By Mark Vester
In his latest Nottingham Post column, Carl Froch discussed Andre Dirrell's withdrawal from the Super Six Boxing Classic. At first, Froch refused to speculate on whether Dirrell's withdrawal was legitimate or not. Dirrell withdrew last week from the Super Six with neurological complaints, claiming that Arthur Abraham's illegal right hand from their March fight was the likely cause.
"The Michigan man claims he has suffered headaches since being knocked out by Arthur Abraham. I'm not going to be drawn on whether the injury is legitimate or not because there seems to be so much speculation around it all. But it would seem many of the boxing fans out there are split on the legitimacy of it. Some claim it's genuine and some say it's not," Froch wrote.
"Some would argue that yes, it was a heavy blow sustained by an unprepared Dirrell as he lay on the canvas. But others would argue that it was a grazing punch – and that the fight could have been canceled before its original date in September."
Later on, Froch gave a hint that he some some doubts on the story by bringing up some post-Abraham comments that were made by Dirrell's promoter, Gary Shaw.
"Promoter Gary Shaw said that night after the Abraham fight that: 'He hasn't sustained concussion and his brain scans are clear.' But the point being raised by a lot of boxing analysts is that Ward and Dirrell put their friendship and careers first and decided against the match-up. If Andre (Dirrell) is injured and there is a problem, then I can only wish him a speedy recovery," Froch wrote.
