By Scott Gilfoid: American boxing talent Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO’s) is ready to continue schooling his opponents when he takes on former International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO’s) in their Super Six tournament fight on March 6th at the Agua Caliente Casino, Rancho Mirage, California. Dirrell, 26, looked superb in his last fight against WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch, putting on a performance that reminded me of a young Sugar Ray Robinson and Cassius Clay. However, Dirrell ended up losing by a 12 round split decision to Froch, who was fighting in front of a large British crowd in the safe confines of Nottingham.

The loss left me speechless, as I’d never seen a fighter put on as good a performance as Dirrell did on that night and still end up losing the fight. I personally scored the fight eight rounds to three for Dirrell, with one round even.

Dirrell looked untouchable in the fight, and the only way that Froch was able to land with any consistency was in close while the two fighters were in a clinch. Dirrell, being a professional, hasn’t let the loss to Froch make him a bitter person and has instead moved on and is looking to make up for that defeat by making sure he looks especially impressive in beating the 29-year-old Abraham on March 6th.

Dirrell has most of the advantages going for him in this fight. Dirrell, 6’2”, will be taller than Abraham by four inches and will also have a three inch reach advantage to go along with his much better hand speed. In terms of defense, Dirrell is almost unhittable. I can’t see Abraham landing a glove on him unless Abraham resorts to holding and hitting while in close or throwing clubbing elbows.

In that case, Dirrell will have to be prepared for that kind of illegal play by staying away from Abraham to make sure he doesn’t get hit with an occasional elbow or rabbit punch. Dirrell is a total professional, and would never think to stoop to the level of fouling to get an edge, so if he’s met with fouls by Abraham, Dirrell will first look to the referee to step in and correct Abraham by warning him or taking points off. If that fails, Dirrell will have to let his hands go and shoot for the fences by making Abraham pay for any fouls that he makes in the fight.

Abraham stopped his stage 1 opponent Jermain Taylor with a big right hand in the 12th round. Dirrell won’t have the same fate happen to him, however, because he’ll never let Abraham’s painfully slow and badly telegraphed right hands land. Abraham is so predictable with his offense it’s not even funny. For two-thirds of every round, Abraham does little more than cover up behind his ropes, trying to block shots.

In the last third of ever round, Abraham charges madly at his opponents throwing wild windmill shots in an effort to try and steal the round. It’s a strategy that works more often than not, because judges often give Abraham rounds despite him being totally outworked in the vast majority of every round. In looking at many of Abraham’s fights in slow motion, most of his wild shots miss badly, yet he still ends up winning rounds by just throwing punches in the last 30 seconds of the rounds, no matter whether they connect or not.

It shows that many judges tend to have amnesia when it comes to seeing the earlier work in the round and give more weight for the action from one fighter in the last 30 seconds, even if that fighter is missing with most of their shots. This is why Dirrell will have to be ready for Abraham’s wild late surges by stepping to the side and making him pay by spearing him with hard shots as the bull-like Abraham comes rushing madly by.

It’s not enough to just avoid Abraham’s wild shots, through. Dirrell is going to have to land in the last 30 seconds too, because judges will probably still give the rounds to Abraham if he’s throwing punches in the last seconds and just missing.