Super Six : What we learned so far and round 2

So, what have we learned so far about the fighters involved in the Super6 and how do you see how the second round will go

Jermaine Taylor vs Andre Ward

Jermaine Taylor : Poor Jermaine, had his usual good start vs Abraham, and while losing the fight, was very competetive before his now usual last second ktfo. I heard some guy's say that Jermaine posted on his twitter that he will continue the tournament. Luckily for him, he's going out against who is maybe the lightest puncher of the bunch in Ward. Unluckily for him, Ward may just be the best fighter of the bunch. Will need to shake his confindence issue if he wants to stay revelant in the tourney.

Verdict after the 1st round : Loser, while very few picked him to win the whole thing and that he was a solid underdog vs Abraham, the brutal ko he received will be very very hard to handle to his already shacky confindence

Andre Ward : As I had made no official prediction, I could play the ''I knew it all along'' card but that just wasn't the case. While I thought Kessler was a bit overrated and showed a bit of softness in his loss vs Calzaghe, I never expected to lose so badly to Ward, in fact, I had him the favorite to win the tourney. Boy was I wrong. Ward, who I had alway's find talented but too sloppy and fragile, really upped his game and showed Mr. Kessler a thing or two about boxing. Shame that he punches with the authority of teenage girl because he could just be boxing next big thing

Verdict after the 1st round : The biggest winner by quite a margin. Went from untested prospect ( some even said hype job ) to battle tested champion and from being a dark hose to win the tourney to quite possibly the favorite

Outcome : With Taylor unravelling faster than a overaged stripper on meth, the safe pick would be Ward by convincing UD or late tko. And with Taylor non existant inside game, Ward sneaky uppercuts should work juuuuuust fine for him. But Taylor, while on a bad streak, is a very talented fighter himself who punche quite a bit harder than Ward and is just as fast imo. The thinking here is that Taylor gives as good as he takes in the early going. The difference will be that while Ward is as relaxed as you can be in a ring, Taylor, while possesing far more experience, is still very stiff. This will translate into another late fight draught for Taylor wich will enable Ward to take a clear but competetive UD

 

Kessler can still win the tournament. You don't lose the tournament 1 fight in.

 

Mikkel Kessler vs Carl Froch

Carl Froch : His fight vs Dirrell was the classic boxer vs puncher that dreams are made off. The kind of dreams that makes you wake up at 4am, all sweaty and anxious, unable to get back to sleep when you have an important job meeting in the morning. When Froch, ( who while a solid puncher, is a far cry from a Mike Tyson ) has to base his strategy on being the puncher, you know it's gonna be a long night for him. He did his best to turn the fight into an MMA match wich gave him just enough point with the judges to squeak out a decision in a fight that really could have gone either way. But while unimpressive, she howed once again what his is biggest attribute, a will to win so strong, that you'll basically have to put him on a strecher for him to stop trying.

Verdict after the first round : Neither winner nor loser. Coming in, we all knew his strenghts and his many weaknesses, and while his weaknesses were more highlighted in his fight , he still did enough to keep his title vs an ultra quick, undefeated opponent.

Mikkel Kessler : WIth only one loss and the best resume by quite a bit, he was seen by many as the clear cut favorite to take the whole tourney and not many knowledgeable fans gave Ward much of a chance to upset him. He did and quite easilly to boot. Showed that his unability to adjust and robotic posture, wich led to his first loss to Calzhaghe, WEREN'T things of the past. While he posses sharp punches, good timing and crisp combinations, it seems he's clueless once you disrupt his rythm.

Verdict after the first rouind : Without a doubt the biggest loser. Was tooled by a fighter most thought wasn't in his class and seemed beefudled because Ward didn't stay at the end of his jab just like he was vs Calzaghe. Claiming to his corner he couldn't see because of a cut that didn't seemed too bad will fuel the talk about his hearth and fighting spirit. Plus, his bitter post fight speech, where he blamed everyone but himself for the loss, won't gain him many fans

Outcome : Both men are probably very happy facing a more orthodox, less slick opponenet wich will able them to better highlight their strenght. Both posses a very good jab, but Froch, while my personnal favorite in the tourney, is quite a bit wider and slower than the viking warrior. This should able Kessler to find his rythm, wich made him to cruise at the top of the division and near the p4p list a couple of years ago. Froch, on his side, should try to disrupt Kessler with his jab, like he did to Pascall, and hope he is stronger than him so he can handle him on the inside. And while I think he can do both, I see Kessler winning a tough figt, where his sharper punches carries the day

 

I agree, but would you bet more than 5$ on it happening after tonight's fighg ????

