New York, NY– With intriguing cards being dealt out by three of the top broadcast outlets for the sport, boxing’s schedule heats up this weekend. As always, first; let’s take a look at the bout of the weekend.
TITLE AND SPOT IN THE “SUPER SIX” FINALE ON THE LINE
Stakes are high when WBC super middleweight champ (168) Carl ” Cobra” Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) attempts to defend his belt against skillful and seasoned veteran Glen ‘Road Warrior” Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) over 12 rounds or less at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday at 9 PM ET on Showtime. The winner of the bout secures a title unification match in the tournament finale against WBA champ Andre Ward.
HERE’S A 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. *A concussion sustained to Taylor from the bout against Abraham forced him to withdraw from the competition, alternate Allan Green took his place. 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 unanimous decision 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. *Also the recipient of a concussion, Dirrell was forced to withdraw from the tournament, alternate Sakio Bika took his place. In a “barn burner” type affair, Mikkel Kessler earned a victory via unanimous decision and two points against Carl Froch. *Kessler withdrew from the tourney due to significant eye injuries sustained from recent battles, alternate Glen Johnson took his place. Andre Ward retained his WBA title and was awarded two points with a win against Allan Green over 12 lopsided rounds.
Stage three results: Glen Johnson pulverized Allan Green in emphatic fashion by way of eighth round knockout earning Johnson three tournament points. In a lopsided 12 round nod win; Carl Froch picked up the vacant WBC and two points against a very listless version of Arthur Abraham.
Semi final result: Andre Ward dazzlingly outpointed another limited version of Arthur Abraham and advances to the final.
FROCH IS NO JOKE FOLKS
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 victory over the highly decorated champ Taylor; Froch entered the “Super Six” with much swagger. However in his tourney 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 (L UD 12). Froch then regrouped, and in his next bout standing opposite of Arthur Abraham, the hybrid of strength and courage he showcased in previous triumphs led him to earn a unanimous nod.
END OF THE ROAD FOR THE ROADSTER?
Usually fighting at weights over 168 pounds, battle tested veteran Glen Johnson has gone to war on many occasion against the likes of Antonio Tarver (W PTS 12, L PTS 12), Roy Jones (W KO 9), Bernard Hopkins (L KO 11) and Chad Dawson (L, PTS 12, twice). Although Johnson hasn’t fought at 168 pounds since the economy has been prosperous, in his tournament debut; Glen called on his vast ring experiences to expose and knocked out a very complaisant Allan Green ( W TKO 8 ) and made much needed noise for a tournament that was losing some steam.
KESSLER RETURNS IN OPENER
Forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injuries sustained to his eyes, Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KOs) returns to “normal” (non tournament boxing) when he takes on “push over” pug Mehdi Bouadla (22-3, 10 KOs) in a proposed 12 round tilt.
HBO JOINS THE PARTY
Mexico’s “Son of a Legend” Julio Ceasar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 KOs) squares off WBC middleweight (160) champion Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KOs) over 12 proposed rounds of throw down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday at 10 PM on HBO.
IS “JUNIOR” THE GOODS OR JUST HYPE?
At the tender age of just 25 years old, the “Son of a Legend” Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has already competed in 43 fights without knowing defeat. However, his level of opposition has left much to be desired. Since his professional debut in 2003, Chavez opponents have commonly been comprised of “C” class battlers with losing records. During that span Chavez went “life and death” with two (at best) “B” class fighters and barely crossed the finish line in each. To his credit, Chavez has displayed proven boxing ability; especially in the educated way he varies his punch selection. In addition, by recently hiring Hall of Fame bound boxer/trainer Freddie Roach, Chavez has shown a willingness to continue to learn his craft . At the end of the day, the acquisition of a legendary trainer can only help, plus; Julio can bang some.
SEBASTIAN WHO?
A non household name in just about any part of the pugilist planet, Sebastian Zbik is an unbeaten solid scrapper who possesses minor power. Albeit, Sebastian usually only blasts out “B” and “C” level opponents; his punching strength could be a telling facet in seeing if Chavez is better then the aforementioned “lighter” opposition that has suffered Zbik’s wrath.
UNDER CARD
Up and coming featherweight (126) contender Miguel Garcia (25-0-1, 21 KOs) faces Rafael Guzman (28-2, 20 KOs) in a slated 10 rounder.
ESPN STARTS THE FIRE
As per usual, the popular fight series “ESPN Friday Night Fights” kicks off the boxing weekend. Each installment of the decorated series features news, analysis of upcoming bouts, interviews, celebrity guests offering insight into the world of boxing, and competitive scraps. This week’s card features decorated Cuban amateur Yudel Jhonson (10-0, 7 KOs) against rugged Columbian brawler Jose Miguel Torres (21-4, 19 KOs) in a scheduled 10 rounder at the A La Carte Event Pavilion in Tampa, Florida, on Friday at 9 pm ET on ESPN2.
John Signorella