By Ted Sares – 1 Dirrell vs. Froch: October 17, 2009. Nottingham, England
Dirrell is confident, but it is my job to put him in his place and make him realise he is coming into the snake pit… –Froch
I don’t see him as faster than me. I don’t see him as quicker than me. I don’t see him as stronger than me. I think I’m gonna dominate the fight. –Dirrell
The Outcome – Expect Dirrell to start fast and give Froch angles while peppering him with jabs and flashycombos, but he will not bring anything that reallyhurts or slows down the gritty Nottinghamshire native. The highly skilled Jean Pascal slowed down after six rounds and I expect Dirrell to do the same. Heck, he has never been hit with anything even remotely resembling “The Cobra’s power. However, if Froch make the mistake of trying to box Dirrell, he could find himself in dire straits. Andre is faster and Froch is not difficult to hit..
My expectation is that Froch will close the gap by the mid to late rounds and then put some real hurt on the former Olympic bronze medalist. If he can lure him into a brawl, he will keep coming and coming until he finally catches and takes him out.
If a hardened and undefeated professional was able to spew his fatal venom on the likes of Taylor and Pascal, surely, he can do the same with an unproven Dirrell who last wonhis last outing against a guy eight inches shorter in a disgraceful mismatch.
2) Taylor vs. Abraham: October 17, 2009. Berlin, Germany
Participating in the Super Six tournament is very special. It is the best against the best. And I always wanted to fight in front of a sell-out crowd of 12,000 fans at the o2 World in Berlin. I cannot wait to get in the ring with Jermain Taylor. I will not disappoint my fans. October 17 will be a night to remember.
–Abraham
Things have been very intense and serious in camp. Everyone is working hard. There’s going to be a lot of focus on the 10th, 11th, 12th round if the fight should go that far. Those are the rounds I usually get tired. I will be prepared to make sure I have the last few rounds under control
–Taylor
The Outcome
Taylor’s best and only good chance to manifest bad intentions will come early. He is a very fast starter who can deck just about anyone early, but he has issues closing the show. Abraham should anticipate an early ambush attempt, but if he can hold him off, the fight should begin to even out around the sixth stanza. With his deceptive cunning and his rocking power, I see the Armenian beginning to break Taylor down by mixing thudding body work with equally punishing shots upstairs. As Taylor tires as is his wont, Abraham will get stronger. At this point, Taylor’s stamina will again desert him and Arthur will discover that the late stoppages at the hands of “The Ghost” and “The Cobra” have left Taylor damaged and vulnerable for a brutal closure and that’s exactly what Abraham will perpetrate around the tenth or eleventh round.
3) Kessler vs. Ward: November 21, 2009. San Francisco, California
I don’t know the word losing
–Kessler
I want to box the top boxers in the world. I know that to be the best, you have to beat the best and that’s what I plan to do
~ Andre Ward
The Outcome
On paper, this one would appear relatively easy to predict, but given Ward’s pedigree, athleticism, and speed, he could well make this a far more difficult fight for the WBA World super middleweight tile holder. Nevertheless, Kessler is the super star and Ward is the upstart challenger.
That said, expect Ward to stay on the outside with good movement content to jab and use his body shots and occasional hooks to keep Kessler at bay. If he can do this, he can win a decision. Joe Calzaghe laid out the blueprint, but Ward is no Calzaghe (not many are). And Kessler didn’t become a champion by winning easy fights. Kessler is the guy who shut down and shut out teak tough Librado Andrade, while Ward has engaged in nothing even approximating that type of opposition.
Sooner or later, I see him closing the gap as he stalks Ward from the outset using his patented one-two (Ward has never before been in such a pressure-filled fight). If the Dane is able to catch him in a corner or on the ropes (or even in the middle of the ring), he will buzz him–and if Kost and Boone can hurt Ward, Kessler will starch him the same way he did Markus Beyer.
The thing is, Kessler can knock Andre out, but Andre cannot knock Kessler out. Ward will be the runner and Kessler will be the chaser. Sooner or later, he will chase down his prey and finish matters decisively.
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