Last night, the Super Six World Boxing Classic again provided plenty of news, though again probably not exactly the sort of news that anyone involved really wanted.

So far almost every tournament fight has had a cloud hanging over it, though none consistent with the last. In the first fight on October 17, Arthur Abraham knocked out Jermain Taylor. It was clean and a big win for Abraham, but most of the focus was on Taylor, who was in bad shape and eventually dropped out of the tournament. No one really knows what Taylor's future in boxing is at this moment.

That same night, Carl Froch and Andre Dirrell engaged in one of the dirtiest fights of recent memory, with neither side putting on the "positive" performance that Froch was credited for by his supporters. And at the end of it, a large number of the people watching felt Dirrell was robbed of a decision win, even if they didn't particularly enjoy watching him fight that night.

Even the Ward-Kessler fight was, arguably, marred by Ward putting on an Evander Holyfield-level show with his tactics, though that fight doesn't quite qualify for the cloud factor because the focus was definitely on Ward's coming out as an elite pro boxer.

And last night, Dirrell put on a clinic against Abraham for most of the night, and in the 11th round, Abraham launched a vicious right hand while Dirrell was obviously on the mat, knocking him out and losing by disqualification.

Add all of this to the delayed fights of Stage Two (every fight has been moved at least one week, and one fight has been bumped back two months), and sadly I think you can say the Super Six has garnered as much iffy press as positive press. In three of four fights, the fight hasn't exactly been the focal point when all was said and done.

So let's look at the fight last night, or at least try to.

Andre Dirrell

Dirrell's performance was in some ways reminiscent of Ward's against Kessler, at least in that he rather thoroughly dominated a world class European fighter on American soil, and in both cases, you'd have a decent enough point to note that the American referees may have played a part in that.

Not particularly in a negative manner, either, though Ward certainly got away with plenty of fouls and Laurence Cole was as bad as ever last night. In Kessler's case, he was faced with a referee who just wasn't giving him any help against Ward, which maybe he should have. But it's also the fighter's responsibility at that point to adjust to what's happening. Referees are human, the same as umpires with different strike zones and the referees in the Heat-Mavericks NBA Finals ... OK, bad example.

Still, Kessler didn't adjust, and never got himself into the fight. Last night, Abraham did his usual complaining about every borderline shot -- two actual low blows, and about seven straight-up body shots. Not that anyone does, but Arthur Abraham really doesn't like being hit to the body, and in Germany he's usually had referees who will stop the action and make sure he's OK to continue. Cole wasn't totally ignoring him all the time, but there was one clear point where Abraham went into his routine, stopped fighting, and Dirrell -- after hesitating for a moment -- went at him when it was clear that Cole wasn't going to rush over and tend to Arthur.

For those that might think I'm being a bit harsh on King Arthur here, I just see no other way to describe it. The man whines about body shots. He did it against Taylor and has done it against others. He did it last night. Either Arthur Abraham inexplicably is hit with more low blows than anyone I've ever seen, or his reproductive organs are exceptionally high on his body.

Otherwise, Dirrell did exactly what he was supposed to do. Those calling for the upset (and there were a lot of people who felt it was going to happen) pretty much mapped it out as it came, except it wasn't a DQ on paper. He boxed beautifully, used good lateral movement most of the time, and busted Arthur up. He also got away with some fouls -- his head played a part in Abraham's cut, for one thing, and that can't just be ignored as if it made no difference.

Dirrell also seemed to be tiring out toward the end of the fight, explained probably by how much energy he had to exert to build that big lead on Abraham. Would he have survived another five minutes? Maybe, maybe not. That's the thing that stinks second-most about the DQ: we looked like we could be in for a REALLY dramatic finish. Instead, we got a despicable DQ.

Arthur Abraham

It has been pointed out that in the past, guys like Lajuan Simon and Elvin Ayala and even Jermain Taylor had some success with Abraham doing the things Dirrell did last night. The differences:

• Simon and Ayala aren't near Dirrell's level, meaning they could do the same things but not quite as well
• Taylor wasn't exactly the 100% prime Jermain Taylor when Abraham fought him, which is not to say Abraham's win wasn't legit or good (it was both), but that Taylor was also not on last night's Dirrell's level

Dirrell, at 6'2", towered over Abraham, who is generously listed most places at 5'10" and by Showtime at 5'9". He peppered him, moved around him, and sliced and diced him pretty damn effectively. Simply put, Arthur Abraham found himself in a fight that physically, he almost could not win if the other guy did his job right, and Dirrell was doing his job right for the vast majority of the fight. The height, the speed, the southpaw stance and the movement of Dirrell made Abraham fight all night like he usually fights the first three rounds, which is to say very tentatively.

