Before we get to the disqualification a few things need to be addressed
The ref for this fight was awful.
He wasn’t one sided as some are saying, he was just awful all the way around. Andre Dirrell scored a second knockdown that he didn’t call. The ref never said if the cut Abraham suffered was from a head butt or punch.
Abraham scored a conclusive knockdown the ref said was a slip. That was truly awful because Abraham hit Dirrell with a flush punch right in the face and ref still called it a slip.
In the middle of a round the ref allowed the doctors not just to look at the bad cut that Abraham had, but to treat it which isn’t allowed. Finally the ref was in awful position when the illegal punch took place (more on that later). He was so out of position it appeared he was actually about to start a count against Dirrell, before figuring out what had happened.
The fight itself was very interesting until it got crazy.
Dirrell had an excellent game plan. Knowing that Abraham is a notorious slow starter he stood right in front of him and peppered him with power shots and hard shots to the body for the first half of the fight. He knock down Abraham for the first time of his career when he caught him off balanced and scored with a big right hand.
Dirrell had built a big lead on the score cards, but Abraham as the fight went on, you could sense was getting closer and closer. He knock down Dirrell was a flush right hand that had Dirrell dazed in the 10th round (ref incorrectly called it a slip) and seemed to be making a push for a knockout in the last two rounds.
By the time the 11th round started Dirrell was totally spent just, on his bike and just trying to survive. Abraham well behind on all scorecards knew he had to go for the KO, so I was hoping for a dramatic finish.
All Dirrell had to do was stay on his feet and he would win, but Abraham had hurt him and was getting closer and closer to landing that big punch (see: Jermain Taylor) to end it.
That is when it went all down hill.
Dirrell was on his bike while Abraham was stalking him. Dirrell slips on a spot he had slipped on before in the fight (it was in Abraham’s corner who did an awful job cleaning the spot), Dirrell was clearly down on a knee when Abraham clocks him on the chin with a right hook.
Dirrell had a delay reaction to it, but once it hit him (no pun intended) he collapsed and the ref still looking befuddled disqualifies Abraham on the spot.
There is no controversy in the fact that Abraham hit Dirrell illegally.
Boxing rules state if a boxer goes down from a punch, voluntarily or from a slip, if you hit him and the fight has to be stop it is an immediately disqualification.
Abraham claims:
A- He couldn’t see him clearly down.
B- Dirrell was acting and the blow didn’t cause that much damage.
I have watched the replay several times, what Abraham and his fans are referring to is the delay reaction by Dirrell.
I personally don’t think Dirrell was acting for a couple of reasons. First being it was a flush shot on the chin, I wouldn’t describe it as a grazing blow. Also in boxing I have seen many times where a fighter gets hit and it takes a second or two before their body reacts.
Also Dirrell’s behavior after the fight doesn’t appear to me like someone who was acting for one reason and one reason solely.
He thought he lost.
From my perspective it didn’t appear he knew he won the fight, he thought he was knocked out and didn’t remember how it happened. He was literally in tears and distraught that he thought he lost the fight.
Either I am underestimating Dirrell’s acting skills or he really had his bell rung.
Irregardless if you think Dirrell was acting or not, he was winning the fight and Abraham committed a blatant foul, so the right person won the fight.
Only Dirrell knows if he was exaggerating or not, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. If something comes out later then I will address it. Some will even argue Dirrell if he was putting on an Oscar worthy performance did the “smart” thing, I would never argue that. I rather go out like Jermain Taylor than fake being KOed even if by illegal blow just so I wouldn’t get KOed.
Nevertheless if Abraham would have stayed poised he would have had another round and half to close the show.
To be honest I thought he had a very good chance of knocking Dirrell out if he could connect with any good blow because Dirrell was definitely fading.
But because of his frustrations he only has himself to blame for this lost.
I will say this about the Super Six Tournament it hasn’t lacked for drama.