Will a Loss for Kessler Kill The Super 6?

by Paul Magno

Whenever you're dealing with elite professional boxers, the best planning you can sometimes hope for is a pair of crossed fingers and a silent prayer.

The Super Six World Classic was supposed to be different.

Six top fighters in a highly competitive, but definitely non-glamor division. No HBO/Golden Boy/Top Rank politics...Just the best fighting the best until there was one elite superstar left. It was a beautiful concept and a testament to what can be accomplished when fighters want to fight and their management isn't afraid to let them.

Unfortunately, the Super Six tournament may be two fights away from falling apart and, if we really would've paid attention, the writing was on the wall all along.

As Mikkel Kessler prepares to take on Carl Froch in what promises to be a Fight of the Year candidate this Saturday, there has to be one simple question on the minds of Kessler and his team: "What if we lose?"

A loss for Kessler would mean an 0-2 mark in the tourney and almost no chance to make it into the final four. What would be the point in going on? What if there were a third loss? Kessler, who was the favorite to win it all, is facing the distinct possibility of having his career crushed.

"The Viking Warrior" has always demonstrated the same type of stiff caution outside the ring as he demonstrates inside of it. The best move, yeah, maybe even the smart move, would be to pull Kessler out and make a grab for a lesser title en route to a cushy Calzaghe-esque reign in his home country of Denmark with packed stadiums and the comfortable assurance that every other top super middleweight will be occupied with one another.

Another option for Kessler would be Lucian Bute and an attempted short cut back to the front of the 168 lb. line.

The other questionable piece of the puzzle is American, Andre Ward, but for completely different reasons.

A win against Allan Green on June 19th puts Ward up 2-0 and further cements his status as breakthrough fighter of the tournament. Things can only go downhill form there.

His next fight would be a supremely tough stylistic encounter against good friend, Andre Dirrell, but why risk it? An impressive win against Green will have HBO calling (if they haven't been ringing the phone off the hook already).

The Miranda, Kessler and Green wins will put the Olympic gold medalist in the perfect position to make some real money and HBO has the cash and a list of potential opponents, strong enough to give Ward a real push as "America's Next Big Thing."

Any way you slice it, Ward and Kessler pulling out after the second round would kill the credibility of the tournament and make it little more than a parody of what it was intended to be.

When you think about it, Andre Dirrell is no sure thing to finish the tourney, either. It's easy to envision a scenario where Dirrell, convinced of the fact that he should be 2-0, decides to explore the open market and see what's available for a flashy, yet inconsistent, Roy Jones substitute.

Froch, Abraham and Green are likely to stay in the Super 6; Froch and Green, because there's nowhere else to go...and Abraham, despite the loss to Dirrell, is still in the lead (at least until Ward fights).

Maybe all this is  just paranoia on my part...Maybe everybody stays put and completes their commitment to Showtime and the fans. But it sure would make business sense for some fighters to pack their things before the end of the tourney. And just how often does the good of the sport take precedent over a management team's personal interests?

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2009 Super Middleweight Report

by Dafs117

Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward vs. Jermain Taylor and Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler. Over the course of a month and a half, six quality fighters are slated to step into the ring in three outstanding matches. How many of them are on PPV? None. Yes, that’s right, zilch. They compete in a revolutionary new tournament set-up by Showtime Sports to find out who is top dog at 168 pounds.

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Where does Bute go next?

by dafs 117

IBF Super Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute silenced his critics and shocked the world by stopping rugged Librado Andrade last Saturday night in a rematch of their topsy-turvy first contest.

Firstly, we estimate that Bute’s goal is to get pound-4-pound status or to set himself up to fight the winner of the Super 6 Boxing Classic. We then looked at who’s called out Bute, who’s in the Super 6 and who Bute needs to get his pound-4-pound ranking.

