The Army Boxing Thread

[sonrisa salvaje]

Another big weekend of boxing coming up:

Super Six World Boxing Classic, Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler, 12 rounds, for Froch's WBC super middleweight title

Adamek vs. Arreola

Looks like 2 fights that likely will not go the the distance.

[jhale667]

Froch vs. Kessler will be interesting.

The Arreola fight could be, too...

[binnie]

Arreola - Adamek is an odd fight.

Arreola has had success at light-heavy and crusier weight, where he has established himself as a heroically tough fighter who wears his opponents down with an accumulation of punishment - I think it's fair to say that he's never been a one punch KO artist. He probably could have dominated the cruiser division for a long time once Haye moved up, so in one sense I think stepping up to heavy is part bold and part stupid - he can't really think that he'll beat a Klitschko, right? Can't doubt his balls though.

That being said, beating a more shot than Roy Jones Andrew Golota does not eastablish Adamek as a viable force at heavyweight. Beating Arreola certainly would - hell, it'd probably get him a title shot. The only guy to beat Adamek handidly was Chad Dawson, and Arreolla doesn't posses that kind of skill, so I can see a scenario in which Adamek outworks the slower and more powerful guy to a UD. But can Adamek take Arreolla's power? I think that Chris Arreola is a punk, but even I'd admit that he has firly decent hand speed and puts his combinations together well - Adamek is going to be getting hit hard and often, and you never know how a guy reacts to being hit harder than he ever has before. If a KO comes, it will be from Arreola, assuming he's recovered from his Vitali sized ass-kicking.

There seems to be momentum surrounding Adamek, however, and I actually pick him to edge a UD. It won't be easy, but I think he's smart and tough enough to do it.

[binnie]

Froch - Kessler should be very exciting, and I'm finding it very hard to pick.

Watching Carl Froch, you notive everything that he does wrong - his hands are ridiculiously low, he doesn't move his head, he doesn't really use his freakish reach effectively - but you should be impressed by what he does right. His sheer relentlessness breaks guys down, and he just doesn't seem to know how to lose. Taking Jermain Taylor out with 10 seconds to go and a mile behind on points; pressuring Dirrell for every second of the 36 minutes they fought when a lesser fighter would have become disheartened. For all his flaws, Froch is a nightmare because of that will to win - he was lucky against Dirrell, who I thought won the fight; and he was lucky against Taylor, who was beating him handidly, but hey, he didn't give up when the going got tough in either fight.

That toughness spells trouble for Mikkel Kessler, a guy whose confidence must surely be at an all time low after the showcase Andre Ward put on the dominate him last time out. Yes, Ward is a dirty mo'fo' (the ref should have taken points off for those buts and the relentless holding), but greats always find a way to win, and faced with Ward's speed, movement and combinations, Kessler had nothing, and nor did his corner - it was shocking seeing him lunge forward and miss all night long, and to me he looked like a fighter in decline, a shell of the man who fought Calzaghe three years ago, who dominated Andrade, and iced Beyer. Maybe it was the fighting of lesser opposition in the years in between Calzaghe and Ward, maybe father time catching up with him, or maybe he's never recovered mentally from losing his '0'. Maybe. I think it was something else however - a hint of arrogance and underpreparation. Team Kessler under-estimated Ward: from what I've read, they didn't even have any southpaw sparring partners in Kessler's camp. It wasn't just the scribes who were shocked by Ward's talent.

Expect the best Kessler there can be on Saturday, then, a re-charged and re-focussed guy with something to prove in front of his home fans. The good news for the Viking Warrior is that Froch is no Ward - slower than Kessler, and with no real flashy combinations of footwork, Kessler will be able to hit Froch and hit him repeatedly, putting his jab and 1-2s together all night from the outside, and Froch will soak them up. Much is made of Froch's chin - largely by the man himself - but Jermian Taylor, no real puncher, put him on his ass with a right hand, and Kessler's will be a lot harder. This scenario has led many to predict a Kessler UD or late stoppage. I don't see it that way, however. I expect Mikkel will take most of the opening rounds, but I can't get the image of the Ward fight out of my head - Mikkel looked old that night. I expect Froch to learn from the Ward fight and go to Kessler's body, wearing him down before taking control of the fight in the later stages.

