Super Six World Boxing Classic

[Liquidrob]

Abraham with a great KO



Dirrell won that fight, I was going for Froch, but Dirrell won, Froch guys will say all Dirrell did was run which he didnt, but even if he did he landed all the clean punches and even when it was a brawl he came away better from the exchange

Dirrell made Froch look slow and clumsy

[Liquidrob]

The matchups for Group Stages 2 and 3 of the Super Six World Boxing Classic were announced tonight by SHOWTIME Sports®. All Group Stage 2 and 3 matches for the groundbreaking tournament will be scheduled to take place in 2010 and will air on the premium television network SHOWTIME®. Dates and venues for the coming matchups will be announced.

GROUP STAGE 2
Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch
Jermain Taylor vs. Andre Ward

GROUP STAGE 3
Andre Dirrell vs. Andre Ward
Carl Froch vs. Arthur Abraham
Mikkel Kessler vs. Jermain Taylor


The celebrated tournament pits the six best super middleweight boxers in the world against one another in a modified round robin as they compete for supremacy in the 168-pound division and the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic Cup. The points-based Group Stages ensure a progression of fights and present added pressure for the fighters to earn valuable points towards a berth in the single-elimination Semi-Finals. Each participant will fight three different opponents in the Group Stage segment of the tournament, earning two points for a win with one bonus point for a KO/TKO, one point for a draw and zero for a loss. After Group Stage 3, the four fighters with the highest point totals will advance to the Semi-Finals.

[nflman2033]

GROUP STAGE 2
Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch
Jermain Taylor vs. Andre Ward

GROUP STAGE 3
Andre Dirrell vs. Andre Ward
Carl Froch vs. Arthur Abraham
Mikkel Kessler vs. Jermain Taylor

[nflman2033]

Abraham can be beaten, high work rate early, then counter punch late, Dirrell showed me he can counter-punch

Froch is not that good and IMO Kessler is the best, so thats easy pick

Taylor born loser no chance against Ward

Ward vs Dirrell is probably the one fight were I may say flip a coin that should be fantastic

Abraham can be beat, but not by Froch

again Taylor no chance against Kessler

[Liquidrob]

update on Taylor

Jermain Taylor, who was brutally knocked out by Arthur Abraham with six seconds remaining in their 12-round super middleweight fight on Saturday night in Berlin, suffered a severe concussion and was taken to the hospital, promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com Saturday night.

Taylor will remain in the hospital for several days, according to DiBella.

In the first bout of Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic six-man super middleweight tournament, Taylor, the former undisputed middleweight champion, appeared on his way to a decision loss to Abraham as the 12th round wound down. However, Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) caught Taylor with a flush right hand to the chin and knocked him out. Taylor, whose head hit the canvas hard when he landed, needed immediate medical attention.

After Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) left the ring under his own power, he complained of a headache, DiBella said. Taylor was taken to the hospital and underwent a battery of tests. DiBella said he would have additional tests, including another CT scan and MRI, before he is released.

"He has a severe concussion," DiBella said. "He also had some short-term memory loss, and in the interest of being completely safe and overly safe, he'll be in the hospital probably for several days. They believe the area of his head that was hurting him was from his head hitting the canvas. He'll be in Berlin for another week because the doctors didn't want him to fly, but his wife and his mother are with him."

DiBella said when they were in the dressing room after the fight, Taylor asked him what round he was knocked out in. DiBella told him, but Taylor asked him again a few minutes later. And then, according to DiBella, Taylor asked his wife the same question twice because he could not recall which round he had been stopped in.

Taylor was also knocked out in his previous bout in April, when titleholder Carl Froch rallied to stop him with 14 seconds left in the 12th round. Taylor, who outpointed Bernard Hopkins in 2005 to claim the undisputed middleweight championship, has lost four of his last five bouts, including three by knockout.

Whether Taylor remains in the modified round-robin Super Six tournament has not been determined, DiBella said.