Headhunters:

Allan Green: The American has never quite lived up to his knockout of the year winner in 2007 when he smashed previously unbeaten Jaidon Codrington to sleep in sixteen seconds. Since then, the only world class performance has been his dismantling of never great Carlos De Leon Jr. With Green being nurtured nicely by Showtime, it came as a shock to everyone that he wasn’t included in the Super 6 Boxing Classic. But maybe he wasn’t ready, or even good enough for that matter, as Ward and Dirrell have more than held their own against the big boys. Could this be Green’s turn? Could he upset the odds and take Bute’s belt as extra luggage? It would set Bute in a nice position if he beats Green, who has looked poor in his recent 10 round bout. Possibly, a wise move.

Allan Green: CHALLENGE

Kelly Pavlik: The reigning undisputed middleweight champion has done nothing much since dropping a lop-sided defeat to old Bernard Hopkins. With a stoppage win over Marco Antonio Rubio and another one over Miguel Espino coming up, Pavlik might need a gut check to get back on track. And who better than Lucian Bute to give Pavlik the motivation and the wake-up call that he desperately craves. With the Williams negotiation stalling, and a reoccurring staph infection resulting in pull-out clauses, both Americans are likely to avoid each other next year. Just imagine how nasty the negotiations between Bute and Pavlik would be! Bute would want it in Canada, Pavlik would want it in Atlantic City. Both would demand over half the cut and we could be left with Pavlik-Espino II. Pavlik is vulnerable at the moment and a perfect catch for Team Bute.

Kelly Pavlik: CHALLENGE

Adrian Diaconu: An all-action Romanian who is loved by his adopted nation of Canada. Sounds familiar!? Yes, Bute and Diaconu sell stadiums in Canada and would serve up a treat for the Canadians. Diaconu was outpointed against Jean Pascal earlier this year in a great bout, but his reputation wasn’t damaged by the defeat. It most probably grew as the hooks were slugged in. The only thing is that his “0” has gone. But it was only a matter of time if he wanted to be taken seriously at world level. Bute and Diaconu would be a marketing success in Canada, and the fight would be something the public would relish. However, with Diaconu’s title now with Pascal, a Canadian, it might turn Bute’s head toward ‘The Mongoose’. Looks a decent fight at light heavyweight.

Adrian Diaconu: AVOID

Jean Pascal: As stated above, Pascal has a title. He’s Canadian. He sells stadiums. He’s exciting and he talks. Marketing heaven for Bute, but a much tougher fight than Diaconu, but with more reward at the end. If Froch can outbox Pascal, I would imagine that Bute can do the same thing. Now position yourself in the Super 6 Boxing Classic winner’s shoes; your invincible and there’s a two-weight undefeated world champion and a one handed middleweight champion to add to your record. So Pascal would enhance Bute’s reputation, but what are the chances that Pascal uses his brain in the fight and gives Bute a skill set contest. It will be an even tougher fight for Bute, with Pascal a quick and powerful fighter but not the most agile. A great fight for the fans.

Jean Pascal: CHALLENGE

Paul Williams: Paul Williams is a great fighter, maybe a bigger Manny Pacquiao, but he’s had a hard time recently because of the danger he possesses to the front-men of the Welterweights and Middleweights. Taking that Williams defeats Martinez this Saturday, and Pavlik avoiding Williams at any cost, a fight with Bute might be Williams’ only reliable option. But the chances of him winning are small, as Williams’ skills are greater than Bute. Everything Bute does, Williams does better. Nobody knows how good Williams will be at 168 pounds, so if he loses an asset, Bute might capitalize and punish the ‘Punisher’. If Bute does emerge victorious over Williams, his reputation would be huge inside the underground of boxing. He would be considered as the best non-welterweight on the planet. I’m getting ahead of myself here, but the reward is massive. Be careful what you wish for, Bute.

