The Super Six: Europe will win 3-0

[holmcall]

1) Dirrell vs. Froch: October 17, 2009

The Outcome

I expect Dirrell to start fast and give Froch angles while peppering him with jabs and combos, but not anything that will really hurt or slow the gritty Nottinghamshire native down. The highly skilled Pascal slowed down after 6 rounds and I expect Dirrell to do the same, because he has never been hit with anything even remotely resembling The Cobra’s power. However, if Froch make the mistake of trying to box Dirrell, he will be in dire straits. Andre is faster and Froch is not difficult to hit.

My expectation is that Froch will close the gap by the mid to late rounds and then put some real hurt on the former Olympic bronze medalist. If he can lure him into a brawl, he will keep coming and coming until he finally catches and takes him out.

After all, if a hardened professional was able to spew his fatal venom on the likes of Taylor and Pascal, surely, he can do the same with an unproven Dirrell.


2) Taylor vs. Abraham: October 17, 2009

The Outcome

Taylor’s best and only good chance will come early. He is a fast starter who can knock just about anyone down, but if Abraham is able to hold him off, the fight should even out around the sixth stanza. With his deceptive cunning and his power, I see the Armenian beginning to break Taylor down by mixing thudding body work with punishing shots upstairs. As Taylor tires, Abraham will get stronger. At this point, Taylor’s stamina will again desert him and Arthur will discover that the stoppages at the hands of "The Ghost" and "The Cobra have left Taylor damaged and vulnerable for a brutal closure and that’s exactly what Abraham will perpetrate around the tenth or eleventh round.
　
3) Kessler vs. Ward: November 21, 2009

The Outcome

On paper, this one would appear easy to predict, but given Ward’s athleticism and speed, he could well make this a far more difficult fight for the WBA World super middleweight tile holder. Nevertheless, Mikkel Kessler is the super star and Andre Ward is the upstart challenger.

That said, I can see Ward staying on the outside with good movement content to jab and use his body shots and occasional hooks to keep Kessler at bay. If he can do this, he can win a decision. Joe Calzaghe laid out the blueprint, but Ward is no Calzaghe. And Kessler didn’t become a champion by winning easy fights. Sooner or later, I see him closing the gap as he stalks Ward (who has never before been in such a pressure-filled fight) from the outset using his patented one-two. If he is able to catch him in a corner or on the ropes (or even in the middle of the ring), he will, in my opinion, buzz him--and if Kost and Boone can hurt Ward, Kessler will wax him in the same manner as he did Markus Beyer.

The thing is, Kessler can knock Andre out, but Andre cannot knock Kessler out. Ward will be the runner and Kessler will be the chaser. Sooner or later, he will catch his prey and finish matters decisively.

[skel1983]

I think the picks are quite solid, all three you pick are the favourites.

I just have this gut feeling that Kessler gets beat I dont know why but thats just a hunch I have got, but the other two im pretty confident Froch and Abraham win.

[Kev]

I'm not nearly as confident of Europe's chances as you are.

I'm rooting for Froch although if he wasn't my favourite fighter I'd probably side with Dirrell.

I have this huge feeling that Abraham will seriously underperform and I think Ward will edge Kessler on points, although if it's close I doubt he will get the decision.

But that's what's great about this tournament, you can make cases for every fighter.

[Gandalf]

Like Bilbo, I am less confident. I can see any of those fights going either way.

They are all extremely good matchups though and I look forward to this tournament.

[Spicoli]

Up in the air with Froch and Dirrell...big time.Froch WILL be hit much in the early stages but Froch is at a huge peaking point in momentum.Dirrell has everything to beat him but still a big jump up in comp for him.

Want Taylor to take it but really think he is at the end of it and Abraham will be too consistent.Would not rule out a TKO for Abraham.

Kessler vs Ward might be deemed man vs boy by a cynic .Massive boxing poise by Ward last vs Miranda but for me it all comes down to strength and being able to keep Kess off down the stretch.Dont think Ward will be able to when it counts.

[Kev]

Up in the air with Froch and Dirrell...big time.Froch WILL be hit much in the early stages but Froch is at a huge peaking point in momentum.Dirrell has everything to beat him but still a big jump up in comp for him.

Want Taylor to take it but really think he is at the end of it and Abraham will be too consistent.Would not rule out a TKO for Abraham.

Kessler vs Ward might be deemed man vs boy by a cynic .Massive boxing poise by Ward last vs Miranda but for me it all comes down to strength and being able to keep Kess off down the stretch.Dont think Ward will be able to when it counts.

To be honest I'm not quite as impressed with Kessler as most. His best performance was a loss and apart from Joe he hasn't been in with much less beat much in the way of world class opposition.

Calzaghe aside there isn't a fighter on Kesslers resume that I wouldn't pick ALL of the other 5 guys in the tournament to have beat up on just as easily.

Good solid jab, strong, great chin, he's tough to beat no doubt, but I don't think he's proven himself to be quite the elite invincible great that many seem to make him out to be.

[SweetPea]

To be honest I'm not quite as impressed with Kessler as most. His best performance was a loss and apart from Joe he hasn't been in with much less beat much in the way of world class opposition.

I think Kessler's best performance was his absolute domination of Andrade.

