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i wasnt impressed with Joe's win over Kessler.... but i had never seen Kessler before that.... i dont think he is the favorite... i think he has the most to prove behind Taylor... Abraham also has alot to prove, as he has never fought at this weight and has only been in one real war (Miranda) Ward and Dirrell are unproven, i think Dirrell is better than Ward personally... I will be surprised if Ward wins a fight let alone the entire classic.... Taylor has the most experience and IF (and its a big ASS IF) he is in shape, could win.... but i dont trust him... Froch has the power to win, but he might be too slow for Dirrell, Kessler or Abraham... Dirrell is so untested, i want to choose him as he has the skill set to win, but what happens if he get rocked? how will he respond? anyway, the classic will be great, cant wait for the weekend...
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i wasnt impressed with Joe's win over Kessler.... but i had never seen Kessler before that.... i dont think he is the favorite... i think he has the most to prove behind Taylor... Abraham also has alot to prove, as he has never fought at this weight and has only been in one real war (Miranda) Ward and Dirrell are unproven, i think Dirrell is better than Ward personally... I will be surprised if Ward wins a fight let alone the entire classic.... Taylor has the most experience and IF (and its a big ASS IF) he is in shape, could win.... but i dont trust him... Froch has the power to win, but he might be too slow for Dirrell, Kessler or Abraham... Dirrell is so untested, i want to choose him as he has the skill set to win, but what happens if he get rocked? how will he respond? anyway, the classic will be great, cant wait for the weekend...
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Froch filled with confidence
If Carl Froch could win fights based simply on confidence, he might wear his super middleweight world title for many years to come.
To listen to Froch talk, you'd think he could knock out a dinosaur or a rhino if he ever tangled with one of them -- or both! -- in a ring.
And why shouldn't Froch, nicknamed "The Cobra," have confidence?
In the past 10 months, the 32-year-old Brit has beaten Jean Pascal -- who would go on to win a light heavyweight title -- in a rough, toe-to-toe slugfest, and knocked out Jermain Taylor, the former undisputed middleweight champion, in a glorious comeback.
Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) has a perfect record, a tremendous chin, good power and the notion that he can't be beaten.
That's the mindset Froch will take into the ring when he defends his 168-pound belt for the second time at the Trent FM Arena in his hometown of Nottingham, England, against American Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs) on Saturday night (Showtime, 8 ET/PT). The fight is a first-round bout in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, the modified round-robin tournament involving six elite super middleweights.
"I'm a consummate professional," Froch said. "I've been in the trenches more than once and I've come out on top. I'm an undefeated professional with an excellent knockout ratio. Being that I'm fighting in my hometown just makes my job a whole lot easier.
"You know I'm a big puncher. My record speaks for itself. If I get anyone, and not just Andre Dirrell, in the position where they're down and they're hurt, I'm one of the best finishers in the business."
In the opening fight of the 12-bout, 18-month tournament -- and the opening bout of Showtime's telecast on same-day tape from Berlin -- former middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs) moves up to super middleweight to face Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs).
It is the victory against Taylor that is largely responsible for Froch's belief that he can do anything in the ring, no matter how deep a hole he may be in.
In April, Froch and promoter Mick Hennessy rolled the dice and took the risk of coming to the United States for the fight with Taylor, and it paid off handsomely, even though it was nearly a disaster.
In the fight, Froch was dropped for the first time in his career (pro or amateur) in the third round, and Taylor was on his way to a split-decision victory. He led by four points on two scorecards going into the 12th round but was running out of steam. Froch, in superb condition, took advantage and scored a punishing knockout with a mere 14 seconds to go.
Tom Casino/Showtime
Andre Dirrell has left no stone unturned in preparing for Carl Froch.