Paul Williams: AVOID

The Boxing Tribune Pathway Too Success: Firstly, avoid anything to do with the Super 6 Boxing Classic as a late replacement. It would mess up Bute’s freedom and plans, and the chances of him qualifying would be very little anyway as the other fighters would already have points on the table. So to enhance Bute’s bank account, a fight with Jean Pascal would be a good start to 2010. If Bute was very successful, a move back south to fight Kelly Pavlik in a winnable bout with a victory ensuring Bute a P-4-P spot, and finally, to wait for the Super 6 winner, another easy seven figure salary by out-boxing Adrian Diaconu in Canada.

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US Heartland Beat Report (10/12/09)

by Russ Choate

Welcome to the second installment of Boxing in the Heartland, a monthly wrap up of the fight action in the Heartland of America.

The month got underway in Oklahoma, with Allan Green (29-1) trying to show why he should have been included in the Super Six Tournament. He defeated Tarvis Simms (25-1-1) by unanimous decision in their 10 round bout.

On the 16th Joel “Love Child” Julio (34-3) looks to get back on track by taking on a less challenging opponent in Clarence Taylor(14-22-4). Julio was ESPN.com’s Boxing Prospect of the Year, but has suffered consecutive losses to top 10 opponents.

Brandon Rios (21-0-1) wants 10 more rounds to prove that he is a better fighter than Manuel Perez (14-4-1). Their first fight was just over a year ago and both fighters have been undefeated since. They square off on the 17th in Corpus Christi, Texas.

On the undercard of that fight Raul Martinez (24-1) stays closer to home to face Jonathon Perez (15-6). Martinez last fought Nonito Donaire for the IBF flyweight title.

In other action that same night, Vassiliy Jirov (37-3-1)looks to pad his record against Cory Phelps (13-6-1). Shannon Briggs (48-5-1) is also looking to make a comeback on this card.

In the best matchup of the month Al Seeger (28-4) will battle Victor Fonseca (16-0). This will be Seeger’s first fight back since his tragic fight against Benjamin Flores. In that fight, the referee stopped the fight in the eighth round and led Flores to his corner, he collapsed shortly afterward. He was rushed to the hospital but never regained consciousness and died five days later. This fight can be seen live on showtime on October 23rd.

On the last Friday of the month prospects, Tim Coleman (16-1) and Marvin Cordova Jr. (21-1-1)will challenge each other in El Paso, Texas. Coleman has been in camp with De La Hoya, Hatton, Mayweather, Paul Williams, Alfredo Angulo, Zab Judah, and other top contenders. He claims Paul Williams poses the biggest problems for him.

In the main event Hector Camacho Jr. (49-3-1) fights Luis Ramon “Yori Boy” Campas (92-14-1). These two fighters have a combined 161 fights under their belts. Hector Camacho Sr. (79-5-3) fought “Yori Boy” Campas to a draw in May of this year. The younger Camacho says he feels reborn in the ring and his goal is to be world champ.

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Green vs. Simms: Sitting In the Dwindling Crowd

By Russ Choate

As the crowd was entering the circus tent, Tyrone Brunson was entering the ring. The record holder for most consecutive knockouts, challenged Marcos Primera to eight rounds of fight action. Brunson looked the part of a knockout king, but could not put Primera to the canvas. The fight ended in a unanimous decision in Brunson’s favor.

In the next bout of the evening Tor Hamer embarrassed Howard Jones. This fight had just begun, when it was ended. Hamer came out swinging and Jones was quick to fall. After staggering to his feet the ref called the fight.

The last non-televised fight of the night was a tribal war between Brooke Wellby & George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah. Indian drums were beat as the fighters entered the ring and you could tell “Comanche Boy” was the crowd favorite as the fighters entered the ring. Wellby a Native American from Winnipeg Canada needs to carry papers to prove his heritage. The crowd cheered their fighter to a unanimous decision.

Then just as you thought everyone was getting ready to watch the televised portion of the card, most of the crowd left. I guess this is a sign of “Comanche Boy’s” following. Everyone who was left turned their attention to Antonio Tarver.

