By James Slater – As fans know, the Showtime “Super Six” Super-Middleweight Boxing Classic has been hit by its share of snags just lately. Firstly, Mikkel Kessler, the reigning WBA 168-pound champ, was forced to pull out of the tourney with a serious eye injury, then the saga dragged on and on with regards to the finding of a date and site for the Andre Ward-Andre Dirrell fight (finally seeing the fight postponed until further notice), and finally we saw the potential war that is Carl Froch-Arthur Abraham also suffering a postponement due to a back injury suffered by “The Cobra.”
Well, today it was announced by Ken Hershman that these two group-three stage match-ups are still alive, and are both now set to go ahead on the same night: November 27th..
Reportedly, the Ward-Dirrell clash (for a good number of people, the clash between the two best fighters still in the tournament) will take place at an as yet undetermined venue in America on Nov. 27th, and on the same night, in Finland, Froch-Abraham will also go ahead – and whichever two fighters it is that lose that night will go home, leaving the tourney. Allan Green, who replaced Jermain Taylor, and lost via a wide UD to Ward in his tourney debut, will also engage in a Group-Three bout, with details of his next bout to be announced soon.
For now, however, fans can look ahead to a great doubleheader on Nov. 27th. Ward-Dirrell, the fight that will see two good friends go at it, could well be a classic boxing match; a chess match even. While Abraham-Froch – originally set for this coming Saturday, in Monaco – promises to be an out and out tear-up! Needless to say, both big fights will go out live on Showtime.
The tournament has gone about as far off-plan as could have been, but now things are looking good once again. Most fans seem to think the unbeaten Ward, who upset Kessler in his last-but-one appearance, is the best bet to win the thing, but we will not know for sure until next year.
Hershman is sure the tourney WILL have reached its conclusion by 2011.
“We are still on pace to complete the tournament in 2011, at which time we will have delivered to boxing fans around the world a number of the most compelling and meaningful matches in the sport,” Hershman said.
That much is undeniable, even when taking into consideration the glitches we have had to put up with. But who will emerge when the smoke clears from the Ward/Dirrell/Froch/Abraham/Green rivalry? Many fans will disagree, but I lean, slightly, towards former WBC champ Froch.