together on the scale of this tournament, some other factors have to be taken into consideration. Name recognition, drawing power and promotional affiliations have to enter into the selection process...It's in this area where the answer to whether Taylor belongs is a big "yes."

Showtime, the host of the tournament, primarily wants to reach their home market of US television sets. Jermain Taylor, for better or worse, easily has more name recognition among casual US fight fans than any of the other five tourney entrants.

While Robert Stieglitz, Sakio Bika and even Allan Green are more deserving of inclusion, Showtime has to pay attention to the basic responsibility and goal of putting butts in front of the TV to watch their programming.

Showtime could've included IBF Champ, Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade instead of Taylor and Abraham, but Andrade is with Golden Boy and the folks at GBP also won the purse bid on the upcoming Bute-Andrade rematch, effectively securing the bout for HBO.

So, Taylor is in and so is Abraham, another recognizable name who will bring some ratings to the battlefield.

It's only fitting that Taylor and Abraham be matched up against one another in the opening round of the Super 6 Tournament on October 17th. Aside from fighting for position in the 18-month battle for Super Middleweight supremacy, they'll literally be battling to see who really belongs there.

Discuss This Topic on The BTBC Fan Forum...Click Here

Your Ad Here

Your Ad Here