 

I still think Ward is going to win the whole thing.

 

I think that Kessler is somewhat a mental midget. I don't think he bounces back from losing quite well. Why because when he fought and lost to Calzaghe it took a long long long time for him to get back into the ring. I mean it took him 8 months to get another fight nor did he seek Joe out for a rematch. That told me a little something about Kesslers mental makeup. I would be surprised if he pulled out of the tourney and or if Froch goes on to beat him as well. I'll Holla 5000

 

I think Dirrell is going to surprise Abraham, and I also think he is the guy with the best chance of beating Ward. Not sure who to pick out of Froch and Kessler now.

 

Ward will beat the shit outta Taylor. But fuck Ward, I'll be rooting for JT to pull off the improbably upset.

 

Ward vs. Taylor....

Despite his LACK of Pop, REED LIKES how Andre Ward Fights IN the Pocket...He Stayed there a Bit Toooooooo Loooooooooong in the Latter Rounds of the Kessler Fight, but there's Certainly NO "Bitch" in Ward...Unfortunately, this Could B his UNdoing vs. Jermain Taylor...

Especially EARLY, REED Thinks Ward Should just POTSHOT Taylor from the Outside...Ward is BETTER In EVERY Regard, Including Skillfully & Athletically...OUTSPEED Jermain w/Counters & Flurries, Keep Taylor OFF BALANCE w/MOVEMENT (& Considering Taylor's PISS POOR Footwork, this'll B Fairly EASY) & OUTJAB him...But DON'T Stay in the Pocket EARLY...

By the 5th or So, Jermain will B VISIBLY Winded as Usual & THEN Ward Should Step Up the Pace...REED Can STILL See Ward Stopping Taylor, but it's IMPERATIVE that he's SAFER in the Early Going than Pavlik, Abraham & Froch were...Quite Simply, REED DOESN'T Think Ward has the CHIN of those 3, to OVERCOME Some Early Round Adversity...


Kessler vs. Froch

REED's Kessler Comments R WELL Documented @ this Point but Regardless, Kessler SHOULD B Favored Over Froch...Froch DOESN'T Have the Speed that Obviously TROUBLES Kessler but he IS Able to ADAPT & ADJUST, UNlike Kessler...& if Andre Ward could BUZZ Kessler, Carl Froch CERTAINLY Can...This'll B THE Most Action Packed/Fan-Friendly Fight of the ENTIRE Super 6 Tourney...

Froch has Shown that he WON'T Allow his "0" to Go EASILY & if this Becomes a DOGFIGHT, REED Thinks he'll Pull it Out...


Abraham vs. Dirrell

REED OPENLY Picked Abraham OR Dirrell to Win the Whole Damn Thing, so it TROUBLES him that they're Meeting This EARLY...Dirrell has EVERY Advantage EXCEPT for Power....He'll Outspeed, Outbox, OutEVERYTHING Abraham, but he HAS to B PERFECT...1 FLUSH Shot is All it'll Take for Abraham to Turn the Tables...Like Andre Ward, Dirrell ALSO has a SUSPECT Chin & REED Questions if Dirrell can PROTECT that Chin for 12 FULL Rounds...

1 Things for SURE, Abraham's Gonna HAVE to Start MUCH Quicker than he Likes to, Because if it Gets to a Point where he NEEDS a KO to Win, Dirrell will have NO QUALMS about RUNNING for the Remainder of the Bout....




REED:hammert:

 

I'd be surprised if JT lasts the distance with Ward.

 

REED Hopes & Prays Jermain STOPS Bringing his Wife & Mother to his Bouts...How Much MORE Can they ENDURE???...Ditto for Cotto w/his Wife & Kids...



REEDray:

 

Ward wont stop him brutally like Pav, AA, and Froch did... but he'll pot shot him to the point where I predict JT's corner will stop it.

BTW - for all your Kessler hate, you ARE correct that a dog fight favors Froch. I'll admit that Froch is mentally tougher than Kessler. But I just cant see Froch dealing with Kess's jab, and right hand too well.

