Froch vs Abraham: Which one will have to rebound again?

[boxerbadboy]

What happens when you put two world class fighters in a ring together, add a little explosiveness and just touch of , “I cannot lose this fight” mentality?

What you get is the upcoming Carl Froch-Arthur Abraham bout.
Each combatant is coming off of a loss that many in the boxing world thought that they would win.
Froch ventured to Denmark to face Mikkel Kessler. Kessler was the odds on favorite heading into Showtime’s Super Six Tournament, but was upset in round one by now tourney favorite, Andre Ward.
Some viewed the Ward fight as a bout that showed certain limitations for Kessler. Besides suffering numerous headbutts, Kessler seemed to be outhustled and lost a technical decision.
Froch had dealt Andre Dirrell a loss in their first round fight. The fight was, to be honest, hard to watch. Dirrell ran amateurishly around the ring and constantly clinched. This seemed to frustrate Froch and it made Carl appear overly anxious at times.
Most saw the Froch-Kessler matchup as a fight between a fading star and someone trying to firmly put his star in that boxing sky. The fight was close and many thought it could have gone either way. Kessler got the win, but not by the scores that two of the judges had it.
Abraham left a lasting mark on the tournament with his devastating last round kayo of Jermain Taylor. So devastating that it made Taylor withdraw from the tournament.
Arthur followed that up with a bout against Dirrell. Abraham wanted to make a splash in America, but things quickly went from bad to worse. Dirrell changed his tactics and came out boxing. Dirrell’s quickness and commitment to boxing seemed to bother Abraham.
Dirrell built a big lead and Abraham couldn’t seem to land one of his vaulted power punches. He appeared to be closing the gap when Dirrell slipped to the canvas in round 11. For reasons still unknown, Abraham landed a powerful shot that hurt Dirrell while he was still down.
Abraham was DQ’d and suffered his first loss. The decision would have been academic had it gone to the scorecards as Dirrell had jumped out to a comfortable lead.
So now Froch and Abraham are set to meet on November 27thin Finland. This has the makings of the best fight in the tournament. Both men are coming off of losses, each feeling that they were robbed of a victory that was rightfully theirs.
Throw in the fact that the loser will end up being a side note to this tourney, and the heat is cut up just a little bit higher.
A win not only helps each boxer rebound, but it almost assures them of fighting for the Showtime title.
A loss by Froch doesn’t necessarily send him to the scrap heap. But he would probably have to wait until the end of the tournament to get a shot at the winner. Better options for Carl, provided he lost, would be a shot at Lucian Bute, recognized by some as the best 168 pounder in the world, but conspicuously absent from this tournament.
Another big fight would involve another Canadian, Jean Pascal. Froch and Pascal had a great fight two years ago and a rematch would be big in Canada and among boxing faithful.
Abraham also has plenty of options in the event of another loss. He could conceivably drop back down to middleweight and challenge either Paul Williams or Sergio Martinez, both of whom seem available to jump up and down on the weight scale.
Williams would be mostly in front of Arthur, but the mobile Martinez could pose some serious problems for the slower Abraham.
Unless Froch or Abraham suffer a serious knockout loss, we may find that a rebound for either man is just a heartbeat away. Each is a fighter that fans love to see, someone that comes to fight and someone that leaves it in the ring. No matter who wins and who loses, boxing wins.
Glenn Wilson Read more @ Boxingnotes.com

[El Kabong]

I don't see Froch being awake at the end of this one....AA is very solid with his defense, he's got a great chin, and he's got solid power. I just don't see Froch matching up with him very well.

[Master]

Froch to out box Abraham for me.

[milmascaras1]

carl froch for me. he's one of my favorite euro fighters. reason why i like him so much is because of his great confidence, tenacity, willingness to fight while injured, and the fact that face it, he isn't the most talented boxer out there but he's all grit and that's what boxing should be all about. giving everything you've got even if you don't got much. war froch!

[Nameless]

I personally picture Froch going to sleep around the 9-10th.

[JohnnyKickAss]

As an AA fan I also predict a late stoppage for AA...but I must say even though Froch is an arrogant idiot,he shows balls inside the ring(not literally...that would be disturbing)and that I can respect...

[GAME]

I like reading other peoples opinions on this fight because im still undecided and can be swayed by either argument.

I can see Froch winning on points if he plays it safe but I also see his poor defence being his downfall late in the fight when Arthur applies his typical late round surge. Carl will win the opening rounds and Arthur has a traditional slow start but its what happens from round 8 onwards im not sure about. Its up to Carl. If he plays it safe he can last 12 but if his ego takes over and he stands his ground he will get sparked. He has to box/fight Arthur. Fight him early when Arthur wants to box and box him late when Arthur wants to fight.

In fights like this theres usually a surprise factor. Maybe this time the shock will be Carls ability to take Arthurs punch. We know he wants this bad and has a good chin. The main thing that separates them is Arthurs tighter guard and harder punch. Right now im leaning towards Arthur late but I'll be back and forth beofre fight night.

[milmascaras1]

for me, it's still gotta be froch. i mean, arthur abraham's only advantage was his impenetrable chin but we all know that dirrell, a lesser puncher, was able to hurt abie and put him down.