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Super-6: It's SHOWTIME For Boxing
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The sport of boxing will do something Saturday that could go a long way in preserving the rich history of one of the worlds oldest sports. In an era where flash and fame typically earn the honors, it's rare to see an event in boxing that actually lives up to the hype.
Saturday, that could all change, as the world prepares to watch the initiation of a super-middleweight eliminator, where six men from various countries set out to be the official last-man-standing.
HBO has been known over the years for the glitzy Hollywood crowd, born of drama and animosity among it's dwellers. SHOWTIME, on the other hand, has given life to a product that not only gives us reality, but also integrity in a sport that hasn't always kept that initiative nearby.
As we prepare for the ultimate showdown, we take a brief look at each of the men involved:
JERMAIN TAYLOR (28-3-1, 17KO's): Arguably the most seasoned and more accomplished of any man in the tournament, Taylor enters the equation with a strong set of skills, an Olympic background that earned him a Bronze medal, and a burning passion to reach a stage he once owned. With three devastating loses in his rearview, he isn't the favorite to win, but a victory over one of the most powerful men in the tournament, (Arthur Abraham - whom Taylor will face first), could very well be the shot in the arm necessary to restore confidence in a man who lacks nothing more.
ARTHUR ABRAHAM (30-0, 24KO's): Arguably the most powerful man in the tournament, if not, merely a shade below the brute Mikkel Kessler. Abraham has been a perennial contender in the sport for quite some time, yet his dominance consist of a steady diet of regular middleweight. For the first time in his career, (with the exception of a rematch with Edison Miranda), Abraham will test his luck against a few Super-Middlweights, literally and figuratively. Whether or not he'll bring his power up in weight with him will be the operative question. If he does, every man he faces could be in for a long night when it's all said and done.
ANDRE WARD (20-0, 13KO's): Andre Ward stands as perhapes the most purely talented of the group. Some have slept on his talent, but in my estimation, his skills are only rivaled by those of Floyd Mayweather jr. in today's era of the sport. An effortless ability to fight forward, backwards, inside, outside, or where ever else an opponent may want to take him, there's simply nothing he hasn't demonstrated the ability to do. His experience is the only thing worth questioning, but if he's gonna prove his worth the way he and many others feel he can, there's no better place to do it at.
MIKKEL KESSLER (42-1, 32KO's): Kessler brings not only brute strength and power to the equation, but his only loss comes to a man that no one else in this era of the sport was able to defeat. That man, none other than Joe Calzaghe. Kessler is tied with Jermain Taylor for the most experience in the sport, with both men taking part in 222 career rounds. That being said, his other intangibles at the forefront will make it awfully difficult to uproot this mainstay, as no one aside from Calzaghe has ever truly come close. In order to win it all, he'll have to keep that reputation in tact, and with the skills in his arsenal, perhaps that won't be as hard as some may think.
CARL FROCH (25-0, 20KO's): Carl Froch is one of the dark-horses in this race. Few on a global scale know of him, yet after this tournament, many will. His biggest triumph to date was a hard fought victory over Jermain Taylor, where he barely squeezed out a KO with less than 20 seconds remaining. The fact that he not only got off the ground, but was able to finish a man that was poised for big things in the sport said quite a bit. No doubt, Froch has his hands full as he moves forward, but with a chin of granite, a warrior spirit, and the resilience of a wounded troop, it would not surprise me to see him somewhere in the hunt when the final round kicks off.
ANDRE DIRRELL (18-0, 13KO's) : Dirrell is another one that has gotten little attraction, with some even going as far as saying that a man this inexperienced (78 career rounds boxed) has no place in the tournament. With his solid fundamentals, better than average power, and huge will to win, it wouldn't be a total surprise to see him draw a line in the sand early in tournament. Dirrell has everything to gain and little to lose coming in, and there's no better stage than the present to prove his mettle on than the one he now stands.
In the end, only one man can win, but as the journey finally kicks off, the anticipation and the event itself can only be described as pure bliss.
Stay tuned.
(Watch Super-6 Analysis from Vivek Wallace here)
(Vivek Wallace can be reached at vivexemail@yahoo.com, YOUTUBE (VIVEK1251), TWITTER (VIVEK747), www.vivekwallace.com , Facebook and Myspace)
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