Post-Joe Calzaghe, Six Super Middleweights Stake Their Claim

Just like his compatriot Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe left no doubt as to who the alpha male in his division was. Largely defined by his thrashing of then-undefeated Jeff Lacy as well as his dominant victory over then-undefeated Mikkel Kessler, “the Pride of Wales” ruled the 168-pound division with an iron fist, never losing a fight.

I believe that a prime Roy Jones, Jr. was the best boxer to ever fight at super middleweight, but it’s very hard to argue that any 168 pounder accomplished more than Calzaghe. That’s the burden that Andre Dirrell (18-0, 13 KOs), Andre Ward (19-0, 12 KOs), Arthur Abraham (30-0, 24 KOs), Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KOs), Jermain Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KOs) and Mikkel Kessler (41-1, 31 KOs) all carry as they participate in the six-boxer tournament being dubbed the Super Six.

These fighters are all very close in skill, so it’s hard to say that there’s a clear favorite. If I were forced to pick a winner, my money would be on Andre Dirrell. I know he does not have the big fight experience that the others have, but he has arguably the best combination of power and speed of the bunch. Maybe I’m crazy. But he’s my pick, and here’s why:

1. Andre Ward. He’s a very quick and skillful fighter, but I think he can be too defensive at times. This will inevitably cost him as most of his fights will likely go the distance. He also appears to be the least powerful (punching) of the group.
2. Arthur Abraham. Although Abraham is arguably the best middleweight in the world, I feel that the move up in weight will diminish his power, as he’ll be fighting fighters who are naturally bigger than him.
3. Carl Froch. The “Cobra” is tough-as-nails and packs a wallop. However, all that glitters is not gold. He may be the most colorful outside the ring, but he’s probably the least skilled of the sextet.
4. Jermain Taylor. “Bad Intentions” is definitely the most battle-tested, but that’s also part of his problem. I am not sure how much he has left in the tank after his wars with Bernard Hopkins, Kelly Pavlik and Carl Froch. And he still seems to fade in the championship rounds of all of his major fights.
5. Mikkel Kessler. If this tournament was created about two years ago, he’d be my pick. However, it’s not. In those two years since his lone defeat at the hands of the aforementioned Calzaghe, he’s only fought two times. And against Dimitri Sartison and Danilo Haussler. That’s not exactly what I call great preparation for this tournament.

Sports Illustrated recently asked if this super middleweight tourney can change the business of boxing? I don’t know about all of that but I do know that the winner will emerge as the clear king of the super middleweights, rendering all alphabelt nonsense null and void. Now only if college football and the B.S., ahem, B.C.S. took note. But that’s a post for another sport and another day. Let’s just marinate on this good news.