Ward Vs. Dirrell: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

On October 2nd, 2010 Andre Ward will put his WBA Super Middleweight title on the line against Andre Dirrell in the third stage of the Super Six Tournament. It's much more than just a battle of two of the best young American fighters in the game. Dirrell is fighting for his tournament life, and it's a match that pits two close friends and former Olympic teammates against each other.

These two have plenty in common outside of their shared first name. Both were undefeated super middleweights heading into the Super Six Tournament as promising but largely unproven fighters, never having been tested against the division's elite. Both brought home medals from the 2004 Olympics, with Ward winning gold at Light Heavyweight (178 lbs) and Dirrell capturing bronze at Middleweight (165 lbs), and both men can fight from either the orthodox or southpaw stance.

Dirrell, now 19-1 with 13 KOs, has a game that is based almost purely on speed. He can make otherwise formidable fighters look foolish in their inability to catch up to his punches and movement. However, he has also been known to be his own worst enemy, at times either losing his focus or being unable to put together and maintain a solid plan of attack. His lackluster performance on HBO in a decision win over Curtis Stevens - a fight devoid of action and largely unwatchable - must have left network executives downright frightened to put him back on the air again. Against Carl Froch in his first Super Six fight, he taunted and complained his way to a decision loss in a bout that should have been his for the taking, had he only buckled down and kept fighting his fight.

Now he's coming off his controversial encounter against Arthur Abraham. In that bout, he finally put it all together and was cruising towards a decision victory when he slipped on the canvas and Abraham decked him with an illegal blow that knocked him unconscious. Chaos erupted in the ring, as Dirrell first laid twitching on the canvas and then meandered around the ring crying and shouting, thinking he had been knocked out legally, unaware that he won the fight via disqualification. Dirrell is confident that he has put that episode behind him, but it's difficult to assess the possible lasting mental and physical effects of being knocked out cold in that fashion.

Ward on the other hand has thrived in the Super Six, boosting his record to 22-0 with 13 KOs while showcasing an adaptable style with a focus on taking away what his opponent does best. Like Dirrell, he also has great speed, but has displayed more of an inside game in his last few matches, roughing up his opponents and taking the will to fight away from them.

In his first Super Six bout, he dispatched of then favorite Mikkel Kessler, taking his WBA title in a dominant effort that ended in an 11th round Technical Decision, with the doctor halting the action due to cuts. He followed that up with a shutout performance over Allan Green, and has already advanced into the next round of the tournament, regardless of the outcome of his match against Dirrell. As the only fighter to emerge from his first two encounters with two wins, Ward now stands alone as the clear favorite to win the tournament. That is, of course, unless a certain good buddy of his gets in his way.

Throughout the Super Six, the European fighters have generally been rooting for one another and the American fighters have been doing the same. But with Ward and Dirrell the support goes far beyond that. As has been seen in the Showtime Fight Camp 360 series, the two friends nervously watch each other's contests from ringside, give each other pre-fight pep talks and join in post-fight celebrations or frustrations. Calls are exchanged during training camps and strategies are discussed, although that's sure to cease for their upcoming match.

Two friends facing each other in the sports arena happens often enough, but when careers and concussions are on the line in the squared circle, there are more issues to consider. The potential is for either a great contest, with each man using his respect and knowledge of the other to fight to the best of his ability, or for a yawner, with each man perhaps hesitant to engage the other at full force. Additionally, it's likely that neither man would ever face an opponent more prepared for his style than his counterpart here, having spent so much time training together as amateurs in preparation for the Olympics.

Both have expressed some discomfort at the thought of fighting the other, although each felt it was inevitable at some point in their careers. Dirrell's stated game plan is to make sure he gets off first, beating Ward to the punch and dictating the pace of the bout. For his part, Ward will surely be looking to step inside those punches and get to work in close quarters, doing his best to get Dirrell off-course and frustrated.

Hugs and pleasantries will be shared following the encounter, and the friendship will resume, but one man is going to exit the ring disappointed. Either Ward loses his title belt and undefeated record, or Dirrell walks away eliminated from the tournament entirely. One thing is certain, Ward and Dirrell will be keeping their friends close and their enemies closer come fight night.

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