By Liam Fitzgerald: I know it’s a bit later but having watched the 2nd round match of the Super Six Boxing Classic between Andre Dirrell and Arthur Abraham, I feel compelled to analyze the bout. In my opinion, it was the most intriguing fight in the tournament up to now and it was unfortunate that it ended in the manner that it did.

The fighters were coming off contrasting results in their fights and so understandably Abraham was installed as favourite. Dirrell’s fine boxing skills were evident in his first fight against Carl Froch and he surely would have taken a decision if he had just thrown a bit more. Therefore, it was very interesting beforehand to see if the Michigan man would change it up and commit to attacking a bit more.

In the first two rounds it was clear that this was exactly what Dirrell had the intention of doing. He circled Abraham, throwing fast combinations and winning both rounds based on his high work rate. Abraham’s high guard prevented a lot of the head punches but Dirrell had a few decent body attacks which gave him the rounds.

Abraham’s known as a slow starter so he wouldn’t have been unduly worried by the start. I gave him the third round as he started to open up more and although this left him more vulnerable to Dirrell’s combinations, he was the man who landed the cleaner, harder punches even though Dirrell probably connected with more. In the fourth Abraham started off again brighter but Dirrell’s quick feet enabled him to get out of the way when Abraham tried to cut the ring off to him. Then, Abraham got a bit wild and left himself wide open to a straight left from Dirrell that put him down for the first time in his career. For me, Abraham wasn’t hurt by the shot but was badly off balance and this was the main reason for him going down.

This was a very significant moment in the fight as it certainly slowed down Abraham. He was clearly reluctant to open his arms more which meant that Dirrell was able to comfortably pick him off for the next 4 to 5 rounds. There also seemed to be holes in the defensive guard and Dirrell loaded up with his punches more often. He didn’t wobble Abraham at any time in particular but it was pretty evident that he was well behind on the scorecards by the ninth round and would need a KO to win

He seemed to realize this as well and started the 10th a lot more purposefully. He seemed aware that Dirrell was unlikely to hurt him so abandoned the high guard and went looking for his opponent more. This policy was working as he pressured his opponent effectively before landing a straight right hand that knocked down Dirrel. Astonishingly though, the referee ruled it a slip and Dirrell did not have to take the count. The extra point wouldn’t have made much difference on the scorecards if it went the distance but it at least gave Abraham the incentive to carry on going forward, knowing his opponent was hurt.

Again in the 11th Abraham was looking dangerous but then went too far when he hit Dirrell on the floor after the American slipped. At first, it seemed as though the shot had not caused much damage but Dirrell then collapsed looking shaken. The referee had no choice but to end the fight by DQ and left everybody feeling slightly disheartened by the anti-climax ending.

The fight was so good as it threw up so many talking points. Firstly, how good are the two fighters? Many had thought that it was a foregone conclusion that Abraham would win but Dirrell improved on the Froch fight and looked fairly impressive offensively. One potential worry for him was that Abraham was able to find him whenever he wanted to as there was little head movement. It wasn’t to much of a problem in this particular fight as Abraham is not a combination puncher but it’s something that Andre Ward should look at targeting in their upcoming fight.

For Abraham it was a bit of a reality check that his style is very much beatable. He needs to make an effort to do more at the start of a bout to avoid chasing fights because he is a heavy hitter who was still able to trouble Dirrell with his power shots. It would just be better for him if he wasn’t throwing them in desperation towards the end of fights because they would certainly be more effective.

Saying that, I expect both men to reach the semi finals of the tournament and would like to see a potential rematch. Doubts remain over Dirrell’s chin after the “knockdown” and by him being knocked out by that illegal shot whilst we will have to see how Abraham will react to losing his first fight. Therefore the progress of these two fighters in the future will be very interesting after this fight and the result without doubt has added a bit of spice to the tournament.