{"id":1830,"date":"2010-03-26T00:02:44","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T05:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ringsidereport.com\/?p=1830"},"modified":"2010-03-26T00:02:44","modified_gmt":"2010-03-26T05:02:44","slug":"stage-two-of-the-super-six-something-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=1830","title":{"rendered":"Stage Two of the Super Six: Something New"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>\"\"<\/a>By Jeff Stoyanoff<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the beginning, The Super Six has been sold first and foremost as unique in the world of Boxing.\u00a0 The round robin tournament represented a new path in the sport that would ultimately find a way to finally combine exciting fights and a dramatic format.\u00a0 After the first stage, it would seem that the first part of the equation has come to fruition.\u00a0 Perhaps the bouts could have been closer with the notable exception of the Froch-Dirrell contest which ultimately went to a split decision.\u00a0 Yet, overall the event appears to be off to a good start.\u00a0 And, now it really gets good, because the second part of the equation is about to come into play.
\n\u00a0
\nAfter stage one, it would seem that Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham are on a collision course to determine who will ultimately walk away with the Title in this event. With all due respect to the four remaining combatants, Abraham and Ward have clearly established themselves as the favorites.\u00a0 In the non Super Six world of boxing, this is where the story would end.\u00a0 Kessler would likely return to Europe and take a fight or two there before deciding if and how he wanted to proceed with his career.\u00a0 Allan Green would toil in relative obscurity as he vainly tried to find his way into the major fight he feels he has earned.\u00a0 Froch, Abraham, and Ward would all likely start exploring mega fight possibilities among themselves with each one holding out for the best possible deal that they could find.\u00a0 And finally, Andre Dirrell would recede into the shadows as the talented fighter that the other top fighters would rather not fight no doubt embarking on a multi-year journey back to the top before gaining a shot once again.\u00a0 Dirrell, as much as any other, would be the latest fighter to fall on the wrong side of the risk\/reward equation that governs matchmaking at the highest levels of Boxing.\u00a0 The paths of the fighters seeming to be so clearly carved out, that even an ordinary fan could predict the future.
\n\u00a0
\nFortunately, this is an alternate universe.\u00a0 The status quo will be upset and that can hardly be considered a bad thing for boxing fans.\u00a0 In the upcoming weeks, the fighters will get right back into it and that leads to a question that is not so easy to answer; how will things look after stage two?\u00a0 Will there be an emerging status quo that sees Ward and Abraham continue to dominate the action continuing on an inexorable path towards each other?\u00a0 Or, will things be turned upside down in stage two as we turn our attention to new favorites and a muddled field?\u00a0 We will know in a few weeks, but one thing is certain, we as boxing fans will have a new experience because the regular world of boxing seldom, if ever, delivers a stage two.<\/p>\n

Abraham vs. Dirrell \u2013 Redemption Without the Wait<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nIn a non-tournament format, this appears to be a fine example of a fight that would never happen.\u00a0 With all due respect to Arthur Abraham, what use does he have for Andre Dirrell?\u00a0 Dirrell is long, fast, and slick.\u00a0 He has considerable skills and a striking fluidity in the ring.\u00a0 On top of that, he is still relatively unknown.\u00a0 Conversely, Abraham has a pair of sensational knockouts in the last couple of years and he just beat a big name in spectacular fashion which is the ultimate currency in the pursuit of a big time fight in boxing.\u00a0 The import of all this is clear; in the real world, Abraham would have successfully moved passed the Dirrell\u2019s of the world and arrived safe and sound in mega-fight territory.\u00a0 There can be little doubt that Abraham, a true warrior in the ring, would fight anyone.\u00a0 But, the business infrastructure of boxing would fast track him to the money he deserves and bypass the potential derailment that could come from a fight with Dirrell.
\n\u00a0
\nThe Abraham-Dirrell tilt is an appropriate headliner for stage two.\u00a0 Abraham has notable wins over Taylor and Miranda of late.\u00a0 However, Dirrell is bigger than Taylor, faster than Miranda, and he is almost certainly better than both at this point.\u00a0 Abraham is stepping up once again.\u00a0 The mega-fight is still coming, but the participants are no longer predetermined based on one night.\u00a0 Will boxing fans still be talking about Abraham as the favorite on March 28th?\u00a0 That is one of the central questions that will be asked in stage two.<\/p>\n