If Taylor continues in the tournament, he would face Andre Ward next followed by Andre Dirrell. Froch and titleholder Mikkel Kessler are the other two boxers in the tournament. In his hometown of Nottingham, England, Froch outpointed Dirrell to retain his title on Saturday night in the second-half of Showtime's split-site doubleheader. Denmark's Kessler comes to Ward's hometown of Oakland to defend his belt in the final Group Stage 1 bout on Nov. 21.

"Jermain's health is paramount and whether he continues in the tournament or not is not a decision that has to be made right this second," DiBella said. "He suffered a bad knockout. He was suspended medically, like anyone who suffers a knockout, so we don't have to think about that right now. Right now, we're just concerned with getting him home and getting him healthy, and we won't explore anything else right now."

Should Taylor, or any other fighter, withdraw from the tournament, Allan Green, whom DiBella also promotes, has been designated by Showtime as the first alternate.

Abraham's knockout victory, in front of a supportive crowd of more than 14,000 at the O2 World Arena, was worth three points -- two for the win plus an xtra point for the knockout -- in the tournament. Froch picked up two points for his decision win. Taylor and Dirrell got no points for their losses.

The four fighters with the most points after three bouts apiece will advance to the single-elimination semifinals of the tournament, which will take approximately 18 months to complete.

[BigBucs]

absolutely, i felt that the point deduction at the time made the fight closer than it needed to be, but he dominated the last two rounds to put him up on my scorecard by 2 rounds, which would be 1 round after the deduction, as far as Taylor not winning a fight to be honest I think Taylor might be able to beat Froch he had him beat in the first fight and got tired and blew it, I think next time he may find a way to overcome and finish the fight, however as i said earlier as a born loser it will be his only win in the tournament. I still like my choice, in fact i think the winner of the Kessler v Ward fight will win it

Taylor wont beat Froch if he continues in the tourney. Getting KOed in such brutal fashion in so many fights takes its toll. He doesnt have the footwork and he definetley doesnt have the confidence, not to mention the will to win.

Taylo getting knocked out of his boots is disappointing..... he might not win a fight in the classic.... Abraham is the least aggressive fighter in the classic albeit one of the stronger fighters, but Taylor got to rest essentially whenever he wanted and still got rocked in the 9th and flatout destroyed in the 12th... sigh... they should really think about if he should be in the classic, he has a little chance to actually win a fight in the tourney.......

about Froch and Dirrell it was a ugly fight, but enjoyable..... Dirrell losing a point really hurt him the scores 115-113 (without Dirrell losing a point) seem abit off to me, i didnt think Froch won 7 rounds..... i could have maybe saw a draw with Dirrell losing a point, but i thought his speed and movement won that fight, i didnt like the fact that he was holding inside, as he was quick enough to slide away and or move his head and throw punches and still control the fight but i think his corner told him to hold inside... with that said i think he can beat Abraham... and i think Kessler ( if he is as good as advertised) will be Froch...... Ward gets a the Knockout victim Taylor.....

Abraham will roll over the competition until he and Kess meets. Dude hits like a mule, has great stamina, tight defense, is fearless, is strong as a fucking ox and literally has a titanium chin. Dirrell will have to see him eventually. I like Dirrell but I think once he taste AA power his ass will be on his bicycle all night.

That said King Aurthur will have to get started much earlier than usually and make Dirrell weary of letting his hands go out the gates. You cant let him build a 4-0 lead and expect to win. He gives to many angles and can counter punch once you start trying to get back in the fight.

[JrRawlins]

after reading that updat eon Taylor, he should hang them up.... 3 knockouts in 4 fights.... that ratio isnt gonna get any better....


About Abraham-Dirrell, i think Dirrell can outbox him but i am not sure if he can take Abraham's power... he is definitely strong as hell i am curious about the Kessler Ward fight.... and i still think Direll can get into the semi-finals but clearly he cant lose again.... which means he will have to come out and establish his jab and move against AA...

[Tailback U]

I was out Saturday and busy Sunday so I finally didn't get a chance to watch the fights till last night and today. Luckily managed to somehow not hear the results at all so it was fun to watch them.

First off, two great fights. Highly entertaining and intense, the talent in this is just awesome.

