Bill Patrice Jones – The major talk around boxing circles prior to the much anticipated super six tournament was that the European fighters involved would take the glory hands down. The majority of comments flying around were heavily in favour of: Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler. Almost no one gave Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward and Jermain Taylor a chance of winning their bouts except some American pundits and those in the know when it comes to boxing. So in the aftermath of the first round of the event European fighters have a lead with two victories to one, Arthur Abraham’s coming by way of stoppage. Now before any of the aforementioned bouts are analysed I want to point out that I am not writing this article with the intention of stirring up hatred and anger between nations or between Europe and America. Bias in boxing comes in many forms and has numerous causes. I only write this article to highlight a strange case of hysteria and gross miscalculation over just how good specifically two of the fighters in the super six actually .are.
Jermain Taylor Vs Arthur Abraham
This bout is quite a bit different from the other two fights in that the American fighter involved was a very well known quantity worldwide. Unlike Dirrell and Ward, Jermain has already made his rise and fall in the sport of boxing before entering the super six. Much has been written about the career of the one time Middleweight king from Arkansas so it is important not to dwell on it. He always possessed good athleticism, decent speed and an honourable work ethic. Certainly HBO invested a tremendous amount of time and money in promoting him to the top and were not repaid in the long run. He fought his way to the top of the 160 pound division and then controversially dethroned the legendary Bernard Hopkins. One of Taylor’s best performances was certainly his rematch with Bernard. Although Hopkins gave him a lot of trouble he did enough to win the contest fairly. He settled in to an inglorious reign at the top with close decisions against smaller men and accusations of avoiding the best contenders. He fought at a consistently high level but never stamped his dominance. He was eventually finished by a crushing knockout defeat to Kelly Pavlik and made an ill fated move to the super middleweight division. He lost a rematch to Pavlik, beat a shot Jeff Lacy and then lost a terrible late stoppage to Carl Froch. He was certainly not in the right place physically or mentally to face the challenge of such a strong powerful fighter as Abraham. Arthur Abraham was always a good fighter and of all the boxers in the super six the least overrated by far. He is immensely tough, deceptively fast and carries very good power in both hands. Jermain set himself a marginal lead after about 7 rounds but he never got to Abraham. The fight remained close but Arthur grew in confidence and effectiveness. He took control in the later rounds and had a narrow but undeniable lead going into the twelfth in which he scored a stunning one punch knockout. Abraham is an intriguing and entertaining fighter who is going in the right direction while Taylor a once A lister in boxing who certainly can not compete at 168 should probably retire.
Carl Froch Vs Andre Dirrell
Carl Froch is possibly the most overrated fighter out there today, in my opinion. He possessed attributes which undoubtedly would be desired by many fighters but also has a grossly inflated perception of his own ability and standing in the sport. On the positive: Froch is entertaining (at times), does have good power and most admirably ring toughness. On the negative: he is still at best a B level fighter who thinks along with his fans that he should be competing on the grandest stage. His early career showcased his punching power and will to win but one need only look at one clip of Froch to see the traits which will let him down at elite level boxing. He holds his hands way too low, lacks fluidity in his punching, struggles to be elusive and fights with the same sort of assured arrogance which Naseem Hamed developed when things were going wrong. If Froch were to become part of a respected and esteemed fight camp somewhere in America I’m sure the improvements made to his fighting could be huge. As it stands he has shown no real improvement of ability to adapt over his last few fights. He fought a brave and gutsy fight against the decent Jean Pascal to win his WBC belt but in many people’s eyes including my own was far too poor defensively to be considered a factor against the very best. I predicted Froch to lose to Jermain Taylor on this basis. What I had underestimated was Taylor’s profound and debilitating lack of stamina and Froch’s resolve. He did pull out the dramatic last gasp win which was rightfully applauded, however at the same time he managed to lose the majority of rounds prior to the knockout and at times be out boxed too easily. Andre Dirrell the brash but skilful young Olympian was given virtually no chance by Froch’s screaming fans ahead of their clash in Nottingham. Yet people were ignoring the reality of the fight. Dirrell may have been untested as a professional but he had won bronze at the 2004 Olympics and did possess an elusive awkward style which could very well thwart much of Froch’s offence. Carl Froch showed no improvements from the Taylor fight against Dirrell and in this writer’s opinion (along with many others in a hotly disputed fight) was beaten cleanly by Andre. Although Froch pressed the action he was frustrated throughout and hit almost at will by Dirrell. Froch showed no evolution in his fighting, zero fluidity and the absolute refusal to stop looking naively for the knockout which was not coming and just adapt. He walked away with the verdict but the jury is still out over Carl Froch’s future at the top.
Mikkel Kessler Vs Andre Ward
The fact that an Olympic Gold medallist, who has strived to reach the top patiently and diligently, who has shown: skill, speed and technical prowess in the process was practically discounted in a contest against a fighter whose best victory was over Librado Andrade is truly reflective of the bias ahead of the super six tournament. By all logic Ward should certainly have been seen as Kessler’s sternest test since he fought Joe Calzaghe in a unification clash two years ago. Yes of course Mikkel Kessler is a very good fighter, however just how good he is can only be in serious doubt after the Ward fight. His level of competition in winning two versions of the super middleweight crown was never more than decent. However effective he has been doing so no can deny the fact that he boxes only in straight lines, cannot punch going backwards and can get frustrated. Against Calzaghe although the big strong Dane started well the gulf in class was soon evident, and after 12 it was ultimately a quite comprehensive victory for Calzaghe who showed himself to be head and shoulders above Mikkel. Calzaghe would go on to find a much sterner test against the 44 year old Bernard Hopkins in his next fight. So what did Kessler accomplish post Calzaghe to warrant him such a lofty standing in most people’s eyes? Three knockout wins over unknown quantities in Denmark. Anyone would have though he had beaten: Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson. The actual fight between Ward and Kessler ended up being very one sided. Kessler could not cope at all with the angles and precision of Ward who proved himself the better operator in almost every department. He established a good jab, controlled the pace and Mikkel could not match him for punch numbers, consistency or speed. The powerful belt holder was likely to be a threat but probably failed to win a single round until the stoppage on cuts. Kessler showed little humility post fight, he lamented the alleged dirty tactics of Ward, however he was most probably in deep shock over just how much Ward exposed him. Andre meanwhile by default becomes one of the favourites having realised his lifelong dream.
In conclusion the super six has been very good for boxing, generating excitement and interest. The current favourites should probably be Ward and Abraham while Froch and Kessler must rethink just how good they really are. I expect Dirrell to cause some more shocks along the way and for Froch to struggle throughout. As for Jermain Taylor, the most experienced of them all feels rather ostracized from the rest of the group. He came into the tournament from a strange place in his career and I personally would like to see him walk away from the whole thing. If he is ever to get back to the lofty heights he formerly occupied then a few confidence building outings are a must, he will find none of the kind in the super six.
Prediction: Andre Ward continues the realisation of his professional ambitions and wins the tournament.