 

why? unlike taylor, ward now has at least one legitimate and impressive win over a top guy.

taylor is boring and just isn't good anymore. who cares about that guy.

 

There were long contractual issues with his former promoter Palle. That didnt tell you anything about his mental makeup.

 

Excellent post Azazel & REED, good reading

 

One thing we learned is that Kessler, by his own admission, cannot deal with holding.

 

:shit::shit::shit:

U're Making it Seem as if Ward CLINCHED & HELD his Way to a Victory...



REED:shit:

 

Oh my god .... you RACIST!

 

He did clinch quite a bit, BUT that is not the reason Kessler lost. Kessler lost because he's not as good a fighter as ward, plain and simple. I picked Kessler to win and I have no problem admitting I was very wrong. In fact I lost a lot of respect for Kessler for crying like a bitch and saying the ref was unfair.

I was highly impressed with Ward. Great showing for him. After this fight, I have a hard time picking ANYONE in this thing over Ward. Aside from getting caught by something huge, Wards looks like the favorite to me now.

 

I think the tournament is much more exciting now.

Before these fights took place there were only 2 guys generally considered capable of winning it. Now, with the exception of Taylor, it seems like everyone else has a chance of taking this thing out.

The organisers have done a better job then I initially thought, I'm quite excited about how this will all play out.

 

While Dirrell may have better one-shot handspeed than anyone in the tourney, I think Abraham can match him in spots. When they trade in close, Abraham's second and third shots will beat Dirrell's to the target. The key, obviously, for Abraham will be to get in close.

I completely expect Dirrell to muddy this one up. If he comes to fight 36 minutes I expect him to be knocked out. Even when he was hurting or buzzing Froch in spots, he still showed much too little intent to stay in and fight.

Dirrell's natural skills are his worst enemy. For every Roy Jones or Prince Naseem that can rely on their superior reflexes, there's a dozen Andre Dirrells who will never reach their potential.

For fight fans, I am hoping Dirrell figures out how to exploit his advantages in an actual prize fight against top competiton, like Roy did. But I don't expect this to be the case.

Based on what I have seen, Abraham is too much of a MAN for Andre Dirrell. All the flashy pot-shotting will not help him in this fight. He needs to stand and fight consistently and keep Arthur from setting his feet and getting his shots off.

 

:nono:
http://www.fightbeat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32594

 

This may be true but his post fight interviews have told me alot about his mental makeup. We all know that when he fought Calzaghe he had his moments and if he made in fight adjustments things might have changed. However like I said he didn't mention anything about a rematch even when his contractual issues were cleared up. Then how he made excuses in the post fight interview after the ward fight. To me he appears to be a front runner and a mental midget. Hell JT after he was ko'd hinted about coming back to fight. Same wit Cotto after he got the dog shit beat outta him against pacquaio. To me there's a big difference in their makeup. I'll Holla 5000

 

I think Dre gets KO'd by Taylor and Kessler goes on to out box Froch and Abraham, but gets his 2nd lost to Dirrell are Taylor. He has a problem with rythm fighters. Dre Ward has a problem with strong fighters that crowd and counter big. When the dust clears Andre Dirrell or Abraham wins the tourney. Dirrell can be eliminated if he loses to Abraham. So odds are in Abe favor. This is the biggest fight of the Super6. Boxer vs. Puncher; for all the chips.:crafty:

 

I like your predicton. You've sparred some of them so you've got some insight. You were right about Kessler. I would love to see Taylor get a nice win and see Dre get KO'ed.

:bears:

 

Did you just pick Taylor to KO Ward?

 

That would be GREAT. :cheer:

 

REED Predicted the SAME Thing, 3OG....


REED:hammert:

 

Dirrell had better get that glass mind together or he may not be able to beat anybody. :nono:

 

Here's the Thing...

The LAST Time Dirrell was HIGHLY Criticized for In-Ring BITCH Tactics (the Curtis Stevens Bout) he Went On to Put Forth a String of IMPRESSIVE Performances Thereafter...Froch was Dirrell's 1st World Title Fight, on Foreign Soil No Less...The Guy was Probably OVERWHELMED a Bit...

REED Expects a STEADIER, More RELAXED Dirrell Moving Forward...

REED:hammert: