By Al Francis: The first two bouts of Showtime’s inaugural super six world boxing classic tournament are just round the corner. On October 17th Jermain ‘bad intentions’ Taylor will take on ‘king’ Arthur Abraham in Berlin, while Carl ‘the cobra’ Froch meets ‘the matrix’ Andre Dirrell in Nottingham. Both bouts promise to be intriguing as both are classic ‘boxer vs puncher’ matchups and have fans divided as to who’ll win and with four of the tournaments six fighters competing, each fighter will want to be the one that makes the lasting impression. With both bouts evenly matched and difficult to call, this writer makes his predictions.

Jermain Taylor vs. Arthur Abraham

First up is the former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor against the undefeated former IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham, with Taylor as the boxer and the German based Armenian as the puncher. Abraham is priced as a fairly solid favourite in this one which I feel is down the recent form line of the two fighters. Abraham is undefeated in 30 bouts as a pro while Taylor has lost 3 of his last 4, albeit against stellar opposition in Froch and current middleweight king Kelly Pavlik. In Taylor’s last fight he was ahead on points going into the 12th round before being dropped and stopped by Britain’s WBC champion and fellow super six contender Carl Froch. It was a familiar story for Taylor, as with his first fight with Pavlik, the Arkansas native started well but faded later down the stretch, eventually succumbing to the power of his bigger punching opponent. He will feel he has a point to prove, perhaps even more so than anyone else in the tournament. Abraham on the other hand, is looking to establish himself to a worldwide audience, having defended his middleweight belt 10 times and struggling with the weight in his last few, the super six presented the perfect opportunity to step up to the super middleweight limit of 168 lbs.

The feeling going into this one is that Taylor will use his skills and footwork to win most of the early rounds before again succumbing to the pressure and power of his opponent, however I don’t think this one will follow the script so many pundits have written. Abraham will combine ruthless aggression, nonstop pressure and power for 12 full rounds and despite Taylor’s form of late I can’t see him wilting in this one. You get the feeling Taylor has a good understanding of the flaws in his game which have held him back and knows all too well that he must not run out of gas against this little power house. I expect Abraham to be game throughout but in the end I’m picking Taylor to box cautiously, keeping out of harm’s way for the most part and picking up a close points win that’s more one sided than the judge’s cards will reflect. In the opening bout of the super six I’m picking the boxer to pick up 2 tournament points.

Andre Dirrell vs. Carl Froch

The second bout of the tournament see’s Carl Froch defend his WBC title against former olympic medalist Andre Dirrell, Froch being the puncher and Dirrell the boxer. This one really has fans divided, some going for Froch’s proven grit and punching power and others going for Dirrell’s speed and combinations. There’s no doubt Dirrell can box, Olympic medals don’t fall out of the sky but at this level in the pro’s he’s been largely untested, the same cannot be said of Froch, who in his last 2 contests has been involved in real wars against truly world class opponents in Taylor and current WBC light heavyweight boss Jean Pascal. Reports suggesting that Froch was knocked from pillar to post in his last outing are greatly exaggerated, however he was behind on points going into the 12th against Taylor and was out-boxed in some of the rounds. This has left some observers with the view that if Taylor can outbox Froch with speed then so can the fast handed Dirrell. However it’s not that black and white.

Taylor combined his speed and skill with a quick yet powerful jab, he jabbed with authority. Dirrell is ultra fast and can flick out his jab real quick but it doesn’t come with the same authority or power as Taylor’s. He can also fire out rapid fire Calzaghe-esque combinations which many feel could dazzle Froch, however I expect Froch’s power to neutralise this aspect of Dirrell’s game. Simply put, Dirrell is not Calzaghe. It’s easy to throw 5 or 6 punch combinations when nothing is coming back but it’s an entirely different story if you can feel the weight of your opponent’s punches. Dirrell, full of energy may well win a few of the early rounds as Froch struggles to get to grips with his speed and agility but as the rounds progress I expect Dirrell’s punch output to reduce to basic one two’s as Froch begins to find his range. By the championship rounds I’m expecting Froch to have taken the lead and really start bossing the fight as it draws to a close. It’s difficult to say how much of an impact Froch’s power will have with regards to stopping his man as Dirrell’s chin remains untested, so my final pick is for Froch to win by unanimous decision with the possibility of a late stoppage. The points win will earn Froch 2 tournament points and if he gets the stoppage he’ll pick up 3, either way I’m picking the puncher to win the tournament’s second contest.

So there you have it, two matchups featuring a boxer against a puncher and I expect both a boxer and a puncher to win. The third and final 1st round contest of the super six see’s Mikkel Kessler defend the WBA title against Andre Ward, but that one won’t be happening until November 21st so I’ll hold back on a third prediction till nearer the time. I’m quite certain that the debate won’t end here though as many fans will surely have varying opinions on the opening two bouts, so all I can say now is roll on the 17th!