New York, NY – Boxing’s busy schedule continues this weekend with a plethora of action featured on rival networks HBO and Showtime.
HBO DELIVERS AN INTRIGING TRIPLE HEADER
WBO and WBA lightweight (135) champion Juan Manuel Marquez (51-5-1, 37 KOs) will attempt to defend his titles against action fighter Michael Katsidis (27-2, 22 KOs) over 12 rounds or less from the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, live on HBO, Saturday at 9:45 PM ET.
MARQUEZ STILL AMONG THE BEST?
Prior to his failing bid at pound for pound recognition against the mighty Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L UD 12), Juan Manuel Marquez fought two epic wars with (the other) pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao. During that display of violent pugilistic brilliance, Marquez survived a total of four knockdowns, three of which happened in the very first round of their first encounter, amazingly Marquez fought back, and managed to earn a draw. Knockdown number four came in the second bout, which ultimately led to Juan losing by just a point. Spanning 24 hellacious rounds over two fights with Pacquiao, Marquez became the closest boxer to dethrone the living legend in six years. Juan Marquez is a vastly experienced craftsman who holds a multitude of emphatic wins over Marco Antonio Barrera (W UD 12) Joel Casamayor (W TKO 11), Rocky Juarez (W UD 12) and Juan Diaz (W KO 9, W UD 12).
POWERHOUSE OF ENERGY
Going perfect for 23 fights, Michael Katsidis was known as a “go for broke” action fighter, a style which propelled him to the upper stratosphere of the forces to be wrecking with at the lightweight limit. However, in his 24th bout, Katsidis was knocked out by Joel Casamayor (L TKO 10), and went on to lose his next contest to Juan Diaz (L UD 12). Since, Michael has won four straight, earning two knockouts and now bids for his first major world title.
UNDERCARD IS NO JOKE FOLKS
WBC welterweight (147) belt holder Andre Berto (26-0, 20 KOs) squares off against dangerous challenger Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) over 12 scheduled rounds.
In what should be an all out war, fan favorite Jason Litzau (27-2, 21 KOs) takes on formidable opponent Celestino Caballero (34-2, 23 KOs) in a proposed super featherweight (130) 10 round tilt.
SHOWTIMES PACKS A PUNCH WITH A DOUBLE HEADER
BREAKDOWN OF THE SUPER SIX TOURNEY
Competition begins with a round robin phase where each of the six participants will fight three times. Fighters are awarded points based on their performance: three points for a win by knockout or technical knockout, two points for a win on points, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss. Four of the top scoring combatants from phase one will continue to the semi-finals while the two lowest scorers are omitted. The highest ranked scorer will compete against the forth ranked while the second ranked will battle against the third ranked. The winners of the semi-finals proceed to the final showdown.
Stage one results: Arthur Abraham earned three points for his explosive 12th round knockout win over Jermain Taylor. WBC champ Carl Froch was awarded two points for a split decision win against Andre Dirrell. Andre Ward picked up the WBA strap and two points with his one sided slaughter over Mikkel Kessler.
Stage two results: Andre Dirrell was granted a victory and two tournament points against Arthur Abraham by way of disqualification in the 10th round in their encounter. In a “barn burner” type affair, Mikkel Kessler earned a victory via unanimous decision and two points against Carl Froch. Andre Ward retained his WBA title and was awarded two points with a win against Allan Green over 12 lopsided rounds.
Stage three Result: Glen Johnson pulverized Allan Green in emphatic fashion by way of eighth round knockout earning Johnson three tournament points.
BOMBS AWAY IN THE OPENER
It’s a duel of former champions when highly entertaining scrapper Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KOs) and Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) meet in a showdown of a suggested 12 rounds of throw down for the vacant WBC super middleweight (168) strap from the Hartwall Arena in Finland. Coverage begins on Showtime Saturday at 9 PM ET.
FROCH LOOKS FOR REDEMPTION
In his break out performance against Jermain Taylor, Froch showed tremendous heart and resolve as he recovered from two knockdowns in the second round leading him to a dramatic 12th round knockout win. After the win over the highly decorated champ Taylor, Froch entered the “Super Six” with much swagger. However in his “Super Six” debut, Froch would turn in a somewhat lackluster performance against a nonthreatening version of Andre Dirrell. Carl then went on to duke it out and fall short of victory in an all out war against Mikkel Kessler. Standing opposite of Abraham, Froch will look to utilize the same hybrid of strength and courage that led him to his aforementioned biggest claim to fame.
KING’S COURT
Fresh off his scintillating knockout win over Jermain Taylor (W KO 12), former middleweight champ Arthur Abraham entered the ring as a considerable favorite over Andre Dirrell. Despite Having whacked out seven of his last eight adversaries and boasting a knockout percentage of over 80 percent overall, Abraham, was out boxed and ended up being disqualified for hitting a downed Dirrell. Like his counterpart, Abraham is desperate to redeem himself and will look to display his compact defense combined with his power in both hands, a facet which has proven to be a rough task for anyone who has challenged him.
FROM FINLAND TO OAKLAND FOR THE MAIN EVENT
Andre Ward’s (22-0, 13 KOs) WBA strap will be on the line when he fights durable challenger Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) over 12 scheduled rounds at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
THE CHAMP IS HERE!
As evident in his last two outings, Andre Ward has shown tremendous world-class ring generalship. Before entering the “Super Six”, Ward dominated rugged two-time IBF title challenger Edison Miranda on points. After the drumming of Miranda, Andre went on to capture his first world title in stunning fashion against former WBC belt holder Mikkel Kessler (W UD 12) and followed up with a commanding performance resulting in victory against Allan Green (W UD 12). From his recent efforts of acclaim, decorated amateur champion Andre Ward has garnered mainstream appeal and is currently on the cusp of becoming recognized among the top pound for pound elite fighters in the world.
DOES THE CONTENDER HAVE A SHOT?
Tournament newcomer, television’s “Contender” series season two winner Sakio Bika has thrown hands with some of the best thugs in a talent rich division of 168 pounders. However, Bika has mostly fallen short of triumph in such endeavourers and will be by far performing on the biggest stage of his respectable career.
John Signorella