Of course, those first three rounds for Arthur are historically him feeling out his opponent and looking for opportunities. It seems as though he stores them in his mind for later in the fight, waiting for those chances to arrive again, and generally, he takes advantage of them. Dirrell really didn't let him get into any kind of rhythm last night.

That's not to say Abraham never troubled Andre. He deserved a knockdown, in my estimation, because the punch that landed was sending Dirrell down with or without Abraham's foot being there, but that's a tough call to make, too. He also had Dirrell on the ropes and was firing away recklessly with monster shots. What happens there if Cole doesn't break the action? It was no doubt stupid of Dirrell to stay on the ropes, and I bet even he knew that. (I also think Dirrell was trying to prove his heart some last night, and I think he did in a lot of ways.) But Dirrell was avoiding shots pretty well, too. Would Abraham have done more to tire himself out than to hurt Dirrell there? No way to know now, of course.

This is not a case where I suddenly feel like Arthur Abraham is a bad fighter or that Andre Dirrell is the second coming. Styles make fights, and they sure as hell made this one. Abraham couldn't uncork the big shots much with Dirrell, and Andre used every single physical advantage he had, and used them all well. It was without question, by far the best performance of Andre Dirrell's pro career. It was probably Abraham's worst, but Dirrell made it that way. Both have their flaws as men inside the ring. Every fighter does.

When you break down the fight, it was very interesting, and I think taught us a lot more about Abraham than it did Dirrell. Anyone that had seen Dirrell fight a few times before this knew he had this sort of talent in him. It was always a question of his mental game, and of whether or not he'd have the guts to take some risks. He showed the guts last night, and Abraham found himself in a new position against a fighter a class above (at least) the other guys he's been fighting.

I hate the way this fight ended as much as anyone, and yes, the ugly DQ combined with Abraham's smug post-fight interview does make me think a bit less of King Arthur. But there was plenty to take from this besides the DQ. I think you can say that for both guys, the "styles make fights" thing rings true in almost every matchup. After this, I would never pick Abraham to beat Andre Ward (though he could beat him, sure), and I think we're starting to get a real grip on Dirrell as a pro fighter. Some guys he's going look spectacular against, some guys he's not going to look good at all. That's just the nature of his style and his fighting demeanor, I would say.

We move on now to ... Hopkins-Jones II. Oh, hell, can we keep talking about the DQ and Laurence Cole?

Rick Reeno of BoxingScene.com reports that for the most part, Andre Dirrell appears OK after a hospital visit resulting from last night's DQ win over Arthur Abraham in Detroit:

"Andre was just released from the hospital. He tested negative in the brain scans. We did the urine tests. The commission was there," [promoter Gary] Shaw told BoxingScene.com.

Dirrell was knocked out when Abraham landed a roundhouse right as Dirrell was prone on the canvas after slipping on a mat logo in the 11th round. He won the fight by disqualification.

It's good news that he's negative on the brain scans, which means he's probably not in quite the awful shape some feared. What I mean is, I'm guessing his boxing career is no longer in doubt, and I don't think his injuries are quite as serious as plenty of things you'll see caused by legal action in the ring. This is a pretty standard in-and-out time with the hospital that boxers go through after their fights, and with the brain scans being negative, he's quite probably out of the woods on the worst.

He's going to be OK, and he'll make his next fight with Andre Ward later this year (or early next year, the way this tournament is unraveling and with Ward not fighting Allan Green until June 19).

It didn't end the way anyone would have liked, but Andre Dirrell beat Arthur Abraham via disqualification tonight in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, picking up two points in the tournament.

Abraham (31-1, 25 KO) was well behind on the cards in the 11th round, when Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO) slipped for the second time on one of those stupid logos that people always fall down on, and when down, Abraham landed a right hand that put Dirrell out. Abraham was disqualified on the spot by referee Laurence Cole, losing his undefeated record.

The story of the night was Dirrell either way. He used the style and tactics that those calling for a potential upset said he would need to. He did get himself in trouble a few times, and the fight seemed to be tipping for a dramatic finish before the unfortunate finish. He landed more punches than Abraham even threw.

Abraham went down for the first time in his career in round four, and should have been called down again in the seventh, but Cole missed the call. Cole missed another one in the 10th round, when Abraham put Dirrell on the canvas.

At the time of the stoppage, I had Dirrell ahead on the Bad Left Hook card, 98-91.

A few things stuck out to me. One, Dirrell flops a lot. He is just a flopper. He's Vlade Divac. When he might be in any trouble, he'll hold and hit a knee. The other, though, is similar but the other way around -- Abraham complains a ton, which has been pointed out in the past, but tonight he didn't have "his" referee to stop the action every time he'd complain about a low blow or something even close to low. There was a point in this fight where he complained of a low shot, stopped fighting, and found Dirrell on top of him when Cole didn't stop the action.

This shakes up the Super Six pretty well, as now Andre Ward or Carl Froch (or both) can take the tournament lead. It also puts Dirrell in a prime position to advance to the single elimination part of the tournament, and means Abraham's third fight will really matter for him.

After the bout, Abraham turned off a lot of people by insisting that Dirrell was acting by pretending to be knocked out, so that he could leave with the DQ win.

We'll have more on the fight tomorrow, and thanks for joining us tonight.

Tonight at 10:30pm EDT, the Super Six World Boxing Classic returns and hopefully regains some lost momentum when Arthur Abraham travels to Detroit to face Flint, Michigan's Andre Dirrell. In Stage One, Abraham knocked out Jermain Taylor, and Dirrell lost an ugly, controversial decision in Nottingham to Carl Froch. Abraham currently leads the tournament's early standings with three points. Andre Ward and Carl Froch both have two.

For those who are not Showtime subscribers, check your channels tonight, because Showtime is on its free preview weekend. Not all carriers pick these things up anymore, but it's worth taking a look.

Bad Left Hook's Preview

Last Five Fights Analysis

ARTHUR ABRAHAM		ANDRE DIRRELL
	Main Event

Note: This is Showtime's free preview weekend for most carriers, so if you don't regularly carry Showtime as part of your cable or satellite bill, you should have it this weekend.

The Super Six World Boxing Classic has thus far had its share of hiccups, which was probably to be expected. Any idea this revolutionary and wildly ambitious was bound to be affected by the fact that boxing is, after all, boxing. Getting this many legit contenders and their high-profile promoters together was always going to be a hassle at some point.

This fight didn't escape boxing being boxing. Scheduled for March 6 in California originally, it has moved three weeks and into the boxing-dead city of Detroit. The original setup, with this fight paired with a Vic Darchinyan bout, promised to fill a building. That's three strong names to draw the boxing diehards, plus the Armenian population out there for Abraham and Darchinyan figured to get a good amount of folks in.

Now at the Joe Louis Arena, we'll see if Dirrell has any drawing power at all in Michigan. A Flint native, Dirrell has barely fought in Michigan, because there just isn't much boxing here in the Great Lakes State. And Detroit is hardly an attractive tourist city.

But forget the politics and the business. Right now, let's just talk about the fight, because it's almost upon us.

Super Six World Boxing Classic: Arthur Abraham v. Andre Dirrell

In Stage One, Abraham fought on his home turf in Germany and knocked Jermain Taylor out of the tournament with a 12th round right hand that put the former middleweight champion on Dream Street, and maybe out of boxing altogether. Dirrell went to Nottingham and lost a highly controversial decision to Carl Froch in an ugly fight. Right now, Abraham leads the round robin with three points, and Dirrell has zero, of course.

A win for Abraham here all but completely assures him of a berth in the single-elimination part of the tournament, where the top four fighters move forward and the bottom two are left out. Andre Dirrell needs this win, and he knows it.

But mentally, who is Andre Dirrell? The skill is there. He's got that in spades. But what about the heart? I don't like to question "heart," really, because while I don't go mad for this warrior/Spartan/gladiator stuff, these guys are all brave enough to get in there. So it's relative. So relatively, does Dirrell have great heart?

Right now, I think you could say no. On Dirrell's worst days, he's outright unwatchable. The Froch fight was hideous, and only second on his list of offenses to his deplorable "fight" with Curtis Stevens, which Harold Lederman at ringside called (I'm paraphrasing) "the worst performance I ever saw."

Abraham is almost mythical at this point. Pure strength, he's top of the line. He has brutal power. There's nothing flashy about him, but he can turn lights out fast, sort of like Wladimir Klitschko. Both have one-punch power, and you know it, but they can almost lull you into forgetting that every fight. Then suddenly, BAM! And it's over.

BAM! is different than BANG! BANG BANG! Manny Pacquiao has power, too, but not like this.

There is plenty of talk about Dirrell having a legit shot at the upset, and yes he has the tools to do it physically. He's much faster than Abraham, he's taller than him, longer than him, he's more dynamic. But Abraham, simple as it is, does what he does tremendously well. Dirrell does what he does really well in spurts, and sometimes he just runs and tries to avoid contact as much as possible. He's not Floyd Mayweather, who does what Dirrell seems like he wants to do. Abraham is about as good as it gets with the peek-a-boo defense and filthy punching power. When he gets locked in and sees an opening, he rarely fails to take full advantage of it.