Froch-Kessler \u2013 And the Dark Horse is\u2026..<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nIf the lead up to this event could be called stage zero; then we have already seen a shift in how the fighters are perceived from one stage to the next.\u00a0 In stage zero, much of the talk surrounded Kessler as one of the clear favorites and Froch as a viable threat to emerge as the winner of the event himself.\u00a0 After stage one, the view has changed considerably.\u00a0 Kessler struggled mightily against Andre Ward, who not coincidentally, replaced him as a new favorite to win the tournament.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Froch also struggled to find the range against Dirrell and, while he emerged victorious in the fight, he also emerged with more questions about his potential to be a factor in the event than had been the case going in.\u00a0 Indeed, both men seem to be on the outside looking in as fans speculate on what will happen next.\u00a0 But, each stage is a still photograph of fan perception that can portray a vastly different landscape in an event like this.\u00a0 What if one of the two is able to win in spectacular fashion?\u00a0 Perhaps, it will signal a death knell for the hopes of the other fighter, but it will also catapult the other back into the conversation of potential winners of this event; once again that is the essence of stage two.
\n\u00a0
\nIf Froch can win he would move to 2-0 and would hold wins over Dirrell and Kessler in the event.\u00a0 That would provide a lot of answers to the questions that persist.\u00a0 The landscape after round two might just show a vastly different Carl Froch than the one that existed after stage one.\u00a0 On the other hand, what if Kessler looks sharp and is able to defeat Froch?\u00a0 Once again, the picture would shift dramatically as the talk would surround Kessler\u2019s loss being an aberration and his favorite status once again being justified.\u00a0 The stakes are high in stage two and high stakes produce high drama.\u00a0 The difference here is that Kessler and Froch are being denied the time to regroup that the business of professional boxing customarily provides.\u00a0 Rather, the two men will meet right away and in so doing, will continue the rapidly shifting story of the 168 pound division.<\/p>\n

Uncharted Waters<\/strong>
\n\u00a0
\nHype is inevitable in boxing.\u00a0 It is hopelessly interwoven into the storyline that leads to any fight, then and now.\u00a0 The hype is alive and well in Super Middleweight Division.\u00a0 Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham have made impactful statements regarding their burgeoning dominance in the division.\u00a0 It is hard to avoid wondering if all this is merely a preamble to an eventual showdown between the two.\u00a0 Yet, the Super Six doesn\u2019t seek to delay and manipulate that hype and in so doing brings a new dimension to boxing for its fans.\u00a0 Before stage one, the hype surrounded the central question of just how good are each of the fighters.\u00a0 How good are Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell?\u00a0 Is Carl Froch still being underrated as a top fighter?\u00a0 Is Mikkel Kessler the most anonymous special fighter in boxing?\u00a0 How will Arthur Abraham handle his opponents as he moves up to take on, not just any 168 pounders, but the best the division has to offer?\u00a0 Stage one provided some answers, but the real question is, will stage two yield the same answers?\u00a0 If stage one provided some unexpected answers then one can only assume that some more surprises might just be coming in stage two.\u00a0 But, what happens in the ring is only part of the story here.
\n\u00a0
\nFans learn about fighters and the answers invariably come in the ring.\u00a0 But, those answers come randomly, or after years of missed opportunity, or sometimes not at all.\u00a0 Boxing fans are eagerly anticipating the answer to the question of who is the best welterweight in the world.\u00a0 The sad truth is that the answer is not only not coming soon it may never come at all.\u00a0 Even if Floyd Mayweather, JR., is able to defeat Shane Mosley, what is the likelihood that he or Manny Pacquiao will deviate substantially from the impasse that imploded their fight the first time around?\u00a0 It seems hard to fathom that winning is going to make either one of them more likely to give in and the money has already shown to be not enough to sway them from their position.\u00a0 And now, Pacquiao is talking openly about retiring.\u00a0 The mega fight has never been in greater peril.\u00a0 Indeed, the welterweight saga provides a perfect juxtaposition to the Super Six with one representing the conventional timing of boxing and the other showcasing a format that is, in every way, its polar opposite.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is ironic that Roy Jones, JR., and Bernard Hopkins are preparing to step into the ring this month for their long anticipated rematch\u2026it only took 17 years.\u00a0 Once again, the conventional timing of boxing is on full display right alongside The Super Six.\u00a0 The timing could not have been more perfect.\u00a0 Rematches in boxing provide the most fundamental look at the business that underpins the game.\u00a0 The degree to which the fans desire the fight is a mere afterthought in the making of a fight.\u00a0 Perhaps that is exactly as it should be.\u00a0 Fighters should not be beholden to fans when it comes to their livelihood.\u00a0 It would be an absurdity for any athlete to not consider what is best for himself and those close to him first and foremost in making any decision.\u00a0 Nonetheless, any look at the timing of big fights and lucrative rematches in boxing will unveil an often ridiculous sense of timing that can be found in no other sport and a frustrating heartache that only a boxing fan can understand.<\/p>\n

And then there is the Super Six.\u00a0 The top fighters get right back to it and the answers come, not later, but now.\u00a0 Are Ward and Abraham on a collision course?\u00a0 Is there a favorite looming in the shadows?\u00a0 That we will get our answers when the fighters square off in the ring is thankfully nothing new.\u00a0 That the answers come right away; now that is unique.<\/p>\n

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By Jeff Stoyanoff From the beginning, The Super Six has been sold first and foremost as unique in the world of Boxing.\u00a0 The round robin tournament represented a new path in the sport that would ultimately find a way to finally combine exciting fights and a dramatic format.\u00a0 After the first stage, it would seem […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[45,55,63,143,682],"class_list":["post-1830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-allan-green","tag-andre-dirrell","tag-arthur-abraham","tag-carl-froch","tag-super-six"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}