Super Six Semifinal: Ward vs. Abraham (May 14) - Predictions & Discussion

[Fightfanatics.com]

The Super Six World Boxing Classic continues. Oakland's Andre Ward (23-0, 13 KOs) defends his WBA super middleweight title against Germany's Arthur Abraham (32-2, 26 KOs), the former middleweight champion, May 14, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.

The bout will air on SHOWTIME at 10PM ET/PT.

The winner of this semifinal will reach the finals against the winner of the Carl Froch/Glen Johnson semifinal bout.

Cristobal Arreola is set to take on Nagy Aguilera in the co-featured non-televised portion of the card.

[O-Dogg33]

Ward can probably get a stoppage if he wants it. He might just go a little easy though to preserve himself for the finals (wouldn't blame him).
I say Ward by easy UD. Abraham has no real shot. He's proven he's too small for 168, doesn't throw his hands enough. Ward has a pretty solid chin as well.

[Rebel]

Ward should be able to easily outbox Abraham. I don't know about a stoppage though since Ward isn't really a big puncher.

[Rabid Kimba]

I don't think Ward is going to stop him either...Abraham is a tough cookie...and like you said...Ward is not exactly Geoerge Foreman...lol.

But Ward will easily win a decision.

[joey83]

I think everyone is writing off king abraham a little to soon, yes he has been very disappointing in his last 2 fights but i still think he has the goods to beat anyone on his day and i say he's gonna come back with a huge bang, if not against ward then his next fight but i wouldnt be suprised if ward ends up face down on the canvas.

[Victor]

Ward by decision.

The reason everyone's been writing Abraham off is because even in some of his wins, he can be losing the fight until he lands a big punch. He is a notoriously slow starter, not a particularly active fighter who fights in spurts and looks to land bombs. Short of Ward getting dropped with a huge shot, I predict he will outbox Abraham to a unanimous decision.

[Rabid Kimba]

Abraham is strong as an ox...but let's face it...he's a one-dimensional-easy-to-hit little guy.

[Rebel]

I think everyone is writing off king abraham a little to soon, yes he has been very disappointing in his last 2 fights but i still think he has the goods to beat anyone on his day and i say he's gonna come back with a huge bang, if not against ward then his next fight but i wouldnt be suprised if ward ends up face down on the canvas.

Abraham is just undersized at 168. He should consider a move back down to middleweight.

[Redneck]

Abraham was overextended after his win on points and the knockdown he archived vs. jermain taylor. He turned into the favorite after this win. Even Mikkel Kessler (sitting on the ring) was impressed by this fight. So i was not able to recognize the Arthur Abraham i used to know in his fight vs. Froch. He got problems to handle his favorite-role...now he is the underdog again (after two times disappointing his fans and coach to the bone).
Now, as everyone is looking down to Abraham and he knows this, i think he will surprise everyone in his next fight. I dont know if he is able to win vs. a strong Ward but i think we will not see a repetition of his fight vs. Froch. He will do anything to win this fight vs. Ward. I dont think that he will start slow again as we know it from him..not this time, not after this shame vs. Carl Froch. I think if he does not believe in his own he would cancel the tournament like so many before.
For me this fight (with the fight Wlad vs. David) is one of the highlights in 2011 and i still believe in Abraham.
Go Abraham!!! GO!!!

[Victor]

Abraham was overextended after his win on points and the knockdown he archived vs. jermain taylor. He turned into the favorite after this win. Even Mikkel Kessler (sitting on the ring) was impressed by this fight. So i was not able to recognize the Arthur Abraham i used to know in his fight vs. Froch. He got problems to handle his favorite-role...now he is the underdog again (after two times disappointing his fans and coach to the bone).
Now, as everyone is looking down to Abraham and he knows this, i think he will surprise everyone in his next fight. I dont know if he is able to win vs. a strong Ward but i think we will not see a repetition of his fight vs. Froch. He will do anything to win this fight vs. Ward. I dont think that he will start slow again as we know it from him..not this time, not after this shame vs. Carl Froch. I think if he does not believe in his own he would cancel the tournament like so many before.
For me this fight (with the fight Wlad vs. David) is one of the highlights in 2011 and i still believe in Abraham.
Go Abraham!!! GO!!!

I hear you bro, but it's not in the guys nature. I've seen him fight a few times and he just seems like one of those guys who takes a few rounds to get going. I don't think Ward's going to let him coast through those few rounds. He's always going to have a chance because of power, but he does seem pretty one dimensional. We'll see what happens but I'd be pretty surprised by an Abraham win.

[Redneck]

I hear you bro, but it's not in the guys nature. I've seen him fight a few times and he just seems like one of those guys who takes a few rounds to get going. I don't think Ward's going to let him coast through those few rounds. He's always going to have a chance because of power, but he does seem pretty one dimensional. We'll see what happens but I'd be pretty surprised by an Abraham win.

my hope is not just in Abraham. The coach he got is my favorite coach for boxing in germany. Ulli Wegner was very pissed in his last fight vs. Froch. He said to him during the fight "COWARD!!" etc. because he was so angry that Abraham did not followed his fight-plan. Everyone thought its over now with Wegner and Abraham. But Abraham visited Wegner on his hospital-bed (Wegner got a surgery..) and talked to him for hours. Wegner explained him that he wanted to make him angry with this "coward" and that he wanted to hurt his honor, Abraham understood that. Wegner was very impressed by Abraham visiting him in the hospital (after all that rumors..) and said that they both want to start over and attack again in the SuperSix. I believe him;-) He always reminds me of the old trainer in the first Rocky-Movies...
The Abraham i saw in this last fights was not the Abraham i used to know. I hope that this was just a little crisis and that its over now after that peak in the Froch-fight. I know Ward is a very good fighter and i know that it gets very hard for Abraham. But i still believe in this symphatic fighter and in his coach..

[Rebel]

The Abraham i saw in this last fights was not the Abraham i used to know. I hope that this was just a little crisis and that its over now after that peak in the Froch-fight. I know Ward is a very good fighter and i know that it gets very hard for Abraham. But i still believe in this symphatic fighter and in his coach..

That's because the Abraham you've grown accustomed to watching was a middleweight. At super middleweight he's undersized. Many of the top guys have significant height/reach advantages on AA. Therefore, he's not able to do the things he was able to do at MW.

[Redneck]

That's because the Abraham you've grown accustomed to watching was a middleweight. At super middleweight he's undersized. Many of the top guys have significant height/reach advantages on AA. Therefore, he's not able to do the things he was able to do at MW.

yea i know. He was really good in the weight-class before. But the real great ones are able to switch to other weight-divisions and are still the "old ones". I always thought that Abraham got this class and i still believe in him (and his coach). For me his coach is a very important factor..if this coach got the opinion that he is not able to manage the new weight-class he would not send him into that fights. He is an old veteran and he knows what he does.
If i watch the next fight of Abraham in the Supersix i dont just watch Abraham...i watch Abraham and Ulli Wegner. I believe in a victory for them. A fight like we saw vs. Froch does not happen again, believe me.