By Cliff Rold
With the first two of three first round bouts completed, the “Super Six” has produced its first breathtaking knockout and the first result which is leaving viewers breathless in debate.
The official results give us two winners, former IBF Middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) and WBC Super Middleweight titlist Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO). Those victories give both men critical breathing room as they attempt to advance to the elimination rounds of the tournament but both will still have sizable obstacles in their path.
And for the defeated there are tantalizing questions. Did Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO), who started and finished strong against Froch, gather the critical learning experience which could make him a bigger threat down the road? Will Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO), once the undisputed Middleweight king, be threatened into retirement by repeat viewing of his latest knockout defeat?
Let’s go to the report cards, beginning with Abraham-Taylor.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Taylor B+; Abraham B/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Power – Taylor B; Abraham A/Post: B; A+
Pre-Fight: Defense – Taylor B-; Abraham B+/Post: Same
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Taylor B-; Abraham B+/Post: B; B+
This fight went about how an Abraham fight goes and that was with Taylor fighting one of his better fights in recent years. Taylor used his jab consistently, if not always effectively, and when he let the right go to the head and body, there was muscle in it. The problem was, after a solid first four rounds, Taylor couldn’t get his jab through the high guard and by the end was well behind. Abraham’s methodical willingness to wait for openings and then break his opponents down with accurate, well timed bombs began to work and he wasn’t eating much in return.
The fight will be remembered for the final right hand. It was Abraham’s most frightening finishing blow since he sent Khoren Gevor’s head on a Linda Blair swivel. However, it was not the first time Taylor was hurt. The Arkansas native deserves praise for weathering a nasty storm in the ninth and for being there for the final blow. A minute earlier in the twelfth, a short left hook had Taylor reeling. A following right increased the fog. It was guts that kept him up until the final blow struck. Unfortunately for Taylor, outside of a solid fundamental base and those guts, he just doesn’t appear to have much more too offer. More on that in a bit.
Abraham entered the weekend favored to win on Saturday and among the favored to win the tournament. He did what he was expected to do on the evening and did nothing to dispel the long term vision. Abraham is a fighter about two years overdue for opportunities like Saturday’s and gave the latest example of why the teams of Taylor, and later Kelly Pavlik, might have paid occasional lip service but never went out of their way to defend their 160 lbs. crowns versus the Armenian knockout artist.
If Abraham provided the highlight of the night, it was Froch-Dirrell which prompts the most conversation.
Grades
Pre-Fight: Speed – Froch B; Dirrell A+/Post: B-; A+
Pre-Fight: Power – Froch B+; Dirrell B-/Post: B; B
Pre-Fight: Defense – Froch C+; Dirrell B/Post: C; B
Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Froch A; Dirrell B/Post: B; B
This fight was neither thriller nor sleep inducer. It was a hot mess between two fighters whose style choice mixed like caviar and Taco Bell with more fouls and clinches than landed blows which somehow found a way to be intriguing anyways.
Let’s be clear straight away. Andre Dirrell could have, maybe should have, won this fight on the road against the U.K.’s Froch. That he did not was not the fault of a poor refereeing job of Hector Afu or the men with scorecards at ringside. Andre Dirrell gave this one away because he didn’t do what worked best for him for all twelve rounds.
In the two opening frames, and in a gutsy burst in ten and eleven, Dirrell moved his hands. He was fluid, assertive, and elusive. He had Froch rocked and looked like the total package some see him developing into. Particularly in the eleventh, Dirrell battled with a chip on his shoulder and showed resolve.
The problem was the rest of a fight this scribe ultimately scored 115-114, or five rounds to four with three even, for Froch. Had Afu not taken a point from Dirrell for holding in the 10th, it would have been a draw on this card. And, for the record, for Afu to take a point there but not for multiple Froch rabbit punches, punches on the break, or a hip toss in the fifth round, was head scratching at best.
