What is being called one of the best events to take place in boxing in quite awhile, got off to a rather questionable start. Fight fans were treated to two fights last night. One ended with a bang and the other with many people scratching their heads.
In the opening bout, Arthur Abraham took out Jermain Taylor in stunning fashion. Leading on all score cards heading into the final round, Taylor was put to sleep with just a few seconds remaining. A brutal knockout put the finishing touches on a quality win for Abraham.
Jermain Taylor looked good early but was never able to do any damage. He had a tough time penetrating the defense of Abraham. The reason Taylor was winning rounds was the fact that Abraham just wasn't throwing punches. That all started to change around round five.
Once Abraham started to apply some pressure he got the better of all the exchanges and his defense was the difference. Taylor was frustrated and it showed as he once again seemed to be running out of gas. Abraham also looked tired but landed a bomb in the 12th to finish off Taylor and possibly send him packing from the tournament.
Arthur Abraham, moving up in weight from 160 for the Super 6 should give almost all the other fighters problems. His defense is very solid and his has a very solid chin. If he wasn't such a slow starter, he would have controlled the entire fight against Taylor.
The second fight of the evening was Carl Froch taking on Andre Dirrell. This was one of the dirtiest fights I have seen in a long long time and it was finished off with one of the worst decisions as well.
Andre Dirrell proved he was for real last night but walked away emptied handed. Two judges some how gave Froch the win in a fight I had Dirrell winning eight out of twelve rounds. Dirrell threw more punches and landed some solid shots while Froch continued to hit behind the head and landed maybe one decent punch.
In theory, the Super 6 World Boxing Classic is fantastic. However, if fighters are going to get hometown decisions, then we are going to have some serious issues. The best fighter didn't win tonight and it's a damn shame. The world of boxing needs to be taken seriously. Horrible decisions make people turn away and tonight is another example of that.
Andre Dirrell should be a champion after tonight. He landed more punches and more meaningful shots. Carl Froch looked to be an average fighter. His defense was shaky and his style is very akward. Add in a bunch of dirty tactics and bad footwork.
The opening stage could be a sign of what's to come. I hope that isn't the case because again, boxing needs to get back to the big stage. Here in the United States, the fan base is dwindling. Maybe a former Olympic gold medalist will be just what the doctor ordered.
Andre Ward takes on Mikkel Kessler on November 21st to finish up the first round of this round robin style tournament. I have a very good feeling that the US will get their first win on that night.
