Andre Dirrell vs. Carl Froch

Carl Froch

Andre Dirrell

Keys to the fight: (Dirrell) Dirrell needs to show a lot of movement. Froch will pressure him, but Dirrell has fast hands. He needs to stick and move. Dirrell should also use the jab and not stand in front of Froch too long.

Keys to the fight: (Froch) Pressure him. Dirrell has hand speed, but Froch needs to work his way inside and fire his powerful right hand. Dirrell's chin is untested. Froch can take a good punch and has fought better fighters up to this point. Froch should attack Dirrell's body to slow down his movement.

Prediction: Andre Dirrell is a better boxer than Carl Froch, but is he a better fighter? Dirrell shows very good movement and could easily out box the slower Froch, right? Dirrell even switches from a conventional to a southpaw stance effectively during fights. At first glance, it appears Dirrell's hand and foot speed should define the outcome of this fight. Perhaps, an easy victory for Dirrell? After all, Froch is slower and has an awkward style. Not so fast. Remember Froch knocking out Jermain Taylor? Taylor has fought better fighters than Dirrell. Taylor possessed a solid jab, showed good movement and had definitive power in his right hand. Well, Froch eventually wore him down with relentless pressure. He landed the harder and cleaner punches in the later rounds and showed a stronger will to win than Taylor. Get boxing gloves by Everlast and Ringside.

Can Carl Froch defeat the untested, but talented Andre Dirrell? Carl Froch is an experienced veteran and has fought very solid opposition in three of his last four fights. He defeated Robin Reid, an undefeated Jean Pascal and Jermain Taylor. Who has Dirrell fought? Dirrell's most notable victories have come against Mike Paschall and Anthony Hanshaw. These were good fighters that Dirrell defeated, but they do not possess the quality of the opponents Froch has faced. Dirrell's chin has surly not yet been tested, but the young fighter does show much promise. Right now, I have to select Carl Froch to win by a knockout in the 10th round in a fight that will get closer as the bout moves into the later rounds.

Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward

Mikkel Kessler

Andre Ward

Keys to the fight: (Kessler) Kessler needs to put enormous pressure and establish his left jab to keep Ward from dictating the pace of this fight with his skillful boxing ability. Ward has faster hands, but Kessler's hand speed is vastly underrated. Kessler has the edge in power and if he can impose his will successfully on Ward, he can defeat him. Kessler also has the edge in experience because he has fought better opposition such as Anthony Mundine, Eric Lucas, Markus Beyer, Librado Andrade and perhaps the best super middleweight of all time, Joe Calzaghe.

Keys to the fight: (Ward) Look for Ward to use angles and a lot of movement against Kessler. If Ward can use his boxing ability to keep Kessler turning and not set to punch, it will enable him to land accurate combinations. Kessler does not fight well backing up and will be the aggressor. If Ward can execute a game plan of sticking and moving, he will take Kessler's strength away from him because Kessler will not be able to land his power shots. Ward's most notable opponents have been Jerson Ravelo and Edison Miranda. Ward doesn't possess the professional experience of Kessler, but is a very intelligent fighter, who has been getting better with each bout.

Prediction: I'm picking Andre Ward by a very close 12 round unanimous decision. Going into this bout, some say Kessler is the man to beat in the tournament. However, Kessler has trouble with fighters that give different angles and show good movement. For example, Kessler had trouble landing his power punches against Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe boxed beautifully against Kessler and kept him from being set to punch. Although Calzaghe is a southpaw, Andre Ward shows similar boxing ability and movement. Ward is a smart fighter that is starting to peak now. If Joe Calzaghe can out box Kessler with his great movement, I say the 2004 Olympic Gold medalist can too! Get your boxing protective equipment for less.

Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor

Arthur Abraham

Jermain Taylor

Keys to the fight: (Abraham) - Apply pressure. Abraham can take a solid punch and has a better chin than Taylor. If the fight gets into the later rounds, the advantage goes to Abraham because Taylor has shown in the past that he wears down in the championship rounds. Abraham doesn't throw a lot of punches, but makes the ones he throws count. Abraham has good power, but this will be his first fight at super middleweight since early in his professional career. Taylor fought his entire career at middleweight before moving up to 168 lbs. three bouts ago.

Keys to the fight: (Taylor) Utilize the jab. Jermain Taylor has a very effective left jab and should use it in this bout to stop Abraham from applying pressure. However, Taylor tends to bring his jab back low and this has led to him getting hit with right hands his entire career. Taylor is the better boxer and possesses the skills to out box Abraham for 12 rounds. The question is - will he? Taylor has faded late in his past fights, most notably when he was stopped by Carl Froch in the 12th round of his last bout. Some observers had Taylor winning on the scorecards heading into the last round. Can Taylor come back after suffering a dramatic loss to Froch and win his very next fight against an opponent the caliber of Arthur Abraham? Taylor's career is essentially on the line in this fight. Assuming Taylor loses, he could potentially drop out of the top ten depending on the outcome. A decision loss may keep him ranked as a contender, but suffering another knock out defeat may result in Taylor retiring. Get yourself a new punching bag and save with $2.95 shipping.

Prediction: I am picking Jermain Taylor to win via 12 round unanimous decision. Some people may call this prediction an upset. There is more on the line for Taylor if he were to lose than Abraham. A loss for Taylor could signal the end of a career. I believe Taylor can use his boxing ability to weather the storm of Abraham's pressure because Abraham does not let his hands go enough. Taylor will get hit, but he knows what happened in the past. He knows what he has to do in the later rounds to not allow that to happen again. I think facing this adversity will make Taylor come out victorious.

Who Will Win SHOWTIME'S Super Middleweight (168 LBS.) Tournament?

CARL FROCH
25-0, 20 KO's

ANDRE DIRRELL
18-0, 13 KO's

JERMAIN TAYLOR
28-3-1, 17 KO's

ARTHUR ABRAHAM
30-0, 24 KO's

ANDRE WARD
20-0, 13 KO's

MIKKEL KESSLER
42-1, 32 KO's

October 17
At Berlin, Germany (Showtime): Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor, 12 rounds
At Nottingham, England (Showtime): Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell, 12 rounds,
for Froch's WBC super middleweight title

November 21
At Oakland, Calif. (Showtime): Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward, 12 rounds,
for Kessler's WBA super middleweight title

Tournament Rules

Each fighter will have the opportunity to compete against one another in a series of scheduled twelve round bouts during the first three “Group Stages” of the tournament. There is also a point system in place:

A win is 2 points (with a 1-point bonus for a KO/TKO).

A draw is 1 point for each fighter. A loss equals 0 points.

The four highest point scorers will move on to the semifinal rounds, while the two fighters with the least point totals will be eliminated. The winners of the semifinal bouts will meet in the final round of the championship series in early 2011.

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