And his only loss was against an undefeated HOFer, on what may have been Calzaghe's best night as a pro.

The winner of Kessler/Ward is the favorite to win the whole thing IMO.

[Kev]

To be honest I'm not quite as impressed with Kessler as most. His best performance was a loss and apart from Joe he hasn't been in with much less beat much in the way of world class opposition.

I think Kessler's best performance was his absolute domination of Andrade.

And his only loss was against an undefeated HOFer, on what may have been Calzaghe's best night as a pro.

The winner of Kessler/Ward is the favorite to win the whole thing IMO.

Good call with Andrade that was a decent win, although Bute did it just as well for 11 rounds at least.

I don't know I just don't think he's quite got the capability to be great in the way a Jones Jr, Hopkins, Calzaghe, maybe even a Dawson can be. (He's level with Tarver imo)

I can see him edging Ward in a somewhat controversial points win, but I really think Andre will give him problems. If the fight was in the UK I'd fancy Ward to beat him but in Denmark it will be harder.

Still when you look at all the great US fighters over the years, (The continent of America dominates boxing) and compare them with fighters from the European continent (exluding Britain and heavyweights) you really don't come up with any p4p stars at all.

Ward also has a proud amatuer pedigree as an Olympic Gold medallist and I'd say history and tradition are very much on the side of the American.

[Spicoli]

Up in the air with Froch and Dirrell...big time.Froch WILL be hit much in the early stages but Froch is at a huge peaking point in momentum.Dirrell has everything to beat him but still a big jump up in comp for him.

Want Taylor to take it but really think he is at the end of it and Abraham will be too consistent.Would not rule out a TKO for Abraham.

Kessler vs Ward might be deemed man vs boy by a cynic .Massive boxing poise by Ward last vs Miranda but for me it all comes down to strength and being able to keep Kess off down the stretch.Dont think Ward will be able to when it counts.

To be honest I'm not quite as impressed with Kessler as most. His best performance was a loss and apart from Joe he hasn't been in with much less beat much in the way of world class opposition.

Calzaghe aside there isn't a fighter on Kesslers resume that I wouldn't pick ALL of the other 5 guys in the tournament to have beat up on just as easily.

Good solid jab, strong, great chin, he's tough to beat no doubt, but I don't think he's proven himself to be quite the elite invincible great that many seem to make him out to be.

There is not to much to the imagination no doubt and is most effective down the middle,he lost momentum even off the L he took from Calzaghe,sort of just settled in the confines of home.Really had zero secondary gameplan vs Joe and could not match Calzaghes volume.He looked like a force vs Andrade....but that version of Librado was offended if his opponent did not hit him in the face...constantly.But has faced all around better than Ward I believe.Think Ward very skilled but see Kess stronger and think he'll be able to take what Ward dishes,confidence and offense will grow and advantage to Kess when Ward is forced to stand his ground as it goes.

Ward just experienced a huge breakout vs Miranda,smart and fluid..but he was an open book by then.Actually think Ward might have gotten the TKO on a Miranda who at times looked to want out but did not go all out for it.Solid match up,cannot ask for more than that.

[blegit]

I think the U.S. gets 2-1 the first round. I see Dirrell outboxing Froch. This one should be the thriller. I know people want to see it one way as Froch was able to breakdown a veteran like Taylor then he should a fresh pup like Dirrell. But I see it this way, if a non pure boxer can outbox Froch for 11 rounds then a super pure boxer like Dirrell should have his time as long as he continues to fight smart. Dirrell is a much better boxer than Taylor and as long as he boxes and has great conditioning then he should be victorious. Taylor/Abraham that will probably go Abraham. I just think Taylor is war ridden and is now unsure of himself when in trouble. He has no plan adjustment when he is in trouble. That concerns me against a guy like Abraham. Ward/Kessler should be the most artistic of the first round. Both guys are very technical but I see Ward's athleticism edging this one. This is the one I had the most time picking a winner. A very good matchup in my opinion. But for Kessler to win he will have to put a lot more pressure on than what he has been doing in recent fights. I respect everyone's honest opinion but no way do I see a clean sweep by Europe. Actually neither hemisphere should sweep the round. If Taylor can get his act together then maybe the U.S. sweeps the first round. I hope anyway.

[The Fightfan]

Sorry my man I think Dirrell will pick apart Froch. Taylor is up in the air and Kessler Ward well let's just say the winner will win this tournament which I think will be Kessler by far.

[No Contest]

Dirrell wins this whole thing.

[iwng100]

There are no clear favorites here IMO; even if Dirrell is not enough tested at pro he has all the tools to outpoint Froch, we really don’t know if he can take Cobra’s punches but we also don’t know if Carl can land something meaningful on him; I think Andre has a better stamina and mostly a better mobility and he can resist 15 seconds more than Taylor.

I kknow that Ward hasn’t Kessler’s resume but he’s faster, like Dirrell he can box either orthodox either southpaw and we saw in Miranda fight that he can come with a very intelligent strategy; I know Miranda is not Kessler but I think Andre will try to fight like Calzaghe in the second half of his fight against Kessler: Pressure, hit and hold.

I agree Abraham has the first chance in the fight against Taylor, let just see how good he is at SM.

It’s obvious that all tree Europeans are more powerful that the Americans but this is not decisive IMO.