There's a part of me that would like to say I can see the upset happening, but I really can't. I don't think Dirrell has the mindset to take the risks necessary to beat Abraham, and with the Super Six's neutral judges, I don't think Arthur will be fighting the uphill battle on the cards that some expect. King Arthur will reign still on Saturday night, and I think he stops Andre, too. Abraham TKO-10

Before we get to the Abraham-Dirrell preview, I thought it'd be fun to analyze the last five fights of both men, who meet Saturday in Detroit, kicking off Stage Two of the Super Six World Boxing Classic. We'll start with Arthur Abraham.

Fight 1: Edison Miranda (W-TKO-4 / June 21, 2008)

Abraham and Miranda had met before, a very controversial fight from 2006 in Germany, where Abraham famously suffered a broken jaw, but fought through it to win a decision. What was controversial was the referee's performance, which seemed to many to be very heavily in favor of Abraham. To this day, that broken jaw fight has been the central reason that Miranda is considered a contender.

Though there are two sides to the story, Showtime needed an opponent for Miranda in June 2008, after Mikkel Kessler (then promoted by Mogens Palle) suddenly pulled out of a fight with the Colombian. So Abraham stepped in for a rematch, which a lot of folks wanted.

Abraham, as usual, started slow, feeling out the slugger, and then he unleashed hell on him and stopped him in four. When Arthur turned on the power, it was obvious that Miranda could not stand up to him. Do keep in mind this is a post-Pavlik Miranda, though, and that it's been obvious that Miranda has been a changed fighter since Kelly put that hellacious whooping on him. Still, Arthur sparked him bad the second time around.

Fight 2: Raul Marquez (W-RTD-6 / November 8, 2008)

Veteran Marquez didn't really deserve the title shot probably, but he earned it by outfoxing Giovanni Lorenzo in an IBF middleweight eliminator. The Mexican came to win, but Abraham's power discouraged him pretty quickly, and after six rounds, Marquez quit, and never returned to the ring. He's still working in boxing as an analyst.

Fight 3: Lajuan Simon (W-UD-12 / March 14, 2009)

Speaking of not deserving title shots...

For whatever reason, maybe because he knocks guys out and has proven to be really tough, Abraham never took the hardcore fan abuse that Felix Sturm did, though they were both holding middleweight titles and defending in Germany at the same time. When you really break it down, is Lajuan Simon much better a contender than the "bums" that Sturm was fighting? Abraham fought a lot of guys like this. Some had unbeaten fluff records, which Simon had, and which Sebastian Demers had, and Miranda wasn't much better than either of them the first time around, and he was undefeated too. Then there were guys like Elvin Ayala and Wayne Elcock. Shannan Taylor was coming off of a knockout loss to Raymond Joval.

In all candor, the best win of Abraham's career is Jermain Taylor, and if he beats Dirrell Saturday, it might be Dirrell.

Simon and Ayala both did some decent things against Abraham, things that Dirrell and his team might want to look at, but they were just overmatched at the end of the day. Neither are near as talented as Dirrell, either.

Fight 4: Mahir Oral (W-TKO-10 / June 27, 2009)

Here's another one. Showtime picked up this fight, which seemed both odd and surprising. Oral, like a lot of others, was game enough, but was way out of his league. Abraham beat him from pillar to post until it was mercifully stopped.

Fight 5: Jermain Taylor (W-KO-12 / October 17, 2009)

I think this KO is still fresh in the minds of most. Some people had Taylor closer on the cards than I did -- I thought it was a pretty easy Arthur win all things considered. Taylor looked to be in terrific shape and had an OK enough gameplan, but he can't take much of a shot anymore, so when the big right came in, it was over. But even before that, Jermain wasn't able to sufficiently bust down the wall that Arthur presents, which a few years ago, he might have been able to do. Like Miranda, Taylor undeniably became different after Kelly Pavlik knocked him out. He still fought well at times -- the Pavlik rematch, where he gassed but didn't fall, and most of the Froch fight until the determined Froch caught up with an again-exhausted JT, his rout of Jeff Lacy.

Overall: These five fights are a pretty nice representation of Abraham's entire career. He's at least a very good fighter, of that I have no doubt, but I think his resume sometimes gets a lot more credit, and hopefully with Oral and Simon here, plus a weathered Miranda, a loopy Taylor and an old Marquez, you can see he hasn't been tearing through his division.

But that is, obviously, unfair, and I know that. There wasn't much to fight at 160 -- neither he nor Pavlik were exactly clamoring to fight each other, no matter what either of them says. There was little incentive for either of them to travel for that fight. Pavlik would have been damn right to worry about fairness in Germany, and Abraham would have been damn right to worry about taking a lesser payday for a much harder fight in America. Abraham, at the least, rarely disappointed with his performances. Really, that's why he never took the hits Sturm did. He was more enjoyable to watch than Sturm, though they were doing essentially the same things at the same time.

