By Geoff “The Professor” Poundes

If the Super-Six saw itself as a crucible within which to mix a volatile collection of fighters/promoters/ring physicians/fight-fans and hangers-on, then the Arthur Abraham-Andre Dirrell match-up in round two of the tournament will have lived up to everyone’s expectations.

Stranger things have happened in a boxing ring, but not often. Dirrell, now 19-1, 13 KO’s, won the fight flat on his back, his leg twitching spasmodically. When he was dragged to his feet he began weeping like a baby, shouting at once “I got dropped, man” and then “He hit me when I was down!”

He was right the second time. Arthur Abraham, the previously undefeated Armenian, had indeed clocked him while he was on one knee in the corner, courtesy of a pressure-induced slip, causing Dirrell to blink for a second, and then stretch out on the canvas rubbing his head and eyes and writhing as though he’s been harpooned.

The referee Laurence Cole, who had had a poor night up to that point, at least made the right decision – in fact, the only decision he could make – which was to summarily disqualify Abraham and award the fight to the prostrate American.

In the fracas of the aftermath in the ring, Abraham argued somewhat strangely that as he hadn’t intentionally landed a right hand on Dirrell, the fight should have continued after Andre had been allowed some recovery time – but he was surely clutching at straws given that Dirrell, legitimately or otherwise, was behaving as though his senses had been scrambled into the Detroit night.

So the controversy was not about Cole’s decision, but about the legitimacy of Dirrell’s “injuries”. Abraham and his cohorts were in doubt that Dirrell had acted out, in order to steal the win in a fight that he had dominated for nine rounds, but was clearly losing grip off as Abraham stepped things up. Dirrell was dropped heavily in the tenth (a knockdown missed by Cole, but plainly obvious to everyone else), and was under fire in the eleventh when the finish came, just as the cognoscenti were beginning to believe that Abraham’s customary late rally might just  yield him yet another knockout.

Much has been made since of Dirrell’s acting abilities, if indeed that was what won him the fight. This scribe’s first impression on the night was that Abraham’s blow was nothing more than a glancing one, that Dirrell had taken several more hefty shots in the fight, and that he was milking it for all he was worth. Replays of the incident appeared to back up that conclusion, as there was a clear pause between impact and effect, which is not unusual in boxing, but Dirrell’s subsequent reactions did not appear those of a man concussed.

Generally, a twitching leg on a knocked out fighter means just that – he’s knocked cold. He’s not in a position to writhe around tearfully holding his head.

Once Dirrell was on his feet, he certainly appeared to be disoriented, and he was shouting a stream of conflicting statements in all directions. Later, his physician was interviewed in the dressing room saying that he was sure Dirrell had suffered a concussion – and yet, Dirrell could plainly be seen behind him on his feet and talking, and he’d just exited the ring under his own steam and walked unaided from ring to backstage. In this scribe’s experience a fighter having shipped the degree of punishment Dirrell’s actions suggested in the ring, would have been on his back, in an oxygen mask, and on his way to hospital.

Of course, Dirrell’s proponents would counter with the argument: why would a guy who had won at least 8 of the previous 10 rounds, including a 10-8 round in the fourth when he dropped Abraham for an 8-count, seek an early exit from the fight, when he only had to stay on his feet for four more minutes to pick up an easy decision. It’s an argument that would hold water, were it not for the fact that in the previous four minutes he had been knocked on the seat of his pants, and was looking tired in the face of his opponents increasing momentum. Abraham’s people were adamant that had the fight continued Arthur would have got to Dirrell, and of course they can point to plenty of occasions in his 32 fight career when he’d done just that.

The truth will never be known, but the question marks will remain over Andre Dirrell for some time to come. For the first nine rounds of this contest he was a revelation, repeating the feat of his fellow countryman, namesake and friend Andre Ward, who had made another super-six European Mikkel Kessler look ordinary in their fight last November. Abraham found himself in with a real technician, and couldn’t get a foothold in the fight as Dirrell put on a display of speed and accuracy.

It may well be that Carl Froch is the main beneficiary of the result, since he has taken a decision from Dirrell, albeit a controversial one. Possibly the two super-six favorites, Abraham and Kessler, have been severely compromised in the tournament  and by the two young guns who most felt might have been out of their depth in the competition.  Should Froch turn back Kessler later this month, and in light of Kessler’s dire showing against Ward he would be favored to do so, then Froch will become the new leader of the pack as the tourney moves into stage three.

As for Andre Dirrell his next opponent will be Andre Ward, and he’ll have some pressure in the fight to show that he’s deserving of the Abraham win. Ward will have almost certainly taken care of Allan Green by then (they fight in June), and will have his eyes firmly set on maximum super-six points.

Rest assured when all the dust is settled, Arthur Abraham will be looking to drag Andre Dirrell into a rematch to reverse a result that I’m sure he believes was the wrong one. There remains the possibility that such a fight could well be for the unified super-middle title, which is now very much up for grabs.

Over here in the UK we’re reading with increasing alarm about the extra-curricular antics of Joe Calzaghe, who is not taking retirement well, and getting himself involved in all sorts of unsavory incidents. Calzaghe won’t be the first ex-fighter to find life away from the rigorous discipline of boxing hard to stomach, and I shan’t be at all surprised if in a year to eighteen months he steps back into the ring to give the super-six champion a chance at true legitimacy.

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