Photo credit: Sumio Yamada – By Paul Strauss: There’s no argument to be made against King Arthur’s KO win over Taylor Sat. night in Berlin, Germany. He proved he has power, and he even overcame threats to the family jewels.
The bottom line though, his style is ugly, and Froch’s style is even worse. They both fight ugly. Abraham moves more like a muscle bound wrestler, than a classy fighter. If he didn’t have the big punch, it’s doubtful he could outbox anyone in the contender class. Watching his style stirs up a desire to have his opponent teach him a lesson, to step inside his wide shots, and clean his clock.
Froch had to use dirty tactics to stay in his fight with Dirrell. He would make wild running rushes at Dirrell, only to look foolish while swinging at air. When it was obvious he didn’t have the skill to beat Dirrell, he resorted to dirty tactics.
Froch repeatedly hit behind Dirrell’s head. He used the heel of his glove to push Dirrell’s head back, and then tried to land an inside uppercut. He elbowed Dirrell. He held and hit. He hit after the break, and he continuously grabbed Dirrell behind the neck and pushed his head down, so much so sometimes that he forced Dirrell to the canvas. He also pushed him down with a backhand maneuver.
The referee chose not to penalize him, but he did take a point away from Dirrell for holding? The point deduction might have been warranted under different circumstances, but not Saturday night when Froch was attempting to pull off just about every dirty tactic possible.
In the post-fight interview, Froch justified his tactics by saying Dirrell wouldn’t stand and fight? Well, if that’s his idea concerning the science of boxing, then maybe he should go to the neighborhood pub where there are no rules and pick a fight with the local dumbass and enjoy himself.
On the other hand, the third European Mikkel Kessler is another story. He is dangerous, just as Abraham and Froch, but he is also skilled and fun to watch. His fight next month with Andre Ward might display the most skill of the entire tournament. The winner of that one might just win it all.
CORRECTION: In a previous article, I mistakenly said Dirrell earned 1 pt last night. That is incorrect. Points are awarded as follows: 3 pts for KO, 2 pts for a win, and 1 pt. for a draw. Sorry for the confusion.