Dougie's FAT Friday Mailbag

GETTIN' EXCITED!

Doug,
I am getting more excited about the super middle tourney by the minute. It's like someone finally GETS IT! How to get people excited about boxing! Make great fights! Each one of these fighters brings so much. And the most interesting aspect of it is this: the one with the most losses is the most accomplished, far and away, with the best pedigree.

This is gonna rock. Finally, a reason to be excited about boxing again. My picks for Sat:

Froch, KO 11
Honest Abe, KO 7

Can't wait! With a pack o' zigzags 'n' let the gamez begin.... -- DeCristo

I feel the same way, buddy. Well said.

I can totally envision the scenarios you predict for the Froch-Dirrell and Abraham-Taylor fights.

Froch is going to test Dirrell like Anthony Hanshaw and Victor Oganov could only dream of doing. The Nottingham hero is one of the most durable and confident fighters in the game. I think the late rounds will be very interesting. Abraham is my pick to win the Super Six, so obviously I can see him whacking Taylor out once he figures out the American's style. He could end it in the middle rounds if he gets a clean shot. We'll see. I think Taylor is going to be very dangerous and competitive.

My picks:

Dirrell by close (maybe controversial) decision

Abraham by close decision.

I think both fights are going to be entertaining with a lot of ebb and flow and back-and-forth action.

SUPER-MIDDLE MEMORIES

Doug,
Just wanted to compliment and thank you for the super middleweight history article. Not only did it put the entire division into perspective, but it brought back many memories for me.

I know you had to spend some extra time to put that one together, but it was worth it. Thanks. -- Ken

Thanks Ken. That piece took me a full day to research and a full day to write. I'm glad you appreciated it and found it to be an entertaining and informational read.

SUPER DIVISION

Hey Dougie,
Great article about the super middleweights. This division has always been my favorite weight class simply because the Dark Destroyer Nigel Benn is one of my all time greats. Okay, he wasn't as technically gifted as Roy Jones, but he left everything in the ring and he could bang, which is what I like about Froch, he will leave everything in the ring on Saturday and like Benn he can bang. I really think Dirrell is in trouble, big time. I don't give him a hope in hell and see him getting banged out by ten. I don't think Froch will win the Super Six, but you can be guaranteed every one of his fights, win or lose, will be a thriller.

Anyway, just wanted to hear your thoughts on who you regard as the best Super Middleweight of all time and to also pick a personal favorite. I think Roy Jones in his prime wins a comp like this including the likes of Calzaghe... personally my favorite Super Middleweights was Nigel Benn, the man left his heart and soul in the ring and was not too dissimilar to the late great Arturo Gatti.

Would be great to get a shout back. Cheers. -- Chris, London.

I think Roy Jones was at his best at super middleweight and was damn near unbeatable during his all-too brief title reign. He's my pick as the best 168-pound fighter of all time. An argument can certainly be made for Joe Calzaghe being the best super middleweight ever. If it ain't Jones, it's the Welsh Wizard.

My personal favorite is a tie between Benn and James Toney. I think Toney would have beat Benn had they fought at 168 pounds but, damn it, it would have been a fight worth watching. Benn was a force of nature. He was so primal in the ring. I loved watching him fight. He was a real fighter with throw-back spirit. My all-time favorite post-fight interview is the one Benn gave Alex Wallau after he scored a first-round technical stoppage against Iran Barkley (another favorite of mine) in defense of his WBO 160-pound belt. Wallau was outraged that Benn hit the Blade while he was down and Benn's reaction to Alex and then the replay of his very late his is CLASSIC. At first he denies it, then he sees the tape and admits it ("Oh yeah, I see what you mean"), then he explains it a result of "being SOOOO hyped... SOOOO within myself," then he takes a moment to lead the cheering song of the drunk British fans who flew into the States to support him before he calls out Sugar Ray Leonard, adding that "Us Brits ain't a bunch of pussies." It's great stuff. Maybe it's on Youtube.com.

You might be right about Froch. I'm picking Dirrell, but Froch has proven that he can overcome superior athletic talents in his last two fights (vs. Jean Pascal and Taylor).