"It was close, but I showed what I'm about in rounds 10, 11 and 12," said Froch, who injured his ankle in training and contemplated pulling out of the fight. "I stepped up the gear and started putting my heavy artillery together and started landing some big shots. I could have boxed 15 rounds. I could have boxed 20 if that was necessary. I did what I needed to do in the last round. It felt great and instilled me with more confidence, because it was the first time I've ever been down on the canvas. I was down, I got up and I kept my cool, calm composure and I did what I needed to do. I finished strong. It was such a big finish and it's been received well."
Now, Froch will be at home against Dirrell, the Flint, Mich., native who claimed a 2004 Olympic bronze medal. Dirrell is flashy, much faster than Froch, and loves to switch from right-handed to left-handed, but he isn't nearly as experienced as Taylor, or even Pascal.
"He knows he's in deep water on Saturday night," said Froch, who had to be separated from Dirrell at Wednesday's news conference when their emotions boiled over after a promotion filled with trash talk. "He knows that once I start connecting with the bombs, he's going to be in serious trouble. I've got a feeling he's going to run and run scared, but it's 12 rounds and I will catch up with him, and when I do I'm going to do some serious damage."
Robert McCracken, a former world title challenger and Froch's trainer, said too many people underrate Froch.
"He was around 70 percent for [Taylor] but he's smack on for this one," McCracken said. "He's going in at 100 percent, everything's good. It's the same for all these guys -- Pascal, Taylor and Dirrell. They watch Carl on tape and think, 'I can do this or that with him,' but once the fight starts they realize how awkward he is and how hard he hits. It's a different ballgame. Dirrell's a good kid, a good talent, but he's not fought anybody anywhere near the class of Carl. He isn't ready, it's that simple. I'm sure he'll give it his best on the night but it won't be good enough, so the Cobra will retain his title."
Although Dirrell, 27, has faced limited opposition -- his best win is probably a sixth-round knockout of Victor Oganov 11 months ago -- he believes he's ready for the challenge Froch presents.
He exudes his own confidence.
"I worked my ass off and now it's time to shine," Dirrell said. "I've been working hard my whole life, but I put in the extra 10 yards for this camp so that I could come here and do what I've been dreaming of for 16 years, and that's to bring back the WBC title. I hope he cherishes the title now because it will be coming home to the United States with me, and I will prove that I'm the superior being. I'm taking that belt home, guaranteed. I'm giving my word right now. The crowd won't get a chance to do nothing. The loudest person in there, no disrespect to Carl Froch at all, will be his mother because she'll probably be crying.
"When I get finished with Froch he'll have a look in his eyes as vacant as the title he won when Joe Calzaghe gave it up rather than waste his time with such a trivial defenseComment
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Everyone makes weight. They all look in phenomenal shape. Taylor looks like a giant compared to King Aurthur.
Rest of the photos.
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wow i didnt realize there was that big of a height difference...... if Taylor can really stick his jab and not get tired at the end he could make the fight pretty easy...Comment
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yeah Abraham is a midget compared to the rest of the guy in the tourny
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stoked for this!!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbKOb0zUc9o"]YouTube - Super Six World Boxing Classic - Interviews[/ame]Comment
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Cant wait, Showtime taking over the combat sports world!Liquidrob's Top 10 Fighters Rankings
The 10 Fighters Who Changed The Game
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damn Taylor again....Comment
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Taylor was gonna lose anyway, but Abraham squeezed an extra point out of this with the KO...that point could be huge moving forward. I enjoyed that fight, good stuff.Comment
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taylor didn't get as tired as he had in the past, but no question he proved i was right that he was born loser.
Froch decisions was a joke, the fight was a joke how many times can froch hold and hit in the back of the head and not get a point deducted, no way i see that score 115-112 for Froch, a complete joke, Froch is a joke I think Dirrell has a better chance against Abraham than Froch does.Last edited by nflman2033; 10-18-2009, 10:03 AM.Comment
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That was an awful decision. For as good as the tournament is on paper it's not going to mean shit if the judging and reffing is just as bad per usual.
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Dirrell got shitted on and Taylor got starched just like I knew he would.
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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.....Comment
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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 itComment
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