As we look forward to Group Stage 3 of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, there are a lot of intersting storylines. Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch are coming off the first losses of their careers. Abraham and Froch will face each other next. Mikkel Kesler regained a world title, while Allen Green laid an egg. Kessler will face Green in the next stage as well. Arguably, the most interesting storyline, however, is the one involving Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell, who also face off in the next stage. They were teammates on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Boxing team and have a very strong friendship.
From the outside looking in, it seems as if Dirrell looks at Ward as sort of an "Older Brother" type of figure. They've been shown on Fight Camp 360 supporting each other durring their fights, although they have agreed to put their friendship aside for this fight. It's reminiscent of Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley, two longtime friends who squared of on the big stage. We all know how those fights turned out.
Even if they wern't friends, this would still be a heck of a fight. Dirrell lost a very controversial descision to Froch in Stage 1. Many felt he won the fight, but was robbed by a hometown descision. I was in attendance for his next fight when he dominated King Arthur. He was cruising to a victory when Abraham was disqualified for hitting him while he was down. So, in essence, he goes into Stage 3 feeling like he hasn't really lost a fight.
Ward has turned out to be the star of the tournament so far. He dominated the favorite Kessler in Stage 1. That was followed by shutting out Allen Green. Not only has he not lost a fight in the tournament, he hasn't even lost a round. At this point, it's hard to not make him the favorite against anybody in the Super Six. He's a great all-around boxer and he's drawn comparisons to a young Bernard Hopkins.
Despite everything else, the old saying that "styles make fights" is perfect for this matchup. Dirrell is a big southpaw with reach and the fastest hands in the tourney. Ward is orthodox and the best defensive fighter in the tourney. Ward holds the edge in mental toughness because Dirrell can be frustrated. as he was in the Froch fight. A factor that also can't be ignored is location. So far, the home fighter has won every time. Dirrell fought once at home and once away. Ward has fought twice at home. The logical location of the fight would be Detroit, but that isn't a guarentee.
No matter where it's held, it has the potental to be a great fight. A win for Dirrell and he's in. A win for Ward and he stays undefeated because he's already secured a spot in the 2nd round. We'll have to wait until September to see how this one play out, but I, for one, can't wait.