By Scott Gilfoid: In the latest episode of Showtime’s Fight Camp 360, super middleweight Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO’s) had a lot of praise for the power and skills of his March 27th opponent Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO’s), saying “He [Abraham] lines you up so you can’t move and then brings that right straight down. It’s pretty, Man, and it’s fast. That’s why it’s harder than it looks to escape from, because he’s [Abraham] so explosive. That man is dangerous, period.” I hope Dirrell isn’t giving Abraham too much credit. The guy is good, but he’s not as good as Dirrell is making him out to be.

I think Dirrell is making the mistake of getting starry-eyed after watching Abraham’s fight with Jermain Taylor too many times. Let’s be real about this fight: Taylor fought the wrong way against a slow, plodder, and he only has himself to blame for getting knocked out in the 12th because he stood in front of the guy. That’s like standing in front of George Foreman and then wondering why he’s blasting you apart with uppercuts. You don’t stand in front of a slugger like Abraham, unless you have a great chin or a fatalistic wish to be knocked out.

Dirrell will be too smart for that. He’s going to use movement, his jab and his hand speed to keep the German based former middleweight champion tied in knots come March 27th, when they meet at the Joe Louis Arena, in Detroit, Michigan. That’s going to be hometown advantage for Dirrell, who lives only 68 miles away in Flint, Michigan. The arena, which holds 20,000 fans, will be filled with Dirrell fans and I think this is going to be a big problem for Abraham. He’s used to fighting in front of large German crowns in his home in Germany.

Abraham has fought only twice out of Germany during his seven year pro career. One of his fights occurred in Switzerland against Wayne Elcock. You might as well call that Germany as well, because Switzerland is right next door to Germany, so I don’t count that as being out of Germany. Abraham’s other fight out of Germany was against Edison Miranda when they fought in Florida in June 2008. That’s nothing. Abraham is going to be facing a really hostile audience in Detroit, because this is Dirrell’s home state. Miranda is Colombian and doesn’t come from Florida, so you can’t even count that as a home town advantage for Miranda in his fight with Abraham.

Along with his praise for Abraham, Dirrell has also spotted some noticeable flaws, saying “He [Abraham] takes breathers. That’s when you got to jump on him. He don’t want you to hit that body. When he thinks I’m done, I’m going to come back and boom!”

Dirrell is right. Abraham likes to cover and rest between his short flurries. He makes the mistake of dropping his guard as he prepares to attack. Abraham does this every time and it’s like he’s telegraphing what he’s about to do. A smart fighter like Dirrell will take advantage of that by drilling Abraham when shots when his high guard comes down.