by James Slater – As many fans will have heard by now, Showtime TV network are to host a special and quite exciting-looking super-middleweight tournament that will feature six of the world’s best fighters going at it at 168-pounds. So far, details have been kept under wraps, and the official press conference to announce the tournament, to be held at New York’s legendary Madison Square Garden, will be most interesting. So far, all we know for sure is the line up of fighters – and what a line up it is! From the six man team, three are reigning world champions – Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler – two are unbeaten contenders – Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward – and the other fighters is a former world champion – Jermain Taylor..
Fans everywhere will agree, this is quite a collection of talent.
Reportedly, and according to BoxRec, the tournament will begin on October 10th, as WBC 168-pound champion Carl Froch will meet Andre Dirrell in the UK, and on the same day IBF 160-pound champion Arthur Abraham will meet Jermain Taylor in Germany. Then, if everything goes to plan, Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler will be in action later on.
The tournament will go on for months, and it will not be until next year that a winner is crowned. But the Abraham-Taylor and Froch-Dirrell fights that take place in October are more than enough to get us started. Indeed, both fights are worthy of much excitement on their own.
“King” Arthur Abraham, 30-0(24) against Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, 28-3-1(17) has the makings of a great fight, and though the unbeaten Abraham will be the favourite, Taylor cannot be written off at all. A non-title fight, and Abraham’s 168-pound debut, the action cannot fail to be good.
The same is true of Froch-Dirrell, which will be a world title fight. Froch, 25-0(20) is hardly ever in a dull fight and young and hungry Dirrell, 18-0(13) will surely give “The Cobra” a tough night’s work at the very least.
And these are just the two opening fights of the tournament that Showtime have to be commended for coming up with. Good and great fighters taking on good and great fighters. What’s not to like?
More details – such as how a fighter will be eliminated from the tourney (apparently, a points system will be in place and not a knock out system), when exactly Kessler and Ward are expected to fight and when the date for the final is going to be – will no doubt be announced on Monday.
Showtime have already created a massive buzz with word of the special tournament spreading like wild fire. Come Monday and the press conference, the whole boxing world is likely to be talking about this coming attraction.