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What is your prediction for Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell? Who will Win? Will it be a Decision? A Stoppage? You tell me! Please! I look forward to hearing some replies.
Does anyone know if Showtime is going to air this fight Live or will we have to catch a Tape Delay?
Dirrell by easy decision. He'll outbox him like Taylor did, but won't fall apart at the end.
if Froch fights like he did against Taylor, then he losses,
if the usually busier Froch comes in then I can see a good and well earned victory for Carl Froch.
I was peer pressured into taking a bet! Some guy was soooo confident Dirrell is gonna Win, he said he'd give me 150 if Froch Wins, and I only have to give him 120 if Dirrell Wins. . . I stick with my opinion on Froch Winning, but I don't like betting this high. I tried to back out and he told me, "You're fucked son." Hahaha. I was getting worried that he knew something I didn't! I'm just a fan he's a trainer and a manager! Carl Froch for the Win!
Froch is a one hit wonder. Dirrell wins.
I wouldn't go as far as to say that Froch is a one-hit wonder but he was lucky to beat a very shopworn Taylor. Very lucky. Dirrell may not hurt Froch but he is good at avoiding danger at all costs while scoring points. Froch will beat a lot of guys based on conditioning & heart but he will always have a tough time with guys with natural talent who have a shred of conditioning.
Dirrell's skills are not all that impressive. His physical attributes are.
We know how Froch handles getting whacked on the chin. No one knows how the young man will handle that in hostile territory.
This fight will reveal a lot about him.
Froch has faced Pascal and Taylor, both of whom enjoyed significant athletic advantages. He took his lumps and kept coming like a champ.
I can't be sure, but I sense some fragility in Andre. Let's see what happens when he gets hit back.
I'm going with the proven fighter.
Froch by decision that becomes clear in the late going. Mental conditioning is the difference.
I had Froch-Taylor close going into the 12 (like 6-4-1). He wasn't lucky; he steadily beat Taylor down to set up the KO. Lots of hard shots landing and they accumulated. That was on the heels of an excellent win over Pascal in a great fight. Froch is just all fighter.Originally Posted by diggity
Has Dirrell fought anybody that was "live" yet? Until he does everything is just conjecture. I'm going with Froch, I think in this match Froch drowns him in the deep water.
134
I thought Froch looked real lost against Taylor. Granted Dirrell doesn't have an ounce of the experience but I can't see his stamina being any worse and he appears to be more naturally gifted. We will see. I'm not crazy about Froch as a fighter. He is tough without a doubt & has a solid chin but I thought he did ok against Pascal but I think it was more Pascal having a bad night.
Carl Froch wins on points. Froch looked for the first time since his amateur days really nervous before the Taylor fight but he came through that, just.
I guess he will learn from that experence and put on a better perfomance against Dirrell.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/...pid32475147001
Great series of vids on the tourney.
froch looks like a hard dude to me. nothing flashy just springs and concrete. dirrel is going to be tested in this one and i feel carl will beat him.
greg
BTW doom,
thanx for posting the vids. this seems like "the contender" on steroids.
greg
I agree. Froch comes from a long line in boxing of technically very awkward guys who manage to be effective with great stamina, strength, and willpower.
I'm shocked at how many people are picking Dirrell. He hasn't even fought a top 10 guy yet, and he's looked a little shaky to me in some prior fights.
I was ringside, in the second row of the press section, when Froch beat Taylor in one of the most amazing comebacks I have ever been privileged to witness.
Taylor was schooling Froch early on with his jab and movement. Had him on the deck in the third round. The fight was all but lost for Froch. Had he not stormed back to score that amazing, amazing knockout I probably wouldn't be sitting here typing this post right now. I had given Froch only 3 rounds all night...
BUT....
Although Andre Dirrell is quicker, faster and younger than Jermain Taylor, he just doesn't have the experience nor has he faced anybody even resembling top quality opposition.
I think that will be the difference.
I see Froch coming on late again. Down on points. Horribly outboxed by the speed and movement of Dirrell. I don't see how Dirrell will be able to hold and grab over there in Nottingham. The referee won't allow it over there like they do here and that will ultimately be Dirrell's undoing.
Once Dirrell is forced to fight every minute of every round he'll come undone.
Froch is amazingly strong and he has a great punch and a cast iron jaw. I've only seen a few fighters that can take a punch like Froch. He doesn't stop coming. He doesn't stop trying. He has guts, grit, determination - whatever you want to call it. He gets through. He's a big, strong, tall super middleweight.
