Abraham-Taylor: Can Jermain Win the Super Six Tourney? Huck-Afolabi on Dec 5th

By Erik Schmidt: Former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KO’s) is being given little chance to win the Super Six tournament that he begins next month against former International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KO’s) in a 12 round bout which will take place at the O2 World Arena, Kreuzberg, in Berlin, Germany.

Taylor, 31, is being overlooked by many boxing experts, who see him largely as a relic of the past and someone who will be over his head against the other quality super middleweights in the six-man tourney. However, Taylor, if he brings his A game with him, may might end up surprising some experts by beating a few, possibly all of the contestants if Taylor’s stamina can hold out on him. Taylor’s stamina is the major question mark for him in the tournament.

If it holds up, Taylor may sweep the Super Six tourney and end up beating all the fighters. He’s certainly has the best combination of speed and power of any fighter that will be competing. His chin, though, is also a problem for him. Taylor will be facing some big punchers, starting with the 29-year-old Abraham.

Taylor has been hurt or knocked out in fights against Kelly Pavlik and Carl Froch when he made the mistake of mixing it up with them. Taylor played directly into the hands of these guys by choosing to slug with them rather than using his speed and boxing skills to control the action from the outside like he should have done. That was obviously a mistake on Taylor’s part and he ended up paying for it by getting knocked out.

At 31, Taylor can’t afford to screw up again and try to trade with Abraham in their fight on October 17th, because Abraham will take him out quick. Abraham may not be the biggest or the fastest of the super middleweights in the tournament, but he has excellent power and can put Taylor in trouble in a heartbeat if he elects to trade with him.

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Marco Huck vs. Ola Afolabi on December 5th

Fresh off his impressive 12 round unanimous decision over World Boxing Organization cruiserweight champion Victor Emilio Ramirez on August 29th, Marco Huck (26-1, 20 KO’s) will take on WBO interim champion Ola Afolabi (14-3-1, 6 KOs) on December 6th, at the Arena, Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Huck, 24, looked very sharp in boxing Ramirez from the outside using his jab and combinations to win the WBO title.

It was by far Huck’s finest performance of his five year pro career as he avoided some of his most common mistakes that he had previously been making in the past, such as lying on the ropes and covering up like a sparring partner. However, Huck is going to have a much tougher opponent in facing Afolabi who is a very clever fighter and is known for his good defensive skills and power. Afolabi, 29, has been inactive since stopping Enzo Maccarinelli in the 9th round on March 14th 2009.

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