Al Bernstein On Boxing: Best For Last In Stage One?

This weekend I will join the Showtime team in Oakland for the final stage of the Super Six Boxing Classic. WBA Super Middleweight Champ Mikkel Kessler travels across the pond from Denmark to battle Californian Andre Ward. It’s possible this match-up might end up being the best of the three in the tourney’s first stage.

The first two matches produced some intriguing results and some exciting moments. Arthur Abraham scored a 12th round knockout of Jermain Taylor, punctuating a great performance by this German superstar fighting in front of his home fans.

Taylor had his moments early in this match, but as has sadly become his custom lately, he faded as the match went into the middle and later rounds. Abraham showed us that his peculiar style is a tough one to master.

Showtime Boxing analyst Steve Farhood put it best when he said “Abraham is like a football team, he plays defense and he then plays offense, but never the two at the same time.”

Abraham comes out of his defensive shell to throw quick and powerful combinations. He will be a tough nut to crack in this tourney.

The next man to try will be young American Andre Dirrell who lost a split decision in stage one to WBC Champion Carl Froch. Dirrell landed some good counter punches against the charging Froch and even stunned him once or twice, but just didn’t quite do enough offensively to win the day according to two of the judges.

Dirrell came into the tourney as the least battle tested of the six, and he did show he has the poise and ability to hang with the big boys in this tourney. Froch, the tough Brit, came away with a less than artistic win.

Froch is not known as a great ring technician, but even by his standards this was not his best performance. Still, he had enough to get the split decision win with his persistent attack. Froch is tough as nails and is a better fighter than he showed against Dirrell.

Some of that had to do with Dirrell’s clever boxing –Froch would say “running.” Froch will feel more at home against then other super six competitors who all move less than Dirrell.

That brings us to this weekend’s match between Kessler and Ward. This matches perhaps the two best ring technicians in the tourney.

Kessler, the 30 year old veteran, has healed up from some nagging injuries in recent years, and looks to be sharp coming into this tourney off a tune-up win over Guzmyr Perdomo.

When Kessler is at his best he is one of the most effective fighters in the sport. He does almost everything right and adds power to the equations as well. He sees this tourney as his grand swan song from the sport. He believes if he can win the Super Six it will cap off an excellent career and turn it into a great career.

For 25 year old Andre Ward this tourney is more of a beginning to what he hopes will be his own hall of fame career. He has already won an Olympic Gold Medal. His slow and careful development as a pro has vexed some people, but there is evidence that it was the right path because he appears to be peaking as a fighter going into this tourney.

I think the Kessler-Ward match might end up being the best of Stage one. The burden of proof is on Ward because he has to show he can fight with a boxer of Kessler’s quality. If he can we will have an entertaining and well fought match.

For more of my thoughts on this match you can see the preview below on selections of video from my boxing channel at ibnsports.com.

Boxing fans in the United States can see the match on Showtime. I will be announcing it along with Gus Johnson and Antonio Tarver. Jim Gray will be on hand for interviews. For more information go to sports.sho.com./