Pressure busts pipes - and I don't think Dirrell will be able to stand up to the pressure in Froch's hometown. Froch is strong and intimidating and he just keeps plowing forward. He reminds me of a Sherman Tank slowly crashing through the forest. He's slow and it takes him a while to get there, but the damage he does along the way takes your breath away.
So, long story short - I like Frochie by a late stoppage. He'll beat the kid up and break him down.
Andre Dirrell Takes a Second Chance at Gold
By Cliff Rold
It’s a sign of the fistic times.
In the anticipated Super Middleweight tournament dubbed the “Super Six,” which features three of the best in the U.S. versus three of the best in Europe in the opening round, none of the Americans are favored to win their opening bouts. None of the Americans are heavily favored to win the tournament in general.
27-year old 2004 U.S. Olympic Middleweight Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KO) can’t be concerned about the fighting the odds. His concern will have to be fighting 32-year old WBC titlist Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KO) on Froch’s home turf in Nottingham this Saturday night.
That’s enough to think about.
Inside the Trent FM Arena, he’ll face not just Froch but a hostile capacity crowd of approximately 10,000 and a time difference of eight hours from his Big Bear, California, training camp.
Dirrell feels ready.
“I worked harder than I ever did in any other camp. Not because of the work ethic; I always have a hard work ethic. But the altitude,” a range of between 6700 and 9000 feet at the popular mountain training area, “made everything harder and it made everything a challenge. Everything was great.”
It won’t be the first time Dirrell has traveled abroad for glory. In 2003, he competed in the Pan-Am Games in Santo Domingo and in 2004, in Greece, came up just short of the Gold to end a 231 bout amateur career. He pulled an upset with a one point quarterfinal victory over Cuba’s Yordanis Despaigne, the man who had eliminated him by the same scoring margin one year earlier at Pan-Am. He was then forced to settle for the Bronze with a semi-final defeat by what Dirrell feels was faulty scoring.
Heading into his first major title opportunity as a professional, the lack of Olympic Gold has been on Dirrell’s mind. “I vowed to not have the same feeling that I did in the Olympics when they robbed me of my medal. I’m stepping out onto the big stage again, out of the country again…I’m more prepared mentally than ever and I’m ready to get out there and get it. This is my Gold Medal opportunity and I will take advantage.”
His promoter, Gary Shaw, sees the Froch bout as not just a title opportunity but a chance for Dirrell to grow. “He’s coming in as the baby of the group in the experience category according to everybody. I think this coming Saturday will be a growing experience for Andre Dirrell. He will be in a foreign country with 10,000 people booing the (U.S.) national anthem before the bell even rings for his fight...He’ll be in a battlefield that he’s never stepped on before. He’s fought amateur around the world but this…will be a huge growing experience. And when the fight is over, should he win, which I believe he will, he will have matured in his career. Then the other fights will just come natural to him.”
With the extra maturity, Shaw anticipates what could be even more by the end of the tournament. “Whoever wins the “Super Six” will be a star but there are two fighters who could come out of it as superstars. One of them is Andre Dirrell because he has a huge personality out of the ring and he has a compelling story with his brother having cancer.”
His brother is 24-year old Anthony Dirrell (18-0, 15 KO). Anthony fought Hodgkin’s Lymphoma from 2007 to 2008 before returning to the ring. The bond between the two, and their shared dreams and goals, will be carried into the ring this weekend by Andre. Asked if watching his brother deal with such an unexpected early illness was a setback, Dirrell was reflective.
“It was a setback because it had me down at first. I saw him go through the chemo, still stay healthy, still gain weight and it made me happy. It boosted me. It gave my family insight on life; that anything can happen at any moment.”
While the tournament ties up six quality names at Super Middleweight, two of the major titles (WBO and IBF) and plenty of quality fighters are still independently at play. Andre anticipates a chance for both of them to champions in a short time. “There’s another belt out there with (IBF titlist Lucian) Bute. There’s other tough fighters out there so Anthony could still be out there making a name for himself, still be working hard. As long as I’m on my p’s and q’s, working harder than ever, I believe we both have it in us to be World Champions.”
Andre will have an extra piece of ring security over the duration of the tournament his little brother does not.
One of the interesting elements of the tournament is something boxing rarely sees. The fighters can lose and still ultimately win. With each participant guaranteed three bouts in a modified round robin, which will determine a single elimination final four, usual concerns about the market impact of navigating a fighter coming off a loss is mitigated. In boxing today, with limited TV dates, there are occasions where it can be more rewarding to keep winning against decent opposition than to lose versus better classes of foes. The “Super Six” rewards for risk first.