Abraham looks really strong. Taylor isn't great but Abraham's knockout was impressive. His power looks downright scary and his shell looks like it really pose a challenge to everyone. Dirrell is the more skilled boxer of the two but I don't think he is going to be able to handle King Abe's power for 12 rounds.

Dirrell beat Froch, IMO. That point deduction was bullshit. Dirrell outboxed Froch for 7 rounds by my count and Froch just didn't look that impressive overall. He looked sloppy, dirty, and slow. I can't wait for Kessler to annihilate him and shut his ass up.

Kessler/Ward in Oakland should be fun. I can't wait for that. I'm thinking about going to that as I have a friend who trains in Oakland and has sparred with Ward. Might not, though, cuz I'd rather watch it at home then in the nosebleeds. Depends on the ticket prices.

Either way, excited for this to continue.

[JrRawlins]

I was out Saturday and busy Sunday so I finally didn't get a chance to watch the fights till last night and today. Luckily managed to somehow not hear the results at all so it was fun to watch them.

First off, two great fights. Highly entertaining and intense, the talent in this is just awesome.

Abraham looks really strong. Taylor isn't great but Abraham's knockout was impressive. His power looks downright scary and his shell looks like it really pose a challenge to everyone. Dirrell is the more skilled boxer of the two but I don't think he is going to be able to handle King Abe's power for 12 rounds.

Dirrell beat Froch, IMO. That point deduction was bullshit. Dirrell outboxed Froch for 7 rounds by my count and Froch just didn't look that impressive overall. He looked sloppy, dirty, and slow. I can't wait for Kessler to annihilate him and shut his ass up.

Kessler/Ward in Oakland should be fun. I can't wait for that. I'm thinking about going to that as I have a friend who trains in Oakland and has sparred with Ward. Might not, though, cuz I'd rather watch it at home then in the nosebleeds. Depends on the ticket prices.

Either way, excited for this to continue.

i think the consensus across most of the world is Dirrell beat Froch... and that point deduction was garbage, at best for Froch that was a draw because of the deduction.... as i said earlier i thought Dirrell dominated most of that fight, he landed cleaner shots and dictated when they had exchanges..... not sure he can fight against AA like he did agaisnt Froch and not get knocked out though.... AA's defense is very good borderline superb and he is ridculously strong and faster than Froch... a bad combo for Dirrell but Dirrell is quicker, and much slicker than Taylor and if he can pile up some rounds earlier, he could get a decision....

[JrRawlins]

Green vs. Miranda for Taylor's spot??????

All along, Showtime has mentioned Allan Green -- who, like Taylor, is promoted by DiBella -- as a possible first alternate in the event a fighter dropped out of the tournament.



Under the master contract for the tournament, it is Showtime's call when it comes to designating any replacement fighter, who would enter the tournament with the same number of points earned by the tournament's lowest point-earner through the same number of bouts as the departing fighter. That would mean if somebody replaces Taylor, he would enter the field with 0 points. The four highest point-earners advance to the semis.



For what it's worth, Showtime also has the contractual right to continue the tournament without naming a replacement.



Green is a solid contender, but looked terrible in his last fight when he won a lethargic decision against Tarvis Simms on Oct. 2, a fight Showtime televised on "ShoBox" as a way to keep Green warm in the bullpen in case he was needed for the tournament. But his performance certainly didn't turn any heads or help his case that he should be the clear choice as a replacement.



However, Dan Goossen, who promotes Ward, had an interesting idea about how to pick a replacement if one is needed.



Along with Seminole Warriors Boxing, Goossen co-promotes Edison Miranda, who owns a clear 2007 unanimous-decision victory against Green. Miranda has also faced two tournament entrants and gone 0-3. He faced Abraham twice, losing a highly controversial decision to him in a middleweight title bout in 2006 and getting knocked out in a super middleweight nontitle fight in the 2008 rematch. In May, he lost a decision to Ward.



