Showtime announces revised Super Six Stage 3 format
Following a series of setbacks culminating from the postponement of both Group Stage 3 bouts in Showtime’s Super Six tournament, the broadcasting company has announced a solution. They will reschedule both fights for November 27.
Executive Vice-President and General Manager Ken Hershman said today that the tournament will commence with the bouts on the same night. Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell will clash for the WBA and WBC super middleweight titles, and Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch
will compete for a shot at the titles in the Super Six final against either Ward or Dirrell.
Abraham-Froch will take place in the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. An October 2 date between the fighters was postponed after Froch cited a back injury sustained in training.
The status of contender Allan Green, who entered the Super Six tournament after the withdrawal of Jermaine Taylor, is still subject to a decision by Showtime executives and promoters. Green’s situation was further complicated when opponent Mikkel Kessler
withdrew from the tournament due to a serious eye injury.
With five contenders in the tournament, many speculated and reported that Green will be respectfully ejected to simplify matters, and will be given a title shot in the near future.
After two stages of competition in the tournament, Andre Ward is the sole fighter to have come out unscathed. He leads with four points and holds the WBA super middleweight title.
Speaking of the tournament as a whole, Hershman said, “We have asked these fighters to challenge themselves against the best fighters in the world, not in one mega-fight, but in a consecutive series of career defining fights. Injuries and delays are inevitable.
However, each one of them has accepted the challenge and brought a level of intensity to the ring that, in my estimation, is unmatched in all of sports.
Hershman added that the tournament is still set to conclude in 2011. He spoke briefly on the accumulating setbacks of the tournament, saying optimistically, “So, the drama continues with all the fighters still alive heading to Group Stage 3. I couldn’t
have scripted this any better.”
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