Showtime Super Middleweight Tournament Officially Announced; Andre Ward Joins Press Tour in Germany
After weeks of speculation, Showtime has officially announced plans for its Super Middleweight Tournament. The tournament, which is set to begin this October and continue through 2011, features six of the top super middleweight boxers in the world - current WBO Super Middleweight Champion Mikkel Kessler, current WBC Super Middleweight Champion Carl Froch, former Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor, current IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham and undefeated prospects Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell - in a round robin, points based style tournament leading to a final bout that hopes to crown the true super middleweight champion of the world. The successful planning and execution of the ground-breaking event required cooperation from five different promoters - Dan Goossen, Gary Shaw, Lou DiBella, Sauerland Event and Mick Hennessey. Each fighter has entered into a three-fight agreement with Showtime with the tournament winner bringing home an estimated $4 million. All fights will be televised on Showtime. And the tournament will be a global event, with locations ranging from Oakland, CA to the UK and Germany.
The preliminary tournament schedule is as follows:
Arthur Abraham vs. Jermain Taylor in Germany in October
Carl Froch vs. Andre Dirrell in the UK in October
Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward in (location TBD) in November
(Andre Ward’s hometown of Oakland is being discussed as a possible location)
Arthur Abraham vs. Andre Dirrell in America in January 2010
Mikkel Kessler vs. Carl Froch in Europe in March 2010
Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor in America in April/May 2010
Andre Dirrell vs. Andre Ward in America in September 2010
Arthur Abraham vs. Carl Froch in November 2010
Mikkel Kessler vs. Jermain Taylor in November 2010
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The “Super Six”, as they have been dubbed by the boxing media, along with their promoters and Showtime execs, began their press tour Monday in New York City, and continued on to Copenhagen and Germany later in the week. Pound 4 Pound Apparel’s own Andre Ward joined the press tour in Germany after a bout with flu prevented him from attending the New York City and Copenhagen stops.
“It is great to be here,” Ward said. “I really wanted to make the effort and come here after I could not attend the events in New York and Copenhagen. I am thrilled to participate and I am very confident I will win.”
The undefeated former Olympic Gold Medalist Ward is coming off the biggest victory of his career, a one-sided unanimous decision over Edison Miranda in May. Along with Dirrell, he is generally recognized as one of the division’s best young fighters. He has also arguably drawn the toughest opening match up, against Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler, Ring Magazine’s top ranked Super Middleweight. Kessler is 41-1, with his only loss coming in 2008 to the since retired Joe Calzaghe. If the rumors about the fight taking place in Oakland are true, this would present a significant advantage for Ward, who filled the Oracle Arena with 8,000 plus boisterous supporters for his victory over Miranda. There are also rumors both Kessler and Ward will take tune-up fights in mid-September prior to their first tournament bout in November. Kessler’s would be a mandatory title defense against Pedermo. Ward’s opponent is yet to be determined. Showtime is discussing a dual location broadcast of both fights to build momentum for their November showdown.
As the press tour continues, those and other questions will no doubt be answered. One thing that is perfectly clear, though, is the biggest winner in this event. And it’s not the fighter who will take home the $4 million prize, nor the promoters, who for once were able to put aside their egos for the good of the sport, nor Showtime, who now has a stranglehold over boxing’s hottest division. The biggest winner is the fans, who get to the see the best fighters in the world together in the ring at the same time. No overbearing sanctioning bodies. No pointless mandatories. It’s boxing in its simplest form. It’s two men wearing gloves in a ring, going at it for 12 rounds to prove who is the better man. It’s a model other weight classes would be wise to follow.
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