Both Dirrell and his promoter see this as a positive for the sport. “Basically, we’re out here to make a name for ourselves. We want to shine,” stated Dirrell. “In this tournament, we’ll be able to do that. We’ll be able to shine, to show our true talent and we’ll be in there with top opponents. If you’re a real fighter, you love a real challenge. This is a real challenge. This is something new and something we all look forward to.”
Shaw looked deeper at the ramifications of a sport which has forced many to manage towards risk, and loss, aversion. “It’s ruining boxing. It’s one of the reasons MMA (mixed martial arts) is overtaking boxing or has overtaken boxing. In MMA, a fighter can lose. Three weeks later, a month later, the fighter is fighting again and might be fighting for a World Championship. In boxing, one loss becomes devastating. In MMA, all they care is about is if the fights are exciting, that the fighters are quality fighters. Here, you can have a real exciting fight, the fighter loses, and then the fighter is punished. It causes the promoters and managers to be overly careful how they match up their fighters. This tournament, the fact that it’s not a single elimination tournament, has allowed us to be willing to put our fighters up against the best in the world fight after fight.”
There is though the first fight to consider. Prior to his April win over fellow tournament participant, and former World Middleweight champion, Jermain Taylor (27-3-1, 17 KO), there was attention paid to the fact Froch had never been knocked down. Taylor promptly sent him to his seat in round three before succumbing to the Brit in the twelfth round. What if Dirrell can get Froch in similar trouble? Can he finish what Taylor did not?
Read the Rest at: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=22870
Inside the Top Ten: Super Middleweight
By Jake Donovan/Cliff Rold
In case anyone reading has been living under a rock, something called the “Super Six” is set to begin this Saturday night. It can’t get here soon enough. While there is always rich argument to be had about just which of boxing’s seventeen weight divisions is the best, what is happening at Super Middleweight will allow it a special place in the argument…especially if the thing can hold together as intended.
In recent years, pound for pound debates have often replaced, or at least hampered, serious discussion about what really matters most of the time. Fighters fight in weight divisions and there are far more than ten excellent fighters in this wonderful game. There are serious, and fringe contenders. Enough to make up a top ten in every class, enough struggling for that first major belt, that big break, which can get them to wherever it is they are trying to go.
In that light, BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan and Cliff Rold together begin a new occasional series examining the individual divisions based on regular ratings kept here at the site. What better place to start then 168 lbs.
Let the discussion begin.
World Super Middleweight Champion: Vacant
Rold: Since Joe Calzaghe exited the division to chase dollars at Light Heavyweight, Super Middleweight has been without a clear champion. One question heading into the “Super Six” is whether the tournament can fill this slot. There are some who feel such questions archaic. Call it lineage, call it the ‘real’ champ; the shortened modern schedule makes it hard to produce the sort of fights necessary to make such declarations comfortable for all. There are even those who cling to the played out notion that an ‘undisputed’ champion must hold a certain number of belts bearing distinct brands. It doesn’t need to be the case…but a man with a belt, not in the tournament, could have a lot to say about whether the vacant sign is turned off. IBF titlist Lucian Bute, if he stays in class and continues to win, is a likely huge roadblock to a clear World champion. If he were to lose later this year to Librado Andrade, given Andrade’s decisive defeat to Kessler in 2007, then the situation clears up. I’d bet on Bute hanging around and this slot still being open when the tournament closes. Jake?
Donovan: There’s certainly a case to be made that regardless of what transpires in the Super Six, the road to Super Middleweight lineage still runs through Lucian Bute. Few will dispute that he’s no worse than the second best in the world at this weight. However, one fighter running the tables in the tournament can considerably change that. Mikkel Kessler is favored to win; five straight wins over this bunch in the next 18 months would far and away make him the best in the world in the division. Why? Because no matter how well Bute performs in next month’s rematch with Andrade, his options beyond November 28 run extremely thin. Wins over Sakio Bika, Robert Stieglitz and Karoly Balszay keep him in the mix, but will pale in comparison to what will be achieved by the winner of the Super Six. With that, can you still make the case than 1 needs to face 2 in order to crown a king when the gap is so great between the two? Simply put, Bute will need to do more than tread water beyond Andrade if he’s to legitimately stake his claim as a roadblock to super middleweight supremacy.
Read the rest at: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=22868
Carl Froch is Too Rough And Tough For Andre Dirrell
When a fighter steps up for the first time it's natural to be skeptical. Many of boxing's greatest were initially questioned by cynical fans and media because they were relatively untested heading into showdowns with more seasoned performers. That's the story surrounding Andre Dirrell as he prepares to take on Carl Froch this Saturday, in the first round of "The Super Six" World Boxing Classic, hosted by Showtime.
It's always tempting to think a man can't do something until he shows you he can, but in this case it's what I have seen that makes me think the young pug is in for a methodical and thorough beating.
The first thing Dirrell backers point out is his advantage in overall speed, which is supposed to enable him to box circles around his slower opponent. He is definitely a quick fighter, but being fast is not a skill. Skill is utilizing that speed in such a way that you "hit and don't get hit". While he is loaded with physical gifts I think he's a little light on professional know-how.
Much of what "The Matrix" does in the ring will never be found in a book of boxing basics. For instance, he has a tendency to pull straight back with his chin up in the air and he switches up stances just because he can. This man flips between orthodox and southpaw more than any fighter I have ever seen. It's his favourite defensive maneuver. The purist in me scowls. I'm not convinced there is much thought behind it. Seems more like athletic arrogance covering up some confusion or indecisiveness.
So far, so good I guess, but if you look hard enough you might be able to pick out a few instances where his chin looked a little less than sturdy. Watching him get touched up a bit, it's almost like he doesn't expect to get hit. This is the hurt business. A fighter has got to expect and accept contact, as well as pain.
Beyond the flaws I've mentioned, I think the style match-up is a difficult one. Most of Dirrell's opponents to date have been shorter guys who came to him with little power. We don't really know how he's going to handle a tall, rangy, awkward fighter who can swat.
I love it when these flashy youngsters meet up with hard asses who are sure to push them. It's how the tough questions are answered.
On Saturday night we're going to witness one man's introduction to something totally new. How will he react when he gets nailed and a crowd of 8000 are screaming for more? What's plan B, if necessary? Does he have the maturity to close the show if he has his man on the brink? And finally, can Dirrell handle not being the boss in there?
These are all questions Froch has answered. We know what he's about. If there is any give in the guy standing across from him, you can bet he'll find a way to exploit it in a violent way.
Give me Carl Froch to win by scrappy, but clear decision. I can't shake the feeling that things are going to become a little too rough for the kid.
If Andre Dirrell is going to win this fight, I think it's got to be done with a homerun swing. Given his lack of real kayo power and the veteran's durability, that appears to be a long shot, but almost anything can happen in this cruel sport.
Maybe he really does have the guts and grit to pull off the upset and just hasn't had to bite down hard yet. Either way, the truth will be revealed in the ring. Will the youngster be ground to dust by the immense pressure of the big stage, or will he thrive under the hot lights?
Last edited by prodigious1; 10-16-2009 at 12:03 PM.
I think Dirrell can win. He withstood the pressure of Miranda as a learning experience. I dont think Froch will hit him hard enough and often enough to win. He has to land to wear him down. If he can then its a different ball game, but Dirrell may be more rugged than we think. ITs a interesting fight and Im looking forward to it and the whole night.
Dirrell had trouble making weight. It was only half a pound or so, but he required two attempts, so maybe Froch wasn't utilizing pre-fight b.s. when he said earlier in the week that Andre looked drawn and gaunt. Not a good sign. PeteLeo.
Carl Froch-Andre Dirrell: The Pre-Fight Report Card
Cliff Rold
No one has won a big fight until they’ve won a big fight. Sounds all Yogi Berra right? It’s still true. For many fighters, it’s a matter of opportunity more than experience which can delay the path to riches and dreams.
For years, Carl Froch called for U.K. countryman Joe Calzaghe at 168 lbs. Calzaghe went calling elsewhere while Froch found, in Jean Pascal last December and Jermain Taylor earlier this year, the proving grounds Froch always though Joe could provide.
Andre Dirrell is in a position similar to where Froch was a year ago in terms of opportunity. He’s got a nice shiny record, visible talent, and yet awaits the test to prove a complete package. A 2004 Bronze Medal as a Middleweight Olympian says something about his skill but he’s yet to face the sort of nasty professionalism Froch will bring to scratch.
There’s always a first time.
Let’s go to the report card.
The Ledgers
Carl Froch
Age: 32
Titles: WBC Super Middleweight (2008-Present, 1 Defense
Height: 6’1
Weight: 167 lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 167.1 lbs.
Hails from: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Record: 25-0, 20 KO
Record in Championship Fights: 2-0, 1 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 3 (Robin Reid, Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor)
Vs.
Andre Dirrell
Age: 27
Title: 1st title fight
Height: 6’2
Weight: 167 ½ lbs.
Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 167.85 lbs.
Hails from: Flint, Michigan
Record: 18-0, 13 KO
Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 0
Read the Rest at: http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&id=22893
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