Why are folks sleeping on Dirrell???

I think Froch will win and we'll have an remacth in the final Froch vs. Direll and Direll wil win big time!

 

As a few Esb'ers have pointed out abe was actually pulling his punches because of dirrells speed. Also that ability to hit a fighter clean during a flurry was also demonstrated in dirrells loss to golovkin. I hope that KO DQ hasnt affected him too much for his next bout and he is getting better everytime.

 

I really like Dirrell, though in fairness, the only fights of his that I've watched all the way through are vs. Froch and Abraham. Based on what I've seen, I would come down in the 'talented but flawed' camp.

He has elite level speed and reflexes, good technique and decent power. I'm not sure about his stamina yet . He looked strong enough in the championship rounds against Froch, but obviously there is opinion that he was slowing down in the later rounds of the Abraham fight.

Having only seen the 2 fights, I'd also question his workrate - he blew hot and cold against Froch and his output dropped very steeply against Abraham when AA came out of his shell. I agree that his defence his overly reliant on natural quickness. His movement against the ropes in the Abraham and Froch fights was excellent in places, but at the same time, I wince everytime he slips/back pedals without his guard up and think generally he gives up too much ground when he's on the defensive.

Also agree that he could do with improving his head game a bit. He had the skills to show up Froch and Abe big time, but he seemed to dawdle a bit against Froch and almost looked like he didn't expect Abraham to come out swinging in the late rounds. That said, those guys are a very different style to the likes of Kessler or Green. I like Andre Ward too, but who's to know his gameplan wouldn't be shaken a bit by the sort of agression Froch and Abraham bring and similarly, Kessler and Green might have looked every bit as reticent against Dirrell as they did against Ward, when faced with his speed and athleticism.

Out of interest, has anyone seen Dirrell in a fight against someone trying to outbox him, rather than hope to pressure/rough up/steamroll him?

 

chinny?? nahh he took a really hard flush one right on the chin from king arthur and brushed it off.

 

Pro's

1. Andre Dirrell has elite level speed, the type of athlete that comes around once a generation in boxing.

2. Precision puncher. Some fighters with incredible speed, ala an Andre Berto, dont possess precision punching ability. Dirrell has this. He picks his shots well and can tag you from a variety of angles and positions. Rocked Froch while lagging off the ropes. Caught Abraham with an amazing counter punch with may a couple of inches of room to throw it.

3. Can fight out of Orthodox and Southpaw, and switch seamlessly during a fight. Has power in both hands, wobbling Froch with a punch out of the south paw stance.

4. Cat like reflexes defensively. Made Froch look like a wild swinging amatuer. Reduced Abraham in the final rounds to throwing arm punches. Peak defensive awareness.


Cons

1. Doesnt have the inherent boxing sense that a less talented fighter like Ward has. Instead of exposing and KOing Froch as he should have from the beginning, didnt realize the difference in class until the latter rounds. A fighter with better boxing smarts would have figured Froch for what he was earlier on.

2. Leaves his hands low going backwards. Because of his catlike reflexes this hasnt led to him being brutally KO'd yet. But doing so as he been doing is only tempting fate. Somebodys gonna catch him big going back with his hands down, and like Ali his idol, he doesnt have an impenetrable chin.

3. Tries to be too cute. Instead of getting the job done, at times against Froch he'd rather clown. Shored this up a bit against Abraham, but he most make sure to take his opponents seriously even if they dont have the same athletic attributes he does.

 

I honestly believe that Dirrell, despite having some physical talents, has a fatal flaw; and that he doesn't have the heart or mind of a fighter.

yes its harsh to say it but I believe it is true. He lacks what Chad Dawson lacks. He's not really a fighter.

 

I do not trust Dirrell's mentality. I trust Ward's mentality. One has shown me mostly reasons to doubt him and the other has shown me no reasons to doubt him. As far as a winning mentality is concerned. Dirrell is a great athlete. But that's not enough. I wouldn't be shocked if he beat Ward...but I wouldn't be shocked if he turned out to be another Zab Super Pooper Judah either.

 

In the Super 6? I think he's less skilled than Ward and Kessler by a long way. Definetly less skilled than Taylor too. I'd say he's about as skilled as Jean Pascal.

That's just technical ability though. His lack of mental skills hinder him even more.

It doesn't nessecarily take good skills to land in a flurry and make your opponent miss. Some boxers, such as Dirrell, are lucky enough to be blessed with great reflexes and handspeed, and that's their defence. Dirrell does not have great defensive skill and relies on his physical attributes to save him.

If he had fought in a style that could have stopped Froch, there's a greater chance he would have been stopped. Who do you think Froch would fight in a rematch? An aggressive or defensive minded Dirrell? Aggressive all day, every day. It suits him. Fighting defensive fighters doesn't, so to say Dirrell could have won by being more aggressive, is oversimplifying the issue.

Tell me, what does Dirrell actually do really well? Ignore his physical attributes and let's talk about his technical skills. What are they?