@cesargraciebjj: @natediaz209 will be sparring partner for @andreward for his fight with Dawson. We are huge fans of Andre's
— Cesar Gracie (@CesarGracieBJJ) June 25, 2012
The link is to a tweet made by Nate Diaz's trainer, Cesar Gracie, confirming the arrangement. Andre has long been a friend of the Diaz camp in Stockton. It's good to see that Andre has picked a damn skilled fighter for one of his sparring partners. For those who don't follow MMA, Nate Diaz is currently the top lightweight contender in the UFC, who possesses both killer jiu-jitsu along with some of most technical boxing in the entire organization. Nate trains diligently in boxing, and he possesses some of the fastest hands and most pinpoint accuracy in the division. His style is not overpowering, but more of a "death by a thousand cuts" type of punching attack. He does not possess knockout power, but has fast hands and has an almost never-ending striking attack when he boxes with you. Nate's next in line to challenge for the UFC LW title, and his boxing is largely to thank for that. Watch highlights of his fight with Donald Cerrone or Takanori Gomi, and you'll see what I mean. For Andre, this will be an opportunity to work on his technique. For Nate, this will be an invaluable experience as he will surely better his boxing attack through his practice with Andre. As a fan of both fighters, I am happy to hear this bit of news. It always gladdens me to read stories of boxing and MMA going hand-in-hand with each other, as opposed to constantly being at odds. As a fan of both sports, I see commonalities in both manners of combat, and it's always nice to hear of good relationships between boxers and MMA fighters. And it's great to see that these two fighters will be working together as well.
Marquez, Ward, Froch and Katsidis make this a great weekend for boxing fans.
Super Six tourney has turned out to be more of a hassle than a success.
What happens when you put two world class fighters in a ring together, add a little explosiveness and just touch of , "I cannot lose this fight" mentality? What you get is the upcoming Carl Froch-Arthur Abraham bout. Each combatant is coming off of a loss that many in the boxing world thought that they would win. Froch ventured to Denmark to face Mikkel Kessler. Kessler was the odds on favorite heading into Showtime’s Super Six Tournament, but was upset in round one by now tourney favorite, Andre Ward. Some viewed the Ward fight as a bout that showed certain limitations for Kessler. Besides suffering numerous headbutts, Kessler seemed to be outhustled and lost a technical decision. Froch had dealt Andre Dirrell a loss in their first round fight. The fight was, to be honest, hard to watch.
by Andrew Harrison (Safe Side Of The Ropes) Andre Ward would be excused if he found himself developing a complex about all things Scandinavian right about now. Last time out, the "Bay Area Kid" found himself having to vanquish a real life Viking warrior in the Dane Mikkel Kessler, and this weekend in the last of the second round matches in the flagship Super Six tournament, he bids to do away with a man who models his left hand on Thor’s hammer from Norse mythology, Mjollnir. I think it’s safe to say that his local IKEA store shouldn’t expect a visit anytime soon (read more).