It's easy to say that Froch fouled - he did. However, Dirrell technically fouled a lot, lot more with his constant holding and flailing about, which was compounded by his flopping onto the canvas at any opportunity. If Dirrell had gotten on with it, evaded Froch while landing quality punches instead of clinging on for dear life and falling over for most of the fight, he'd have won and would have got the ref onside. Instead, the ref saw one fighter who wanted to fight and one who wanted to hug, and that is likely why Froch was allowed work somewhat outside legal lines. It's not the first time this has happened in a fight and it's not the last. If Dirrell had fought as he did when he opened up in periods during - I think - the 10th and 11th, he would not only have won fair and square but I suspect he may have stopped Froch. Instead, he tossed it away - Calzaghe may have thrown light punches against Hopkins but he always did it in bunches and he always - always - came forward and tried to win. For most of the fight Dirrell backpeddled, popped out a jab here and hugged before falling over thus failing in a fight very winnable for one with his ability.
I have yet to see the fight, but I understand what you mean. Hopkins was over-reacting to low-blows, biding time and holding so much and it sounds similar to this fight.
Spot on. Dirrel is the better technical boxer. However at times he almost refused to be active, in some of the middle rounds there would be a 30 second period where he would just walk, and occasionally throw a punch or two while Froch stalked him.
I think a lot of people are judging froch too hashly based on this fight. He wanted to fight dirrell didn't and it's that simple. Also i'm sure dirrell has some kind of balancing problem, noticable in other fights he's had too. He loves the floor.
Yes Dirrell hold alot but Froch should have been deducted a point as well cause he keep hitting Dirrell on the back of the head on purposed. Even sometimes way after the ref call break, Froch purposely hit Dirrell on the back of the head but the ref didn't get in Froch face the way he was in Dirrell face. Talk about a biased ref.
Technically, yes, Froch fouled enough to warrant a points deduction. HOWEVER, Dirrell had been folding like an accordian and hugging like Ruiz almost constantly long before Froch's rabbit punches became worthy of a severe penalty. He turned the ref against him - I suspect that the ref subconciously decided that Froch's actions were minor because Dirrell had been fighting like such a terrified kid almost from the get-go. He went into the fight with a cry wolf mentality and that cost him - I don't think the ref entered the ring intending bias at all. As I say, he very clearly had the talent to defeat and stop Froch but such brilliance rarely punctured his web of fear.