There's not a ton here to prepare him for Dirrell's style, but I get the feeling the Abraham team is not worried about Dirrell's style. Taylor and Simon may have given Abraham the most similar looks to what Dirrell might have up his sleeve, but neither are all that similar.

Now, we move on to Andre Dirrell.

(Photo by John Gichigi / Getty Images)

Fight 1: Anthony Hanshaw (W-TKO-5 / May 2, 2008)

Hanshaw had just turned 30 at the time of this fight, and was one of those guys who was sort of a prospect at one point, got a brief moment near the sun, and then sort of lost it, and you could just kind of tell that was pretty much it. A lot of people forget that this isn't Showtime's first super middleweight tournament. There was that big, drawn-out Don King debacle that ended with a fight for the vacant IBO title. Hanshaw made it to the finals of that thing, and then drew with Jean Paul Mendy. More or less, neither ever really got any higher up the food chain. Hanshaw was picked as one of Roy Jones' gimme "look, I'm back!" opponents in July 2007, then took almost a year off before fighting Dirrell, who picked him apart.

Hanshaw was Dirrell's first credible opponent since the HBO Boxing After Dark debacle against Curtis Stevens, a fight Dirrell won handily but in the meantime, turned off every boxing fan watching him with his run-and-poke style. This was not the "running" that people accuse Floyd Mayweather Jr. of doing. This was real deal running. Dirrell had no intention of letting Stevens touch him.

Anyway, this fight and the next couple were kind of make-ups for that wretched performance. Dirrell needed to prove to TV people that he could be exciting, or at least not that bad. So he ripped Hanshaw, as he should have.

Fight 2: Mike Paschall (W-TKO-4 / August 2, 2008)

Paschall is nothing more than a journeyman club fighter sort, but he's got a lot of heart, and he showed it here. He was way out of his depth against Dirrell, but he tried damn hard to win the fight. Paschall gave Dirrell some real trouble early with aggression, but then Andre dropped him with a hard shot in the fourth, which also opened a nasty gash on Paschall's head. The fight was stopped due to the bad cut.

Fight 3: Victor Oganov (W-TKO-6 / November 1, 2008)

Oganov is slower than molasses and never had a chance. Dirrell slapped him around with authority and made easy work of him.

Fight 4: Derrick Findley (W-RTD-6 / March 28, 2009)

Mismatch, and a stay-busy fight more than anything. I doubt they were intending to stay out of the ring another seven months after this fight, but that's what happened.

Fight 5: Carl Froch (L-SD-12 / October 17, 2009)

I hate this fight. I really do. I hate talking about it, I hate watching it, I hate remembering it. Every time I talk about this fight, I say that I think Dirrell deserved the W and was robbed. And I do think that. But it also feels like I'm defending the right to free speech when it's hate speech being protected. All that, "I don't agree with it, but we have freedom of speech" stuff. We all know what this fight was like. It reminded me of Dirrell against Stevens, except he was dirtier, because Froch, unlike Stevens, was willing to rough Dirrell up when he got the chance, and Dirrell struck back with the tactics. It was just an awful, awful fight, and if you really think about it clearly, who do you "blame" for that? It's gotta be Dirrell. Froch is willing to get rough in there for sure, but he had been on a run with some really good fights. Dirrell was on a run of mismatches where he could do as he pleased. I "blame" Dirrell for how bad this was without question.

Overall: There's no Arthur Abraham here. Carl Froch is a good fighter, and a strong puncher, but Abraham is stronger, I'd say, and also far better defensively. The only advantage Froch might have is recklessness, which isn't generally an advantage, but against a guy like Dirrell can be. Froch's willingness to be hit and get wild may have been in Dirrell's head. Abraham has the reputation of being a double-tough guy, but really he doesn't "like" being hit any more than Dirrell does. He just defends it differently. Froch isn't near Abraham's level defensively, or as a thinking fighter. Froch is a bit of a kamikaze sort of guy, while Abraham is a sniper.

David Mayo reports that the rescheduled March 27 fight between Arthur Abraham and Andre Dirrell will take place in Detroit, the first major fight the Motor City has had in a long, long time.

Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) is coming off of a 12th round knockout of Jermain Taylor last October in Germany, while Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) lost his first pro fight in a highly controversial, ugly bout against Carl Froch in Nottingham. This bout was originally set for March 6 in Rancho Mirage, California, but Dirrell reportedly suffered a back injury in camp, though nothing so serious that the couldn't be immediately rescheduled for three weeks later.

Dirrell is also a Flint native, which is the city north of Detroit that is consistently in even worse shape. I've got the feeling that unless some serious promoting is done and some tickets are priced very, very nicely, the fight is going to tank at the gate. Abraham is still nobody in America, and this fight was set for Rancho Mirage because of the large Armenian population there, and that was also going to be helped by putting Vic Darchinyan in the co-feature.