Froch by a hard fought UD - the Kessler of 3 years ago would have taken this, and I wish Mikkel all the best. Froch seems to have momentum, and luck, on his side at the moment, however.

Hope I'm wrong, and Ward was just a bad day at the office for Kessler. Come on the Viking Warrior!

[sonrisa salvaje]

Arreola - Adamek

Odd fight indeed. I thought Arreola's weigh in may signal something but even this is in the gray area. He was wanting to come in a 240 but instead came in at 250; his people are saying he just couldn't get that much weight off in time for the fight. While it is heavier than he wanted to be, it is still not a bad weight considering he came in at 251 against Klitschko. l feel it is safe to say that Chris' plan is going to be to jump on Adamek quickly and get him out of there. If Adamak can get past the first three rounds, it is probably safe to think that Adamek will coast on points as Chris will tire and it will be harder for him to knock Adamek out as the fight goes later. If i was Adamek i would run the first 3 to 4 rounds and just give those away to Arreola on points, and then from 5 on just try and outbox Chris to win 5 on. I think this is what will happen so i am calling for Adamek to win in a UD. If Adamak tries to man up in the first three, however, and trade with Chris it will be bad news. He should be smarter than this. Of course, if Chris just jumps on him and catches him cleanly from the outset it could be over quickly regardless of Adamek's gameplan. That in a nutshell is the allure of this fight.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Froch - Kessler

I can't hardly pick a winner here. I might as well flip a coin. If i were to bet on the fight i would just take the underdog because you have more to gain with the money line paying off on the underdog than you would making even money on the favorite. Binnie has pointed out all of the issues i have with Kessler and the way he looked in the last fight so i won't rehash it. I picture this fight being like rockem sockem robots and the first one's head to come off is the loser. It should be entertaining while it lasts. I would put an over and under on this fight of 8 because i can't see it going the distance. Both men possess too much power and while the may not have been able to hit Dirrell and Ward, they should be able to hit each other. I'm going with Kessler by KO by the 8th round only by gut feeling. I think Froch may be too arrogant and overconfident and my thinking is that a grounded/brought back down to earth Kessler knows his back is against the wall. Not only does he need this to win or stay close in the tournemant, but he needs to win to have any real consideration in this weight class going forward.

[jhale667]

Wow. I thought Kessler barely won that fight, he outworked Froch...but some of the scores were kind of out of whack...117-111? Hometown advantage indeed...

[binnie]

I think that 'barely won' is a little harsh - I had it 116-112 for Kessler, largely due to the more effective jab and power punching. Froch couldn't really follow up on the leads he got. It was a great, great fight though.

I am actually pleased that I picked it wrong - I thought Kessler was damaged goods, but he proved me wrong, and it's good to see one of my favourite fighters have such success (a three time champ now), especially against Froch. I can't help but admire Froch as a figher - he's one tough dude who will fight anyone - but he think WAY too highly of himself, IMO. I still don't think Kessler is the man he once was, and his new trainer needs to continue to work on his sharpness, head movement and lateral movement. That being said, this result has thrown the tournament wide open - if Allan Green can upset Andre Ward (he has the power but it's unlikely to happen) then it is anyone's game...

Adamek outpointed Arreolla last night. The tubby motherfucker spent most of his time flailing around and looking slower than soil erosion. A very focussed and disciplined performance from Adamek, who kept out of the bigger man's way and out-boxed him. Does he beat a Klitschko? Nope, but he's more live than most of the oppoents they face. Arreola needs to either start taking boxing seriously or fuck off....

