Dirrell beats Ward

His performance against Abraham? He ran out of steam and was on his way to likely being stopped when he slipped (not for the first, second, or tenth time in his career) and got hit while he was down. I like Dirrell, but he slips far too often. Terrible balance.

Ward is a comprehensive boxing genius. A throwback to the days when guys learned how to fight on the inside, outside, and anywhere in between. Ward is a throwback to the days when guys just "found ways to win". He'll find a way to win again when he fights Dirrell.

 

I have a feeling Dirrell is going to pull the victory off aswell.

And concerning Bute, is he #1 if everyone comes out of this tournament with a loss...No. He will be #1 if he at least beats the winner of the Super 6.

 

I expect the fight to be a very close decision, that or Dirrell crumbles at the first 'unintentinal butt' he gets.

 

Ward is a very good, adaptable fighter but that statement is frankly ridiculous! Plus it makes him a very boring fighter to watch

 

I think its unlikely and would still rank Ward above Dirrell especially if its a close win. Cause Dirrell has hometown advantage and has not looked as good against other opposition as Ward has.

 

its not outrageous and its not boring when you are a fan and you see things from his perpective. Honestly I thought Ward vs Green was a great fight and actually if you listen to the crowd they were cheering the whole night.

 

As in you would expect Ward to still go on and have a more successful career than Dirrell? Or you would still rank him higher than Dirrell in the SMW rankings?

And what does hometown advantage have to do with it?

 

in every single sport teams/athletes have a better hometown record than away record. Boxing is no different, it makes a difference.

Also, styles make fights. In a close fight, I see no problem ranking the loser above the winner if he was at a major style disadvantage or if his opponent had hometown advantage, especially if he has been better against other opponents.

 

Dirrell has stamania issues and we have yet to see how he copes against a dirty fighter!

 

Hasn't Ward had the hometown advantage over his last two opponents?...one of those opponents being his biggest win, and also having a style advantage over him. And I disagree about home and away records...I agree it makes a difference, but it shouldn't relate to rankings.

In any situation, why would you rank the loser above the winner? If it's a very close bout, or maybe a controversial decision...then I don't see the problem. But because the loser was at a style disadvantage, and he was "away" from home?...there excuses. Boxers need to be ready for any style and any situation.

If Dirrell beats Ward, and he takes the title from him...he ranks above Ward.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if the crowd noise you 'heard' was piped in just as with WWE events. That fight was a snoozefest which ever way you look at it.

 

He slipped on Abraham's soaking wet corner. The ref had already had cause to have the corner dried once in the fight due to excessive water and it would surprise me if the corner was left wet deliberately with the plan being for Abraham to manoeuvre Dirrell into it just as he deliberately hit him when he was down after slipping in that very corner.

And I'll go out on a limb and say Dirrell schools Ward, absolutely.

 

I see your point but you know what you call excuses I call reasons. I think alot of things outside of a fighter's ability can have an impact on the outcome of a fight. The agreed weight, the location, the styles, a bad cut, the ref's style, etc etc etc. So that's why I prefer to rank fighters based on several fights than just a h2h match up.

In my opinion, Ward has consistantly been better than Dirrell. If Ward loses a close fight to Dirrell in Dirrell back yard, depending on how the fight plays out I could still feel that overall Ward is better than Dirrell.

 

Yeah you definitely have to take it into consideration...but a win is a win, whether a boxer gets a cut, etc...it's part of the sport. It's just another thing boxers need to be able to cope with along with travelling, hostile crowds, etc.

I'd agree, Ward has been more complete in his performances...but Dirrell's improving every bout I have seen him in. He showed massive improvement between the Froch and Abraham bouts. So if he pulls off a good victory over Ward, I see no reason why he shouldn't rank higher.