MAJOR PROPS TO SHOWTIME & THE CZAR

Yo Dougie,
Just reordered Showtime for this Saturday's start of the revolutionary Super 6 tournament. I canceled Showtime a while back when I found out my IT job is going to be outsourced next year, but hell, I feel I need to give Ken Hershman my support for his Herculean effort in putting this together. I believe this tournament style format will catch on in other weight classes. Here are a few of my comments on the Super 6:

1. First episode of Fight Camp 360 was very good, not quite 24/7 level, but close. It's so true when one of the promoters (Gary Shaw?) said that in no other sport, is a loss more damaging than in boxing. The fans and the media needs to change that outlook for our sport to thrive. Fortunately, the Super 6 format takes away much of this risk because of the multiple guaranteed high level matches and paydays.

2. Most pundits seem to favor Abraham, with Kessler a close second. Those who favor speed and natural talent, pick Ward, then Dirrell. You are the few (or the only one) who gives Taylor a shot. No one seems to think Froch has a much of a shot to win it all. I agree, but I also think no one will have an easy fight against him.

3. I'm going with Dirrell by decision this Saturday, outboxing Froch like Taylor did, except with more speed in the first 8 rounds or so, then turning into Andre Gazelle and running the last 4 rounds. Despite your great article and all his talk of eating healthier and losing weight earlier, I'm going with Abraham by brutal KO in the mid rounds.

But I don't care who wins, I just want to see some great fights, have it create some new boxing fans and get Showtime and HBO put on more tournaments like these! -- JL, San Diego

I'm like you, I don't care who wins. I just want the fights to deliver and I hope Hershman's concept (or something like it) catches on with other networks that show boxing (not just HBO).

Now allow me to respond to your three points:

1. I thought Fight Camp 360 was excellent. I watched it in pieces on YouTube.com and thoroughly enjoyed the segments on Froch and Abraham since I didn't know much about their personal lives. I think it's as well produced as a 24/7 but not as dramatic, which is a plus in my book. It reminded me of a Countdown show and I think it's about time Showtime got on board with these types of pre-fight features.

2. I think it's foolish to count Taylor out. He's got the best combination of experience and athletic talent of the bunch. Froch shouldn't be counted out, either. He might have the biggest heart in the tournament. I love his confidence and desire. In my opinion, Froch and Taylor are the dark horses of the Super Six.

3. "Andre Gazelle"... no you didn't! You remember that nickname I gave homeboy after he stank it out against Curtis Stevens on HBO B.A.D. He redeemed himself with the Hanshaw fight, which let me know that he had real potential. If Froch allows Dirrell to get into a rhythm in the early rounds the Michigan native is going to be hard to catch. I won't be surprised if Abraham whacks Taylor out by the mid-round, but I wouldn't be shocked if he dropped Abraham in the early going. I don't think this is going to be an easy fight for Abraham. I think Taylor is going to redeem himself on Saturday, win, lose or draw.

ABRAHAM CAN'T BEAT KESSLER

Doug,
I just read your article on the history of the super middleweight division... and I felt compelled to write to extend my gratitude for a) your exhaustive knowledge and b) your zest for sharing it. Props, Sir!

By the way, Abraham would never get past Kessler imo. How would you envision him winning that fight, which he'll most likely have to do in order to fulfill your pre-tournament prediction? -- Mike

Abraham is a very good counter-puncher who knows how to box taller and rangier boxers (just ask Kingsley Ikeke who I admit isn't anywhere close to being as good as Kessler). There's no doubt that the Dane would give him trouble with his jab like he does everyone, but Abraham won't be as easy a target as say Librado Andrade. He'll make Kessler reach and he'll counter the talented one-two specialist. And once Abraham is inside I think he'll give Kessler hell. That's just my opinion. I can't wait to find out what really happens.

Thanks for the kind words on the article.

MOST IMPORTANT BOUTS?

Hello mister Fischer,
Just a comment about your article "The super middleweight division: 25 years of talent, action and drama". It is an interesting article and it gives us a good overview of what happened in this weight category during the last few decades but I have a little problem with your selection of the information. More specifically, I have a problem with the bouts you've decided talk about for the first decade of the 21st century, especially that you wrote: "Here is a look at the most important bouts that took place in the super middleweight division".

Now, tell me how fights between Green and Codrington, Ward and Miranda, Dirrell and Hanshaw, were supposed to be of any importance to the division. I mean, I understand that you're trying to give a boost to the super six tournament (which is legitimate since it's such a great event) but how can you write about those bouts and not even mention a single Lucian Bute fight? Any of his fights against Bika, Berrio or Andrade certainly were of a greater importance than Green's win against Codrington (or Dirrell vs Hanshaw for that matter)! Both Green and Dirrell may have mad potential but they have proven close to nothing up to now.

I may be partial since I'm a Bute fan but it still doesn't feel right.

