Andre Ward - The new favorite to win Showtime's Super Six tournament? Photo © Marty Rosengarten / Ringsidephotos.com

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Jeff Pryor gives his thoughts on Andre Ward's victory over Mikkel Kessler, plus takes a look at what's in store for the next round of Showtime's Super Six 168 pound tournament.

Three fights in to Showtime's Super Six tournament, and in all honesty the bouts so far haven't lived up to our soaring hopes.

In the third and final fight of the first batch of bouts, tough, tested Mikkel Kessler was to face, unproven, untested, Andre Ward.

Most observers of the sport thought Kessler's experience, toughness and power would eventually outmatch Ward's earnest energy and speed. What actually unfolded however was further proof of the old axiom that you don't fight these things on paper.

Coming in with over twice as many bouts, and a solid resume of top notch opposition, one would have expected more from Kessler in a lackluster performance that seemed doomed from the opening bell, nay, in fact, even before the clang to signal action.

As the fight began, it was immediately apparent that while Ward was hyped up for his first championship bout and looked crisp, Kessler was anything but. He plodded forward, refusing to toss out his vaunted jab, and did little of anything noteworthy.

When Kessler eventually decided to throw, they were pushed punches that seemed to lack the snap that battered Librado Andrade's head around like a pinball or frustrated Joe Calzaghe for half a fight.

In short, Kessler looked shopworn.

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On the other hand, Ward, fueled by his hometown, and his first shot at the big time, seemed almost over-amped. He established his speed advantage early and fought with an intensity wholly missing from the Dane.

While it was a dominating performance by Ward, it's fair to say that the lopsidedness of the outcome was due in some part to three factors on Kessler's side of the ring.

The first was that the referee was very lenient towards Wards consistent holding. Kessler is a basic stand-up European fighter. He needs room to unleash his simple, yet generally effective one-two combos. Ward smartly crowded him and often held onto Kessler while continuing to blister shots with his free hand. Mikkel was thrown off by this tactic and had no answer for it. One would think that with all his experience Kessler would have faced a grabbing mauling kind of fighter before... apparently not.

While the Ref certainly could have mitigated some of the tediousness of the punch and grab style Ward employed, it's ultimately up to the hampered fighter to overcome it. Kessler could not.

The second factor was the head butting by Ward. Intentional or not, he was clearly leading with his head for much of the night. Being out of control doesn't make it alright to bash your head into someone's face. Again, the referee has a responsibility to warn Ward regardless of intent.

While the cuts that surrounded Kessler's eye sockets may not have been the primary reason he lost the fight, they certainly affected him for the majority of the bout. Who's to say that had the referee warned Ward, for any one of the five head butts he admitted to seeing, Andre may have needed to adjust his attack, which in turn may have opened something up for Kessler and swayed momentum.

The third and largest factor? Kessler just didn't have much to offer. There had been no reports on training camp issues, or weight problems, but for whatever reason, on the night, he simply couldn't perform at a level that he has often been able to in his career.

These factors aside, credit to Andre Ward for putting forth a spirited effort where his excitement and will seemed to steamroll Kessler into latency. He seemed to throw with more power than usual and fought mean for most of the bout. He certainly showed he is a real contender, and perhaps even a favorite now in the tournament.

However....

Is it a true measure of Andre Ward's talent that he was able to dominate a fighter who otherwise entirely outclassed a hard charging Librado Andrade and who did more to clean up the division than now consensus division all-timer Joe Calzaghe, to whom he lost a close and competitive decision?

The answer is almost certainly no. While Ward showed he has skills and fighting spirit to compete with and possibly even beat the other men in the tournament, the ease with which he ascended to Super Middleweight belt holder sets aside some of the glaring mistakes he was able to get away with during the fight.

These include jumping in wildly, leaving his hands down, and standing in front of (what heretofore was) the harder punching man. Those deficiencies were allowed to proliferate without retribution from Mikkel Kessler. One would guess that a quicker handed fighter like Dirrell or even Jermain Taylor won't allow him to flaunt his speed in so wild a manner. Pulling back or jumping in with his hands down won't be as painless when he's in with thunder fisted Arthur Abraham, and standing out front to bang away with Carl Froch has proven an unwise choice for even world class fighters.

So, while Andre Ward showed he is a real player in the tournament, much of what was successful against Kessler may not only be unsuccessful against the other men, it may prove to be his undoing.

On the plus side for Ward, he seems to be an intelligent fighter, and he very well may recognize this for himself.

One other comment on Ward's future fight tactics. Should he and Carl Froch meet in the semi-finals or beyond, it would be to Andre's advantage to have a Referee that is more discerning in what he allows in the way of questionable rough play. Froch may not have the speed or skills that Ward has, but he's shown, more than any other fighter in the tournament, that he is willing to get as rough as it takes to win a fight.

