Andre Dirrell / Photo © Justin McKie

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Michael Nelson completes his look at the Super-Six final group stage match-ups with a quick break-down of Andre Ward vs Andre Dirrell.

I'm sure this will be an ugly fight. I'm sure Ward will try to bully Dirrell the way he bullied Green, and I'm sure Dirrell will look like a fish out of water at times.

But I'm not sure it will be without drama.

The Matrix is the only opponent Ward has seen professionally that can match his hand speed. He's the most comfortable in the tournament with throwing uppercuts, which makes ducking down and rushing him to get inside risky. And he can be dangerous when his back touches the ropes - something that happened right before he knocked out Hanshaw, staggered Froch, and knocked down Abraham.

In other words, this ain't Green. With a size, reach, and power advantage, Dirrell is more physically gifted than Ward. At any moment he can counter with a blow that concusses or cuts, so Ward will have to be more varied in his attack than he was with Allan.

Ward is the more versatile, natural fighter. He looks as if he was born to box, while Dirrell has the appearance of an athlete with boxing gloves on. That may be the difference in the fight; everything else nearly equal, the safe bet is to go with the guy who feels most at home inside the squared circle.

Nevertheless, while Froch vs. Abraham will likely be the most exciting bout in stage three, this fight between two amateur buddies has the potential to surprise the most fans. I expect Ward to face the stiffest test of his career.

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