Now, they're banking on Dirrell, who has fought in Michigan a grand total of one time, back in 2006 in Flint against a guy named Cullen Rogers, an Akron-based tomato can.

As a Michigan native and resident, I can tell you boxing is not really a hot ticket here. Detroit used to be a fight city, but isn't anymore. There's a chance that the city is starved for a good night at the fights, and I hope that's the case. But it's also a very poor city, and Michigan overall is in very bad economic shape. They're not going to make money at the gate on this fight.

About the only thing I think could really help is getting Floyd Mayweather Jr. to show up to some press stuff and lend a hand. Although Floyd Jr. lives out in Vegas now and has for years, he's also given support to Michigan boxing in recent years, including financing the Michigan Golden Gloves a couple years ago. I'm sure they'll go to a Pistons game and a Red Wings game and all that, but Floyd would be a much more likely source of actual help selling some tickets and getting people talking.

The fight will either be held at Joe Louis Arena or Cobo Hall.

The Super Six World Boxing Classic showdown between Arthur Abraham and Andre Dirrell has been postponed three weeks after Dirrell suffered a back injury in training. The fight scheduled for March 6 will now take place on March 27.

This frees up HBO's Devon Alexander-Juan Urango show as the sole major boxing event of the evening on American TV, but now makes 3/27 a double-card night. That's the evening that Boxing After Dark will present Maidana-Cayo and Funeka-Guzman II, though the Boxing After Dark main event should run unchallenged, since that show will start later than the Showtime bill.

The location and venue are up in the air now for Abraham-Dirrell, but Abraham will stay in California to continue training, where he's been for a while now. He'll return to Germany after the fight.

No word on whether or not the Vic Darchinyan-Rodrigo Guerrero fight will move with Abraham-Dirrell, but I'd expect it to.

As a sidenote, this means that all three Super Six bouts in stage two have been moved off of their original dates. HBO's Pavlik/Bute double-header on April 17 pushed the Super Six double-header back to April 24, and now Dirrell's injury has moved this fight back, too. With Jermain Taylor dropping out, Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler bickering over fight location in Denmark, and these three postponements, who knows what great fun awaits us in stage three and beyond?

With the lull in boxing right now about to give way to an absolute storm of compelling fights, I thought it'd be a good time to focus on 10 of them that stick out. Not all will be great (or even good) fights, but they all have distinctly interesting storylines, and will help shape what's to come on boxing's biggest stages for the rest of 2010 and into 2011.

Well, except one of them, probably, and we'll lead off with that one.

Honorable Mentions: Andre Ward and Allan Green didn't make the cut, but I suppose that could be an interesting fight if the "good" Green shows up ... Ya like old folks? Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. II is for you ... Andre Berto's proposed fight with Carlos Quintana has some spark ... Amir Khan and Paulie Malignaggi could be good, but I'd never watch that over any of the fights on this list ... Tavoris Cloud-Glen Johnson just barely missed the cut, and will almost surely be more enjoyable to watch than at least two of the fights that did ... Koki Kameda's first WBC flyweight title defense against Pongsaklek Wonjongkam will decide the new Ring Magazine world champion at 112 pounds.

10. Israel Vazquez v. Rafael Marquez IV (May 22, Showtime)

About three years ago, I tried to do my bit to help start the hype train for the first meeting between reigning junior featherweight world champion Israel Vazquez and reigning bantamweight world champion Rafael Marquez. I could envision nothing less than a great, knock-down, drag-out fight between the two talented and exciting Mexican warriors.

They surpassed my expectations in the first fight, upped the ante in their second bout, and in their third and supposedly final battle, they put on a classic for the ages. Every time out, their fights got better, culminating in a 12-round war (how could they go 12 rounds?) that saw Vazquez storm Marquez in the final frame to secure a razor-thin decision win, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. It was truly epic -- a word overused now (thanks, World of Warcraft), but perfect to describe the trilogy between these two men.

Like many, I had my doubts about a fourth fight. It seemed, in a way, to cheapen what they'd already done. Too much of a good thing. But with both men now campaigning at featherweight, they still offer one another the most money they can make.

It's a dangerous fight for both in so many ways. Not only that they might lose, but that it could be the last time we see either of them in the ring, or at least fighting on the top levels of the sport.

Vazquez, 32, and Marquez, 34, will forever be connected, boxing brothers in bloodshed and brutality. Like Gatti and Ward, Barrera and Morales, Ali and Frazier, and Zale and Graziano, you won't be able to mention one without quickly mentioning the other. The impact they've had on each others' careers and legacies is immeasurable. There is no Israel Vazquez as we know him without Rafael Marquez, and vice versa.