Anyways, thanks for your good work, it's always fun to read your articles. -- Arthur Billette, Quebec City, Canada

I figured if I got any negative or complaint emails on that article it would either be from German fans who objected to my mentioning that Sven Ottke got a bunch gift decisions or Canadian fans who wondered where Bute was. So far nobody from Germany has written in and you're the only Bute fan who got his feathers ruffled... LOL.

Here's the deal. One of the major themes of the article was the difficulty the 168-pound division had gaining acceptance in the U.S. Elsewhere in the world -- Canada, South Africa, Australia and all of Europe -- the super middleweight division was accepted with open arms. So some of the fights I included were not significant in terms of the level of the fighters and/or fights but were important for the impact they had on American fans. The Green-Codrington fight was a scheduled eight rounder between prospects, however the nature of the KO that took place had the fans buzzing for weeks worldwide and especially Stateside.

You can argue that Ward and Dirrell still haven't been tested or aren't truly world class, but both are in the Super Six tournament, which has international attention and significance, and both young Americans are Olympic medalists. If either Dre wins the tournament he can return a lot of mainstream U.S. attention to the division that hasn't been there since Roy Jones was knocking guys out on HBO.

I know Bute's a big deal where you live. But dude, Eric Lucas and even that sicko Dave Hilton, who beat a former lightweight for a 168-pound belt, was a super star in Quebec.

Not so down here. I think Bute is skilled, talented and fairly gutsy, but right now he's just another titleholder. He's no better or more accomplished than In-Chul Baek, Chris Tiozzo, Graciano Rocchigiani, Fulgencio Obelmejias, or Lindell Holmes -- all of whom I did not mention in my article.

There's no way I would have included Bute's fights with Bika or Berrio. I thought he stank out the joint in those bouts. The one fight I could have -- and probably should have -- included was his fight with Andrade. That was a fight that caused a lot of ripples in the boxing world because of the controversial nature of the final round. I also think it was a very good performance for Bute (at least for 11 rounds). He out-classed Andrade about as well as Kessler did for nine or 10 rounds.

Hey, if your boy beats Andrade again I think he'll be included in any discussion about major 168-pound players and maybe on his way to becoming an all-time player in the division. I wish him luck.

BETTIN' ON JERMAIN TAYLOR

Alright Big D,
Now, for me Jermain Taylor is the boxing bet of the year to win the Super 6 tourney. Who has Kessler been in with? Calzaghe and that's about it. Froch beat a version of Taylor who ran out of gas (which Taylor only has himself to blame, I don't think he'll make the same mistake again), also beat Pascal who's a decent divisional fighter but nothing more (and got 2 gimmes' from the judges in his hometown, when it was much much closer). Dirrell is unproven, Ward has got the 'mighty' Miranda on his resume and not alot more and the same goes for Abraham. Taylor's record reads Hopkins, Ouma, Spinks, Lacy, Pavlik & Froch (probably out of order). The only 'if' I have is if he turns up in-shape, his gassing-out in recent fights obviously documented. An in-shape Taylor beats all of the aforementioned for me, it's a bit like saying that when Tiger Woods hits his 'A' game no-one can live with him. The same applies to Taylor in my opinion.

On a side note, pretty please can you ask Schaefer, Arum and other big wigs in the world of promoters to please please ask HBO to stream PPV online?!?!? There's a huge chance us guys this side of the pond (UK, not Aus!) will miss out on watching such fights as Williams v Pavlik. Setanta usually put on the fights SkySports didn't want to air from across the pond (or couldn't with various TV politics getting in the way), with them going bust we're up the proverbial creek without a paddle and nothing to watch! Not counting the shoddy matchup of Khan v Salita - boredomville here we come.

One last thought, what's your take on Haye v Valuev? And do you think a smart move once Haye's won would be to take on Arreola in the US? Win that and he's setting himself up big time for a crack at either of the K-bros, after announcing himself in the US? And seeing as though you thought Arreola would "100%" knock out Haye it'll be a fight you wanting your adopted son to get I presume? Thanks. -- Geoff, London

My take on Valuev-Haye is that it's a fight the British loudmouth should win, but only if he boxes and outmaneuvers the giant. If he tries to take out the Missing Link he might get caught himself.

Unless Haye beats Valuev I don't really care to discuss what might be in store for him in the future. (By the way, I though Edwin Valero was my adopted son?)

