SHOWTIME announces matchups for Super Six World Boxing Classic
Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Andre Dirrell, Jermain Taylor
It's official. SHOWTIME announced the formation of its Super Six World Boxing Classic at a press conference at Madison Square Garden today.
Six of the world's best super middleweights, including WBA champ Mikkel Kessler and WBC champion Carl Froch. IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham, Andre Dirrell, former middleweight champ Jermain Taylor and Andre Ward round out the rest of the field.
The first three bouts, called Group Stage 1, featrue Froch vs. Dirrell, Taylor against Abraham and Kessler against Ward. The tournament begins in October and runs through November 2011. Dates and venues will be announced in the coming weeks.
The bouts are scheduled to be broadcast on SHOWTIME, not pay-per-view, according to SHOWTIME officials.
Senior vice president and general manager of SHOWTIME sports Ken Hershman explained how difficult it was to get everyone on the same page.
"It was quite complicated. We needed to do this quickly and quietly," Hershman said. "We started with the European pieces first, Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham."
"After we finished up the American side, we went to work on the structure," Hershman added. "It took two and a half months from start to finish."
A tournament of this size had its skeptics. One question was how the sanctioning bodies would react. Gary Shaw, who promotes Dirrell, read an email he received from the WBC, which gave the tournament its blessing.
Lou DiBella, who promotes Taylor, said he was impressed with the way Hershman and SHOWTIME went about planning the tournament.
"As a former TV executive, I have nothing but praise," said DiBella, who worked for HBO for 11 years. "The sports needs a jolt of adrenaline."
DiBella said there were "no issues" after first talking to Hershman about it. "When Ken explained the concept to me, I said 'I'm in'," said DiBella.
The tournament works on a point system. A fighter gets two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. After the three Group Stages are completed, the top four point scorers advance to the semifinal.
Each fighter is guaranteed three fights with the winner and runner-up getting five fights.
Taylor believes this tournament will be a defining moment for him. "I was sitting at home wondering who is next," said Taylor. "This is it [for me]. It's a blessing."
For Dirrell, the least experienced fighter of the group, its a chance for him to put his name among the sport's elite. "It's my time. Everything's falling into place," said Dirrell. "This could help me become the greatest that ever lived."
- MARCUS HENRY
Photo Credit:Tom Casino/ SHOWTIME
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