For all those reasons, I've come around and become quite excited for the fourth fight between the two. They deserve the money, the glory, and the chance to do what they wish with their careers. If their desire is to wage war one more time, then so be it. Bring it on.

Photo by Tom Casino/Showtime

9. David Haye v. John Ruiz (April 3, Sky Sports PPV)

David Haye won a paper heavyweight title from Nikolai Valuev last year in a dreadful fight that has been discussed far more than it really deserves. End of the day, Haye has the belt, Valuev and his team are now making outrageous demands for money with Vitali Klitschko's people, and old John Ruiz -- now with Golden Boy -- is in line for Britain's golden child heavyweight.

I've said from minute one that John Ruiz will be more of a danger to Haye than he's likely to get credit for being, and since he's still being given very little credit at all, I'll say it again. Ruiz is no superstar, but Haye's real (read: current) heavyweight experience is limited to the tremendously shot Monte Barrett and Valuev, who pretty much fights exactly the same no matter who he's against, because he's that limited.

Ruiz is better than Valuev, stands more of a chance at being able to cut off the ring and force Haye into a fight, and has been stopped all of one time in his career, against David Tua in 1996. We're talking 14 years ago, and we're also talking the first round knockout, and one that was exceptionally fluky-seeming. Not that Tua didn't have the power to turn anyone's lights out with a good shot, but 19 seconds? They could fight 100 times and that happens that one time.

I still figure Haye will win, whether or not he really deserves to. Ruiz's luck on scorecards isn't about to start changing at age 38, and Haye is a more dynamic fighter. But David's got the still-questionable chin, and Ruiz is a legit heavyweight who isn't a light puncher.

8. Manny Pacquiao v. Joshua Clottey (March 13, HBO PPV)

We're coming up fast on fight week for this one (though not fast enough by my watch), so I'll just put it like this for now, since we'll have a ton more when the week rolls around. Pacquiao-Clottey is compelling mostly because it has Manny Pacquiao. Clottey isn't exciting, isn't a big name, isn't a great fighter. He's solid, tough, very good, and it takes a lot of balls to fight him. This is a really good fight with the potential for a mega upset, and now that Antonio Margarito has been pulled from the undercard (thanks to that dastardly California commission, if you listen to Bob Arum), the anti-Margarito alliance can rest easy and order. Or choose not to order because the undercard isn't very good and there are too many PPVs again.

7. Arthur Abraham v. Andre Dirrell (March 6, Showtime)

Whatever you thought of the decision in Dirrell's fight with Carl Froch last year, it's hard to not admit that Dirrell showed a real aversion to mixing it up with a guy who can punch. Abraham is tremendous at exploiting weakness in his opponents and striking when the time is right, and his high-guard defensive tactics could shut down Dirrell's offense entirely.

On the other hand, if Dirrell learned to be more aggressive after the Froch fight, there's no doubt he's the quicker, more athletic guy in this fight. Using his movement and his hand speed, Dirrell could frustrate the stoic and generally non-aggressive Abraham and rack up a lot of rounds against the unbeaten Armenian, who has a habit of starting slowly. An Abraham win all but assures him of a spot in the semifinals of the tournament, no matter what happens with him in stage three. A win for Dirrell puts him right back in the tournament's running.

Photo by John Gichigi / Getty Images

6. Cristobal Arreola v. Tomasz Adamek (April 24, HBO)

Who's for real? Anyone? Arreola and Adamek are lining up to slug it out on HBO in a fight that will knock one guy out of immediate heavyweight contention, and the fight looks more interesting than ever right now.

Adamek had a bit of a conditioning scare late against Jason Estrada, running out of gas fighting at his heaviest-ever weight. If Estrada had Arreola's power, would we even be talking about this fight? Arreola can punch, and he can box a little. Adamek is a tough guy, but Arreola would be without question the heaviest hitter he's ever faced, and by a good margin at that. There's almost nothing to not like about this matchup on paper. It's about as close to a guaranteed exciting fight as you can get at heavyweight.

5. Chad Dawson v. Jean Pascal (July 17/24, HBO)

This was originally supposed to be set for June 19, but Pascal is coming off of shoulder surgery and his team says he won't be fit to go until late July. It's a good call by them, as there's no good reason to risk rushing Pascal into a fight against the top man in the light heavyweight division. Dawson is a tremendous boxer, but if you look at his sheet since he stepped up a bit in competition starting in 2006, there's nobody who has Pascal's skill set. Eric Harding, Adamek, Jesus Ruiz, Epi Mendoza, Glen Johnson (twice) and Antonio Tarver (twice) are just not the athletic specimens that Pascal is, and Pascal has proven his toughness and willingness to get hit in order to land. He's just a different animal than Adamek, Johnson or Tarver, who presented their own challenges, but nothing like what Pascal offers. Dawson may well cruise to victory, but if he does so it will be because he's that good. Pascal is about as good an opponent at 175 as Dawson is going to get right now.