[jhale667]

Didn't mean it as "harsh" at all - I though Kessler managed to edge out the win; he was busier, and put his combinations together better than Froch, whom I agree likes himself a little too much.
Adamek used the Manny approach on Arreola: in - points, out, and Arreola ended up swinging at air most of the evening. He looked sloppy as usual.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Props to Froch for being gracious after the fight. I really expected him to cry about the decision but he didn't. Makes me like and respect Froch a lot more than i did.

[binnie]

I think that Froch was humbled by Kessler's toughness - Mikkel is nowhere near as skilled as he was, but any questions about his mental toughness should be put away. Kessler pushed Froch back for 12 rounds - Jean Pascal couldn't do that, and he's the lightheavyweight champ! Froch was clearly impressed by Mikkel's strength and endurance, and he REALLY didn't like those body shots.

Froch is now threatening to pull out of the super six if he doesn't get Arthur Abraham at home though - apparently there was a 'verbal agreement'.

[sonrisa salvaje]

Hopefully, it won't come to that. I don't think Froch needs home advantage to beat Abraham.

[binnie]

Nor do I - if Froch uses his massive height and reach advantages, he should be able to control Abraham. I don't know if he can KO him, but he could quite easily get a UD. That being said, Froch has a tendency to brawl when he doesn't have to, and if he stands straight in front of AA he'll be getting hit with some bombs, so I can quite easily see him giving AA a victory. To beat Froch though, AA is going to have to learn to be a lot busier....

[sonrisa salvaje]

Nor do I - if Froch uses his massive height and reach advantages, he should be able to control Abraham. I don't know if he can KO him, but he could quite easily get a UD. That being said, Froch has a tendency to brawl when he doesn't have to, and if he stands straight in front of AA he'll be getting hit with some bombs, so I can quite easily see him giving AA a victory. To beat Froch though, AA is going to have to learn to be a lot busier....

Agree...and it's not really in AA's nature to be busy. He is going to give the first half of the fight away and then try and take the second half of the fight against a good jabber with good movement. The most interesting thing, IMO, will be how 2 fighters that never lost before will react coming off of their first losses. The way AA lost i think was much more mentally damaging. I wouldn't like his chances at all.

In other news, we know what is coming this weekend......the BIG ONE!

[binnie]

Mayweather - Mosely is an incredibly interesting match. It would have been even better 7-8 years ago, but hey, at least its happening.

Mosely is the biggest man Floyd has faced in a long time, and one of the most heavy-handed he's ever faced. He also has very fast hands. That being said, he's doesn't really have a jab, so those fast combinations aren't going to be working off much, and I expect most of them to miss. Lets be honest about this: Mosely has never, EVER, looked good against slick boxers - Winky Wright absolutely schooled him twice, and Vernon Forrest outboxed him comprehensively in their first bout (the second was much closer.) Forrest is no Mayweather. I can see Floyd quite comprehensively outpointing Mosely - Miguel Cotto, no pure boxer, counterpunched Shane all night, and if he can then Floyd will be even more succesful (I actually thought Shane edged it against Cotto, for what it's worth.)

Mosely is one of my all time favourite fighters, and I'm not being down on him. If a guy comes forward to fight, Mosely will batter him with fast hands and power. But Floyd isn't going to be there to hit. Shane is trading off that spectacular win against Margaritto, who he made look like a mannequin. But that might be a red herring. Margaritto had just been exposed as a cheat in the locker room, and his head cannot have been clear for that fight. I think we have to remember Shane's fight beforehand - he really struggled with Mayorga, and got hit a lot.

I expect Shane to pressure Floyd all night, and to land some decent shots on him (certainly more than the four, yes, FOUR, that Juan Manuel Marquez managed.) But this will be a lopsided UD for Floyd - Mayweather will not hurt Shane physically but, as with so many other guys he outboxes, the mental scars of being so thoroughly outclassed will be lasting.

I hope I'm wrong, but I just don't see how Shane does this.

I'm sticking with that prediction.