Photo by: Tom Casino / SHOWTME – By Ted Sares:
Prediction
I expect Dirrell to start fast and give Froch angles while peppering him with jabs and combos, but not anything that will really hurt or slow the gritty Nottinghamshire native down. The highly skilled Pascal slowed down after 6 rounds and I expect Dirrell to do the same, because 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 will be 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.
After all, if a hardened 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.
Outcome
After 12 ugly rounds, I had it 115-114 for Froch, who officially won the split decision in a foul-filled fight featuring a hunter and runner. This runner, however, used effective counterpunching and slick ring movement to keep things close. While Froch thre Dirrell to the canvas, hit on the break, hit behind Dirrell’s head, and even backhanded him, Dirrell’s holding tactics (for which he was deducted a point) kept him (Dirrell) from harm’s way.
Though it appeared the American was tiring toward the end (several times he hit the canvas evidencing that his legs were somewhat unsteady), he still fought extremely well for a boxer who has never seen a twelfth round. Unfortunately for him, his counter lefts were met by Froch’s constant pressure and hard shots in close–and that’s what won it for the gritty Englishman.
Froch was never able to lure the youngster into a brawl and thereby close the gap. Yet, he did just enough to win a tough fight. As for Andre Dirrell, one thing is certain; he no longer is unproven and likely can hang with the best.