The Collapse of the Super Six: Boxing Faces Murphy’s Law
By Delroy Hill
For me, the Super 6 Boxing Classic was doomed from the very beginning. Boxing is one of the most brutal sports known to mankind. In fact, this is one of the rare sports that you don’t play, and could be a matter of life and death.
Fighters that climb the canvas, or even spar for that matter, take on a high risk of injury, along with mental and physical deterioration. Let’s be honest about it, not everyone can be a boxer.
With that being said, the brains behind the super middleweight tournament went ahead with plans for the competition to last no less than two years. Two years of the best six fighters in the 168 pound division pounding on each other with the probability that most of the bouts would last into the late rounds.
It didn’t take long for the effects of pugilism for pay to show up as Jermain Taylor was knocked out with six seconds left in the twelfth round by Arthur Abraham in October of 2009. Taylor, a relative newcomer to the division, entered the fight coming off a very similar knockout at the hands of fellow tournament participant Carl Froch.
In January of 2010, Taylor issued a statement saying “I’m going to take some time off from the sport of boxing and take myself out of the Showtime Sports World Boxing Classic tournament. It’s important that I give my body and mind some much needed rest, because I have been boxing for nearly 20 years.” With that, Taylor is now semi-retired, and hasn’t been heard from since. Out goes Jermain Taylor, in comes Allan Green. Carl Froch and Andre Ward also taste success in stage one with victories over Andre Dirrell and Mikkel Kessler respectively.
In group stage two, Andre Dirrell gained two crucial points, but at a major cost in March of 2010. He was out-boxing then undefeated Arthur Abraham, and the judges’ scorecards reflected that, giving him a comfortable lead going into the eleventh round. Dirrell apparently slipped on a wet spot in one of the ring’s four corners, winding up on one knee. While in this vulnerable position, Abraham delivered a blow to his chin.
At first, the downed fighter appeared unfazed by the shot, but then a delayed reaction proved different. Dirrell lay on is back unconscious for a few minutes, and seemed unaware of what happened when he did wake up. Many fans felt that Dirrell took the easy way out, and faked the injury, because Abraham was coming on in the championship rounds. Abraham was disqualified, and Dirrell was awarded the victory. Roughly a month later, Mikkel Kessler would earn a decision victory over Carl Froch, in a tightly contested match in Herning, Denmark.
Since both fighters’ victories, each camp has claimed ill effects from injuries suffered during the tournament, Kessler of eye issues from his fight with Ward, Dirrell of the neurological nature.
In August, Mikkel Kessler announced his withdrawal from the Super Six due to worsening of the injury to his eye. He is seeing double and doctors say he will need nine months free of boxing to rest and heal the injury. Glen Johnson was selected as Kessler’s replacement for the tournament. With two fighters already out, with careers in limbo, the Super Six took another blow when Dirrell announced he was out of the tournament due to neurological issues, likely caused by the illegal blow from Abraham.
He was scheduled to face Andre Ward, but there have been numerous delays in making the fight happen. No venue had been chosen, and many fans pointed to their long friendship as the blame for the delay. Dirrell claims he has headaches, and trouble sleeping, and won’t be close to being cleared to fight again until he has three consecutive symptom-free months. Neurological injuries are often career-ending, and can make it hard for a fighter to be cleared by commissions if he is allowed to fight on.
Speaking of delays, the proposed bout between Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham has been pushed back due to issues with finding a neutral venue, mainly suitable for Froch. He believes, had his fight with Kessler been in England, he would have received the decision.
Many fans and experts are not giving the 41 year-old Johnson, who has not made 168 pounds in ten years, much chance of success in the Showtime Boxing Classic. He admits that he has his work cut out for him, but says he is already on pace to make weight, and prove he still has a lot to offer amongst the younger fighters.
From the start, the tournament was just too long. It has and will continue to produce fights that we may have never witnessed, in an age where the best fighters don’t always fight each other. Be that as it may, single elimination would have been the better avenue for this tournament. Kelly Pavlik refused to “ruin his career” in the Super Six, maybe he was on to something. The length of time, coupled with the fact that each fighter would face each and every other fighter in the tournament, and the risk involved, was just too much.
You really have to give it to Showtime though. They put together something that is rarely done in the sport, that was aimed at exciting the fans. They just seemed to have come up short in the planning stages. It’s part of the learning process, and if they can work around the risks involved with boxing tournaments, it really is a great idea, and a way to decide a clear champion. Each division has way too many belts these days, and a tournament like the Super Six could help lessen the effect the alphabet titles have on the sport.
I wouldn’t call it a total failure, but the Super Six has lost half of the original participants. Allan Green didn’t help much with his lackluster performance in the Ward fight. He didn’t really look like he deserved to be in that position, fighting for Ward’s WBA strap. Despite Glen Johnson’s popularity with fans, not many believe he will win the Super Six. He’s in an uphill battle with age and weight, and his best days are obviously behind him.
Ward, has already advanced to the next stage, an is set to defend his WBA title against Sakio Bika next month, in a non-tournament bout, once again in his back yard in Oakland, California. Although it is a fight Ward should get through without much problem, if he did lose, it would have major implications on the tournament itself. Ward could lose to Bika and still win the Super Six and be called the best at 168.
Let’s just hope the rest of the fighters remain injury free, and that we as fans get what the Super Six was meant to deliver… good quality fights to determine who is the top super middleweight in the world.
I personally believe that Ward will still be the last man standing. He’ already beat the man who was favored to win in the beginning, and his in-fighting style just looks to be too much for the rest of his possible opponents. Abraham’s work rate is just too low for the mauling tactics of S.O.G., he would be desperate for a knockout in the late rounds just like his fight with Dirrell. It doesn’t matter who wins between Green and Johnson. Green was already shut out by Ward and Johnson doesn’t have the stamina to hang with him. The toughest test for Ward would be Froch. His reach and chin alone would give Ward problems that his style may not adapt to easily. I still think he makes the adjustments and out boxes Froch in the end.