Froch didn’t come with the best game plan. He oddly tried to jab with Dirrell early on, and missed wildly at times, before starting to do what he needed to in round three, roughing the younger man up in the clinches and landing on whatever body parts were available. Dirrell’s good footwork early became a mimic of the unwatchable Curtis Stevens affair of a few years ago.
Dirrell was almost running as the fight entered a critical stretch from round 6-9 and complained about fouls (some real, others imagined) when he should have been firing back. Dirrell landed good shots in every round but also began to occasionally lead with clinches. He was being outhustled and Froch was landing the best stuff he had all night.
It was so evident what could have been after the deduction in the tenth. In terms of intangibles, it was the difference in a low grade and what ended a solid one for Dirrell. He snapped out of it, remembered he was in a professional fight, and looked fantastic. Had Dirrell fought the same way all night, had he used his fists consistently, he might have pasted enough onto Froch to stop him with the shots he was landing. As it was, he hadn’t exacted enough of a price and in the 12th, despite a strong start, fatigued as Froch rushed to muddy, and even, the closing frame.
It wasn’t the result Dirrell wanted and yet, before this is all over, the result could well be better for him than Froch.
Looking Ahead
One of the questions this scribe has had since the “Super Six” announcement was how real Jermain Taylor’s long term entry into the tournament really was. He was a necessary component, easily the biggest American name, in staking credibility to the enterprise. However, with three brutal knockouts among four losses in his last five fights, his health must be considered. Fringe contender Allan Green (29-1, 20 KO), who like Taylor is promoted by Lou DiBella, has been all but officially named first alternate if anyone drops out.
Taylor does not have to leave of course. Taylor’s next fight is scheduled be with fellow American Andre Ward (20-0, 13 KO), who challenges WBA titlist Mikkel Kessler (42-1, 32 KO) next month in the final opening round bout of the “Super Six.” Ward is no puncher and Taylor could compete there; perhaps leave with a title if Ward upsets Kessler. Even if Kessler loses to Ward he’ll have a shot at Froch’s WBC belt in round two. Taylor could find himself in a position to unify belts two fights after this devastating result. That would mean putting his head in the way of the heavy handed Kessler though, a risky proposition at this point.
If Taylor elects to exit, even retire, Green would come into the tournament with both an advantage and disadvantage. In terms of the latter, he will not have had the luxury of attempting a win in the first round, meaning he’d have likely have to win two straight to advance to the elimination rounds. To the former, Green won’t have had to endure the heavy hands of Abraham and would presumably start with the lightest hitter in the field.
For Dirrell, this was a night he needed because it should give him the confidence of a full twelve rounds and give him tape to improve from. His stance was often too wide, a factor in his many slips to the canvas. He will see he performed better when he stood his ground and used his head and shoulders to defend while countering.
Dirrell can win with his legs against lots of fighters but he doesn’t need to and reliance on them, in closer fights, gives him cosmetic problems. The scores against him were too wide no matter the correct result, but that happens on hostile turf when the other man is pressing. A steady, countering Dirrell can give the low volume Abraham fits in the next round even if the power of Abraham tells the mind to retreat. If Dirrell learns the right lessons, he can maximize the talent he sometimes displayed Saturday and make a run at the finals of the “Super Six.”
Froch? Froch won and left looking vulnerable. His next bout comes with Kessler, a fighter who never has trouble standing his ground. Kessler’s jab and right hand will be hell on Froch’s lax defense…and then Froch is slated in round three for the murderous punching of Abraham. Froch can be happy to have left with his title Saturday night, but his competition is about to get tougher and more seasoned. The Dirrell fight might be as good as it gets from here out for the Brit.
In the end, night one of the “Super Six” was less than perfect but enough to keep anyone tuned in. Perhaps the best reminder of how exciting this all was came in the post-fight interview of Dirrell. Here was a kid coming off his first loss and there was no uncertainty; no talk of going back to the drawing board or taking time off. There was, instead, talk of what he can do against Abraham and how he can improve.
Boxing needs to get back to a time when a single loss is just a loss, something to be dusted off before the next big challenge. Dirrell’s interview was an indication of why this concept could be magic for the game.
Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com