The final fight in the Super Six Group Stage takes place this Saturday when Arthur Abraham squares off with Carl Froch in Helsinki, Finland. The vacant WBC Super Middleweight title will also go to the winner. The fight can be seen on tape-dealy on Showtime starting at 9 pm ET. It will be broadcast with a live airing of Andre Ward vs. Sakio Bika in a non-Super Six contest.
Arthur Abraham vs. Carl Froch
Money Line: Abraham -175; Froch +145
WBC Super Middleweight Title
Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) is coming off of his first loss as a professional, a DQ against Andre Dirrell. Abraham clocked the Michigan-native as Dirrell’s knee was down from a slip. The shot knocked Dirrell loopy, so much so that Dirrell believed he had lost the bout. Now with a villianous role, “King” Arthur is trying to take the throne at 168 pounds, just as he did as a middleweight. Abraham is a fearsome puncher with an uncanny ability to take punishment. He had his jaw broken early in a fight against Edison Miranda but managed to fight through it and win a decision against the powerful Miranda. Abraham has already advanced to the knockout stage of the Super Six but that won’t change his approach to the fight.
Like Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KOs) also suffered his first professional loss in his last fight. Froch’s loss came via unanimous decision to Mikkel Kessler. The key to this bout just may come down to which man rebounds better from his first loss. Froch is a big puncher with a solid chin. Those are two big reasons why many believe this fight could turn out to be the Fight of the Year. Froch even has a flair for the dramatic. In his last bout prior to joining the Super Six, Froch embarked on a 12th round rally to knockout Jermain Taylor with only seconds left in the bout. Froch may need to summon up all the resiliency he has to defeat Abraham and improve his standing heading into the knockout stage of the Super Six.
MATCH DETAILS
Date: Saturday, 27 November 2010
Venue: Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland
Competition: super middleweight
Live/Repeat: Live
Abraham vs. Froch Preview: Records
Abraham, 30, is 30-1 (25 KOs). He was IBF Middleweight Champion for over four years, making 11 title defenses. The beginning of this tourney signaled his entrance into the competitive waters of super middleweight. Some of his better moments in the ring were his gutsy decision over Edison Miranda—where Abraham soldiered through a broken jaw to retain his title, and the dominant rematch knockout over Miranda. The win over Taylor, though perhaps over a spent force, was nonetheless impressive.
Froch, 32, is 26-1 (20 KOs). He beat the very good Jean Pascal for the vacant title in 2008. Prior to this tournament, he also stopped Jermain Taylor in the final round of their 2009 fight. This fight seems to be under-celebrated, being that it is a comeback story that belongs in the annals with Mike Weaver vs. John Tate and Jake LaMotta vs. Laurent Dauthille. Down by 4 points on two cards, Froch hammered Taylor into defeat with only 14 seconds remaining in the fight. Both of Froch’s tournament fights have been painfully close.
0 comments