What Goossen proposed to me Sunday was that Green (29-1, 20 KOs) and Miranda (32-4, 28 KOs) hook up in a rematch to determine a replacement (if one is needed) on the Nov. 21 Showtime telecast featuring the Kessler-Ward Super Six fight in the main event.

It's not the worst idea I've heard, even though Miranda has already lost to a third of the field. But why should Green get a pass into the tournament when Miranda owns that clear decision against him?



Although Miranda is a limited fighter, one thing's for sure: He has the power to knock anyone out and he makes fun, exciting fights, which is what we all want to see in the tournament.



Miranda, who is now being trained by Goossen's brother, the underrated Joe Goossen, is scheduled to fight Francisco Sierra (20-2, 19 KOs) on Thursday in Lemoore, Calif. Dan Goossen said he'd like to have Miranda go through with the fight and then do a rematch with Green next month.

Just food for thought.

[Liquidrob]

Kessler/Ward is the most interesting fight of the first stage, I think everyone knew even if they didnt pick them to win that Taylor was going to fade late and lose to AA and Froch was going to win by a decision no matter what the fight looked like, lol, but Kessler/Ward is the best match up

Kessler is the favorite and if Ward beats him I think Ward is the favorite to win it all, he has the talent to do it, if Kessler wins than it still is him and probably Abraham in the finals

Abraham can be had though by a technical boxer with speed and a chin, AA will give you 4 to 5 rounds to start the fight, that might be his downfall

I dont think Froch can win it, Abraham is going to KO him in there fight in the 3rd stage and Kessler should also beat him in the 2nd stage

Would love to see Miranda in the mix just for the excitement factor and he always puts it on the line

[nflman2033]

Kessler is the favorite and if Ward beats him I think Ward is the favorite to win it all, he has the talent to do it, if Kessler wins than it still is him and probably Abraham in the finals

this

[Warner2BruceTD]

i think the consensus across most of the world is Dirrell beat Froch... and that point deduction was garbage, at best for Froch that was a draw because of the deduction.... as i said earlier i thought Dirrell dominated most of that fight, he landed cleaner shots and dictated when they had exchanges..... not sure he can fight against AA like he did agaisnt Froch and not get knocked out though.... AA's defense is very good borderline superb and he is ridculously strong and faster than Froch... a bad combo for Dirrell but Dirrell is quicker, and much slicker than Taylor and if he can pile up some rounds earlier, he could get a decision....

FWIW, Dan Rafael at ESPN thinks Dirrell lost, and ripped him pretty hard in his blog...

Dirrell also fought in his normal negative, agonizing style. He ran, he cried to the referee about just about everything and he held. And grabbed. And wrestled. At times, it was like watching a smaller, faster, more skilled version of John Ruiz. It was ugly. When Dirrell, who has all the talent in the world but still fights like an amateur, would stand and fight, he landed some nice counter right hands. But he didn't do it nearly enough. The first half of the fight was an abomination because of Dirrell's unwillingness to do anything but run and grab. All the while, Froch was making the fight, coming forward and firing in what degenerated into a somewhat dirty fight. But in the eighth round, Froch nailed Dirrell with a left hook late in the round that definitely rattled him. Both fighters fouled each other often with low blows, elbows, blows to the back of the head and punches on the break. Referee Hector Afu did his best, but had a very hard time maintaining control. Both guys could have had points deducted at various times but Afu did not pull the trigger until finally docking a point from Dirrell for holding and hitting in the 10th round, during which Dirrell hurt Froch with two hard left hands. In the end, two judges gave it to Froch, which was the right call. How can you give Dirrell the fight when, for the most part, he fought scared, complained to the referee about everything and barely threw any punches in the first half or two-thirds of the fight? He finished very strong, but it wasn't enough to warrant or deserve the decision.

I wasnt scoring the fight, and had no rooting interest. I enjoyed it, though. It was fun to watch.

[Warner2BruceTD]

It's also looking more and more like Taylor is out of this thing, and may retire.

It dosen't really matter whether its Miranda or Green in his place, because whoever it is they will have zero points with only two fights left, and both would be heavy underdogs against anyone else in the field.

[nflman2033]

Dan Rafael is an idiot