If Froch is fouled, look for things to get ugly fast. And while it worked one night against Kessler, it is not Ward's best chance for winning against the others, Froch in particular.

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So now that round one is complete let's look ahead to round two...

 
Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor

There is still some question as to whether Taylor will continue to fight in this tournament, though he has said he intends to. So with that caveat in mind...

The energetic and rough performance by Ward could not have been too heartening to the former Middleweight champ, who has had a penchant for getting brutally dispatched towards the end of fights.

The one bright spot for him are all those holes that Ward had in his defense against Kessler. Though Mikkel didn't take advantage of them, Jermain will have the speed to counter wild leaping attacks and his hand speed should be enough to keep Ward much more honest, than the flat performing Dane was able to muster.

Ward would be wise to push the pace and tax the chronically tiring Taylor.  Early on, if Taylor isn't damaged from his recent brutal outings, it should be a highly competitive bout. The final outcome will be determined by whether Taylor can maintain his endurance though out.

If Taylor could put together one more strong performance, he may catch Ward in a "let down" fight. On the other hand, Ward may be just to frenetic for a fading Taylor to handle.

Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler

For "The Viking Warrior" it is both a blessing and a curse to be facing Carl Froch immediately following his  career deflating letdown of an outing. Froch is a straight ahead slugger, with average speed, who Kessler will be able to find much easier. On the other hand Froch can be just as rough as Ward was and packs more of a punch. 

Over the course of the Ward fight Kessler allowed himself to be manhandled by a supposedly weaker opponent. He seemed unable to take matters into his own hands and make Ward stop leaping in with his head or make him stop grabbing and hitting inside. Kessler seemed to worry more about the referee's lack of intervention than getting the fight back on his terms.

Against  Froch if he shows that kind of weakness again, his new moniker may very well become "The Viking Worrier". 

However if Kessler just had an off night and is able to regain his form, he could be the first man to handle Froch's intense pressure effectively, using a sharp jab and a follow up right. 

Whatever Kessler's state, he's a proud and honest fighter who gives what he can in the ring. I expect this fight to be the best of round two.  No craftiness, no cuteness, no dancing, or earmuffing, just a couple of hard-nosed guys shotgunning punches at each other.

It may just come down to how much Kessler has left and whether he's willing to go all in for the win. We already know Froch will do whatever it takes.

Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell

The first bout of the series for Arthur Abraham saw the Armenien born German have a less than scintillating performance that was, deceivingly,  bumped into a praised performance with one electric straight right that annihilated Jermain Taylor.

On the other side Andre Dirrel had flashes of brilliance and long stretches of unbearable skittishness. These may likely be the series two most inconsistent performers. Abraham has a tendency to sit on the ropes, covering up for most of the round, and then unleashing a combo or two. Dirrell's style is a flashy punch followed by tackling his opponent to avoid further contact.

This is a fight that will probably run very hot and very cold. Whoever manages to do a little more may take it.

I think this is a trap fight for Abraham. After his knockout victory which put him atop the standings, he may find Dirrell's spoiler tactics mute his one or two bursts a round. If Dirrell can keep his output up and stay out of harms way when Abraham opens up, he may get through with an artistically unsatisfying, but ultimately effective win that doesn't net him many fans, but keeps him alive in the Super Six.

Abraham needs to up his output, or will be left hoping he manages to catch his foe with a fight changing punch.

This one could be an eyesore... or with a little luck, someone gets hurt and has to fight more than they want to.

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So what have we learned so far....

1. Kessler is no longer the favorite. Judging by his performance he may not be long for the sport.

2. Abraham may be the new favorite, but he's got an exploitable weakness. Can anyone exploit it? No one has yet.

3. For my money Carl Froch poses the biggest danger for everyone he fights. He's the toughest man here. And that may be enough.

4. Andre Dirrell may be the most fragile here. And the most purely talented. Until he believes it, he will fall short.

5. If Andre Ward can maintain that ferocity, and shore up some of his defensive liabilities he'll likely find himself in the semi-finals. 

6. Jermain ought to retire. But if he doesn't, he has a shot against Ward. And perhaps an even better shot with Kessler.  That's probably all he needs to keep going.

And finally, what we've most definitely learned is that even with some of the brightest young talent, the most decorated champions, and hungry warriors, sometimes the matches just aren't as entertaining as you hoped. 

All the more reason to celebrate when they do live up to, or even exceed our expectations. Before this tournament is over I still expect to get at least one of those fights that  energize us as fans, stamp the fighters in our conscience, and becomes a benchmark for the tournament, all while reminding us why they don't fight these fights on paper.

e-mail Jeff Pryor