In the opening bout of the Super Six Tournament, "King" Arthur Abraham will take on Bernard Hopkins conqueror Jermain Taylor.
Abraham: Undefeated And Looking Good
"King" Arthur Abraham is undefeated, and the only reason he isn't officially a World Champion is because he has moved up from middleweight to join in this tournament. He was dominating the middleweight division, and only one big fight eluded him while he was there; this was against Kelly Pavlik.
While some have stated that Abraham may struggle with the move up in weight, it isn't inconcievable that this could actually be a good thing for him. After all, in his last two fights he has himself stated that he was struggling at the middleweight limit, meaning a move up was imminent for him anyway. This could just be his big chance to make it on a worldwide scale, and prove that he belongs on the esteemed pound for pound list.
He is a compact counter puncher with an iron chin, so Taylor mustn't expect that he will do away with him easily. In addition, he has substantial punching power, as proven by the fact that that he has an 80% knockout percentage. Taylor's chances really just depend on which Jermain Taylor turns up.
Taylor: Consistency The Key?
If Jermain Taylor can recapture the form that saw him defeat Bernard Hopkins twice, there can be no doubt that he has all the tools to win this match and the whole 'Super Six' tournament. However, to recapture that form is probably too big an ask.
Losing to Kelly Pavlik by TKO in 2007 took the wind out of his sails, but the fact he also lost the return by unanimous decision really ruined his confidence. In the fight after that, he just overcame Jeff Lacy, and in his most recent outing, he was heartbreakingly TKOed by Carl Froch with fourteen seconds of the final round remaining, when he was on the way to a decision victory.
All of this adds to enough mental scarring to make a match against a hungry, undefeated fighter looking to make a name for himself very dangerous. If Taylor is at all gun shy, Abraham has the ability to take him out conclusively, so he will have to make sure he is on top form.
Taylor vs. Abraham: The Verdict
It is hard to look past Abraham for this fight. While Taylor is a classy boxer, with excellent footwork and good speed, he does tend to tire in the later rounds, and this can be capitalised on as Carl Froch showed.
Abraham's stamina is good, and his counter punching style with a high connection percentage won't be at all good news for Taylor, as if there is mental scarring there, when Taylor gets hit cleanly several times, he will unravel for all the world to see.
The logical ending to this bout would be an Arthur Abraham TKO in the mid to late rounds.
How To Watch Abraham vs. Taylor
In the USA, Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor, as well as Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell will be shown on Showtime on October 17th. In the UK, this can be seen on Primetime Live - a new Pay Per View Channel forming on Sky.