4. Carl Froch v. Mikkel Kessler (April 24, Showtime)

Froch and Kessler have talked big leading up to this one, and that will probably just get more fiery as the fight draws near. Kessler fired his trainer after his embarrassingly one-sided loss to Andre Ward last November, while Froch has been dogged by questions of a hometown decision over Dirrell.

Kessler's two career losses have come against "spoilers," guys who Kessler himself described as spoiling his style and giving him fits. Joe Calzaghe and Ward bear little resemblance to the straight-forward, basic style that Froch employs. Kessler himself is about as mechanical and predictable as a top-level fighter gets, but when he's able to work behind his powerful jab, he is highly effective. Froch doesn't figure to give Kessler the headaches that Calzaghe and Ward did, so what is Froch's plan? If it's to use brute strength, I suppose there's a chance he can scare Kessler, but nobody has yet.

With Carl Froch, much as I like him, there is still that sense that he's almost living a fairytale, and that the clock has to strike midnight. It's either that or he's perennially overlooked and underappreciated. The Kessler fight will go a long way to figuring that out.

3. Yuri Foreman v. Miguel Cotto (June 5/12, PPV)

The talk of Miguel Cotto being damaged goods is overdone. He stood up to a barrage against Manny Pacquiao, withstanding two knockdowns and trying hopelessly to find a way back into the fight. Even his running seemed to be tactical in nature, as he kept looking for any way to land something on the Filipino that might slow him down. In the end, Pacquiao stopped him in the 12th when Kenny Bayless decided enough was enough, and rightfully so. But Miguel Cotto is no chump, and to be honest, Yuri Foreman is no dazzling sensation.

Foreman's best win was on that undercard against Daniel Santos, who was rather grossly out of shape, hadn't fought in a while, and hasn't been truly active in years now. Santos was once a very good and underrated fighter, but those days are gone. Yuri Foreman is as basic as a bread and water lunch, and doesn't like being hit. That's not a bad thing, but Cotto is probably going to hit him. What happens then?

As our own Matt Miller has said recently, I expect a quite ugly fight with this one, something that will have the NYC crowd booing the dreadful lack of action and amount of hugging going on. Foreman is pretty good, but on pure talent, not in Cotto's league. That said, size is going to matter, and Foreman is a bigger man. Cotto wasn't a big welterweight by any stretch, and he's going to be a tiny junior middleweight. If Cotto can't hurt Foreman or at least make him nervous, I'd expect to see a lot of Yuri jabbing his way around the ring and scoring points in a boring fight. Or Miguel might just rattle his cage early and go for the kill against a less-talented foe.

Photo by Ethan Miller / Getty Images

2. Kelly Pavlik v. Sergio Martinez (April 17, HBO)

Style-wise, Kelly Pavlik's only real challenge in his career has been Bernard Hopkins, the mental assassin who banged him around and dominated him more through willpower and smarts than physical strength, speed or agility. Martinez is a cutie southpaw who seemed tougher than previously imagined in December against Paul Williams, but Kelly Pavlik's biggest weapon -- the straight right hand -- is the southpaw killer, and Martinez has been there to get hit when he decides to get aggressive offensively. This is the first real challenge Pavlik has taken since the October '08 loss to Hopkins, and Martinez is a legitimate threat to the middleweight crown.

1. Shane Mosley v. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (May 1, HBO PPV)

What more can you say about this one? It's a mega-fight that we've been waiting on for a decade. Finally, these two will get it on and sort out what's what between them.

Stage Two of the Super Six World Boxing Classic on Showtime has been set, according to Dan Rafael.

First up on March 6, Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KO) will take on Andre Dirrell (18-1, 13 KO) in Rancho Mirage, California. It's a familiar venue for Dirrell's promoter Gary Shaw, and Dirrell (from Flint, Mich.) really has no home base anyway, and Abraham isn't yet a star in America.

On April 17, Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO) defends the WBC super middleweight title against Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KO), who is coming off of a demoralizing upset loss to Andre Ward in Oakland. It's a huge fight for Kessler, and the matchup this time is much better for him. The fight will be in either England or Denmark, but I'd guess Denmark. Froch has in the past shown a willingness to go on the road and defend (he fought Jermain Taylor in the States this year), and they probably make more money at the gate in Denmark, where Kessler's fights are massive. Showtime will air Froch-Kessler on tape delay.

The same night airing live, Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KO) makes the first defense of his newly-won WBA title against Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KO). Recently, British promoter Frank Warren complained that Taylor by rights shouldn't have a title shot at all. I agree, really, but then I recall some of the "world title" mismatches Warren has put together over the years, and wonder if the words carry much weight given their source.