I agree that U.S. cable networks should do more to webcast live fights internationally. There's got to be a deal that HBO, Showtime, and the major promoters can make with an internet giant like Yahoo! (which already broadcasts the non-televised undercards to select boxing PPV cards and all the major UFC PPV shows on its Sports arm).

There's no doubt that Taylor is the most experienced participant in the Super Six. We'll see if his training camp was all he said it was on Saturday. If it was, his experience might carry him to more than one upset.

IT'S SHOWTIME!

Dougie,
Whatz poppin bro? Hope all is well. Haven't wrote in a bit. I just had Twins...girls...Crazy!!
Still waiting on the webcast you guys are planning on.

On to the fights:
Carl Froch (25-0, 20 knockouts) vs Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs)

Arthur Abraham (30-0-0, 24 KOs) vs. Jermain Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs)

These are really good fights. At first I was thinking Froch/Abraham would win. But then I kept on reading and watching different things about Dirrell/Taylor. And that got me second guessing myself. Down to the final week and I'm still unsure but I'll go with this: Froch UD & Abraham TKO 10th.

I want both Americans to win but I think the home field advantage will be a factor (Judges & Ref).

I still cannot get over the fact how Dirrell looked when a strong fighter was pressing him (Curtis Stevens, etc..) and how he reacted to it. I believe he will hit & run but wouldn't land anything to stop Froch in his tracks. I do not think he will get beat up but lose a lopsided decision that should be closer but the judges wouldn't give him credit for it.

I hope Taylor can work the "stick" early in the fight to give him a fighting chance but eventually Abraham will zero-in on that chin/temple and lights-out for Bad Intentions!! I do not think Taylor can hurt Abraham with his lopping right and if that is the case he will not discourage Arthur from coming forward late in the fight. I hope I am wrong on both....

Do you think after the 1st round of fights that "home field" will be a problem in the 2nd round? As in fighters not wanting to travel? (Ref, judges, crowd)

Early thoughts - Kessler by dominating UD. That Jab will stop Ward's movement.

Cotto/Pac undercard Sucks!!!! A bunch of Telemundo/espn2 fights. It should have B.A.D type fights not this BS. Arum is so full of it. No wonder people just show up for the main event.

Sorry for the long joint. Peace. -- Frankie from the Bronx

Finally, a boxing fan with the balls to criticize Arum. I had gotten used to everyone and his gay brother bitching and moaning about Golden Boy.

We'll see how well Kessler's jab works against Ward. The last time I saw the Dane in with an opponent with good footwork, he lost (to Calzaghe).

I don't think anyone will threaten to pull out of the Super Six for fear of being robbed by biased officials because the participants will be bouncing back and forth so much. This Saturday, the Americans are in Europe. Next month the European is in the U.S. And the month after that it will be switched up, and so on.

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think Abraham-Taylor will feature a lot of even action.

I think Dirrell has grown since the Stevens fight. Has he grown enough to handle a beast like Froch? I'm not 100 percent sure, but that's one reason tomorrow's fight is so intriguing.

Congrats on the girls. They will change your life for the better, but you will never get a good night's sleep again.

SNAKE WINS SUPER SIX!

Okay so here is my predictions:

1. Dirrell UD12 Froch - Not sold on Froch being too good
2. Abraham KO12 Taylor - Taylor leads first 35 minutes of the fight quits tourney after loss
3. Kessler SD12 Ward - best first round fight
4. Abraham KO8 Dirrell - Dirrell has his moments in the fight
5. Kessler UD12 Froch - something like 120-107 on all the cards Froch quits tourney
6. Ward UD12 Allan Green - Green says he didn't lose and that all the other fighters are scared of him and quits the tourney
7. Ward UD12 Dirrell - close fight
8. Abraham UD12 Andrade - Abraham pulls a folding chair from the stands to hit Andrade with and still can't KO him
9. Kessler DQ5 Sakio Bika - referee DQ's Bika after he headbutts Kessler in the groin for the 4th time

Semifinals in January 2011 - By this point Kessler has retired due to exhaustion from fighting more than once a year, Pavlik finally agrees to fight Abraham at 160 but Abraham dies of heat dehydration trying to make 160. Dirrell's brother pushes Ward out of an airplane but due to a DNA snafu Andre goes to prison. Showtime substitutes Sergio Mora and Peter Manfredo in for the title match.

Mora wins by UD12 and wins the Showtime Tourney! -- Mike in Louisville

It can happen (in fact, it probably has happened in Ken Hershman's nightmares).


Dougie can be reached at dougiefischer@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dougiefischer