Marcus Johnson and Victor Villereal kicked off the televised portion of the night. Johnson looked crisp with powerful punches to the head and body. Villereal had his most aggressive round in the 5th, but followed that up by being knocked down in the 6th. Johnson tried to put Villereal away in the 7th, but Villereal survived the rest of the fight. Johnson won on all three scorecards 80-71.

In the best matchup of the night Antwone Smith stopped Henry Crawford. Crawford started the fight using his speed to land the better combinations for the first two rounds. Smith looked better in the 3rd and then buckled Crawford with a body shot to end the 4th. The 5th round was a toss-up. In the 6th Crawford danced his way to the canvas. Leaving his hands down and spitting out his mouth piece he survived the round. Crawford looked better the next couple of rounds, until the last seconds of the 9th. He regained himself long enough to make the bell. Then his corner made the decision to call the fight.

The crowd continued to dwindle as the main event got under way. Allan Green was the aggressor during the early rounds. Then in an attempt to change things up Simms went with the southpaw stance for the middle rounds. Green continued to land powerful punches for the later rounds and scored himself a unanimous decision. Green is currently the alternate for the Super Six Tournament.

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Night of the Living Underachievers: Tua, Harrison, Green Win Big

by Paul Magno

What do you do with a granite-chinned, iron-fisted Samoan who choked in his biggest fight, an Olympic Champion who can't even keep a regional title and a complete package who just can't put it all together? The answer's simple...You keep parading them into the ring until either good things happen or they run out of opportunities.

Yesterday, we saw three talented, yet underachieving, fighters get big enough wins to at least ensure one more TV date and one more shot at the top.

David Tua, at one time THE Heavyweight prospect, who was being marketed as an affable South Pacific version of Mike Tyson, never recovered from being dominated by Lennox Lewis in his first title fight back in 2000. The result of that loss was nearly a decade's worth of weight issues, sloppy fighting and uninspired performances.

After a two-year layoff, Tua finally stepped back into the ring in what was being billed as "The Fight of the Century" in New Zealand against a club-level, but popular New Zealand fighter, Shane Cameron. Tua showed what happens when an irresistible force meets a club-level object and he took Cameron out hard in the second round after also scoring a couple of knockdowns in the first.

Audley Harrison, as a British Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist had blank checks waiting for him when he got back home from the games in 2000. Unfortunately, he took those blank checks as a sign that he didn't need to work again. He would wind up on the losing end against pretty much every fighter who had a legit chance of beating him (Danny Williams, Dominick Guinn, Michael Sprott and Martin Rogan). Despite some flashes of real talent, like his rematch blow-out of Danny Williams, Harrison's career can only be described as a major disappointment.

When the "A-Train" signed on for Britain's "The Prizefighter" it was seen as a sign of the former Olympic hero finally hitting rock-bottom. And, even worse, he wasn't being given much of a chance to win the single day tourney despite it being mostly stocked with inexperienced UK club fighters.

When the one rated fighter, Danny Williams, was surprisingly eliminated in the first round, Harrison went on to score wins over Scott Belshaw, Danny Hughes and Coleman Barrett to take home the cash prize.

Back on US soil, Allan Green also won his bout. He carried the awkward, yet over matched, Tarvis Simms the full distance in a lackluster follow-up to Green's exciting two round blow out of Carlos de Leon Jr. last April.

At one point, Green was seen as a sort of second coming of Gerald McClellan; a two-fisted, athletically gifted fighter who was much more comfortable going to war than playing it safe.

Since he's arrived on the world stage, Green has turned in some inconsistent performances, culminating in a nervous UD loss to Edison Miranda in his biggest fight to date. Because of this lack of consistent fire, Green has found himself on the outside, looking in, as his fellow Super Middleweights are being put in place to have an all-out brawl for dominance via the upcoming Super 6 Tournament and the Lucian Bute-Librado Andrade rematch.

*********

Last night we saw three talented fighters, who never quite lived up to their promise, buy themselves some more time on the world stage. Boxing is a very forgiving sport; Win a couple of big ones and all's forgiven, but nobody gets unlimited second chances...and their time is running out.

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