Dirrell struggles to make weight

[dulais_valley]

Andre Dirrell made weight at the second time of asking ahead of this weekend's clash with WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch in Nottingham.

Froch came in one pound under the 168lb limit, but Dirrell had to return to the scales after coming in four ounces overweight, eventually scaling 167.5lb.

They meet at the Nottingham Arena in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The fight is the first in the Super Six super-middleweight tournament.

On Wednesday, the 32-year-old Froch had commented on Dirrell's cocksure demeanour: "Dirrell seems very confident.

"He's coming to Nottingham to take the WBC title home with him, and it's my job to make sure he doesn't.

"He's got a big mouth, he's talking a lot of trash, but we don't actually know what he's got.

"He's an Olympic medallist, he's coming over and obviously wants to follow on that form."

Froch won the WBC super-middleweight belt in his home city in December 2008.

He out-pointed Canadian Jean Pascal, before he dramatically knocked out Jermain Taylor in the final round of his first defence in Connecticut in April.

The contest in Nottingham will be Froch's first fight in the new Super Six tournament, which guarantees at least three bouts for its entrants.

Froch and Denmark's WBA champion Mikkel Kessler, who meets Andre Ward in November, will put their belts on the line and the Nottingham fighter - who has 20 knockouts from his 25 fights - is banking on home support to carry him to victory on Saturday.

"I think home support helps in a massive way," said Froch.

"I've been in America, fighting in front of Jermain Taylor's crowd all booing me and cheering him," added Froch, who is unbeaten in 25 fights.

"Even if a shot just misses your chin the crowd think it has landed and they cheer. You think 'this is bad' - you can feel it.

"When you get to round 10 or 11, you're feeling the pace and if the crowd are booing you, it doesn't help.

"I boxed Jean Pascal at the Nottingham Arena for my world title fight - and the crowd really lifted me, they really did."

Dirrell, who won a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics and has 13 knockouts from his 18 fights, is in confident mood and has been quick to trash-talk his British opponent, according to Froch.

"I'm going to expose him like a Page Three pin-up in The Sun," warned the 27-year-old.

"I've had my best training camp ever and I'm ready to shiver Froch's timbers from stem to stern.

"This is step one in showing that I am the heir apparent to the throne Joe Calzaghe vacated as the king of the super-middleweight division, something Froch has never been able to achieve.

"I'm going to slam Froch from both sides of the plate. I'm going to go Mickey Mantle on him! Remember this... Carl Froch can kiss my Yankee Doodle!"

The Super Six series also includes German Arthur Abraham and American Taylor, who also meet on 17 October.

In the first phase of the event, each fighter will face three different opponents over the next 12 months.

The four leading points scorers advance to the semi-finals, prior to a final in early 2011.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8306336.stm
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The Greatest

[dulais_valley]

Reckon this could have a bearing on the fight or just an error in timing on Dirrell's behalf? Froch will probably be looking to wear Dirrell down late on and if he's been struggling to make weight and a little drained than he just might.
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The Greatest

[Martin]

It's funny, took me 30mins to think up a reply in the other thread, in the meantime this one was posted
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"First your legs go. Then you lose your reflexes. Then you lose your friends."
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