(February 22nd) It has been reported by Ken Hershman, Showtime Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager that its Super Six World Boxing Classic has officially named Di Bella Entertainments Allan “Ghost Dog” Green,  29-1, 20Ko’s to replace Jermain “Bad Intentions Taylor in the second round of the tournament and take on WBA super middleweight champion Andre " S.O.G.” Ward, 20-0, 13Ko’s in one of the nights co-featured tournament bouts Saturday, April 24th in Wards home town at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.

Green is coming in off a ten round unanimous decision over previously undefeated “Marvelous” Tarvis Simms October 2009 where he claimed the vacant WBO NABO super middleweight title.

Green was mentioned by many in the boxing community along with Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade as possible competitors in the tournament from the beginning.

The other half of the tournament’s co-feature will present Nottingham, England’s undefeated Carl “The Cobra’’ Froch, 26-0, 20Ko’sdefending his WBC world title against former WBA champion Denmark’s Mikkel “Viking Warrior’’ Kessler,  42-2, 32Ko’s.

The co-featured bouts will be televised on SHOWTIME beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT with Froch vs. Kessler shown on same-day tape delay from Herning, Denmark followed by Ward vs Green live from Oakland California.

American Ward will be making his first defense of the WBA belt he won stopping Mikkel Kessler by a 11th technical decision in the opening round of the Super Six World Boxing Tourney.

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Ward a Cut Above!

By: Ethan Doutney
November 21st, Oracle Arena, Oakland, California: In the final bout of stage one of the Showtimes Super Six Middleweight Tournament Former Olympic light heavyweight champion Andre Ward remained undefeated winning a unanimous technical decision over WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler, 42-2, 32Ko’s.

The 25-year-old undefeated fighter was in control from the opening bell. Wards hand and foot speed seemed to have Kessler out of his rhythm. Ward used a variety of jabs. First Ward was leaving his jab in a steering position then just measuring with it. He then began to stick with it mixing in some shoulder backed jabs snapping the Danes head back.
                      
The former Olympian 21-0, 13Ko’s as a pro frequently changed stances keeping the champion off balance and apprehensive. Ward continued to jab from both sides falling in then strategically grabbing on at times banging away with the loose hand, something Kessler never could adjust to. Kessler’s best rounds were rounds nine and ten when the former champion began to use a double jab. Wards quickness was the difference as the tough Dane was consistently beaten to the punch. Ward threw his shots from all angles and Kessler appeared completely confused.
                                   
About the halfway point of round eleven the ringside physician was asked to examine Kessler by referee Jack Reiss, with Kessler having a cut over his left eye and above and below his right. At 1:42 the doctor called the action and the fight went to the score cards as referee Reiss ruled the cut in question over the left eye which had grown into the eye lid was caused by a head butt.

Ward and Kessler collided heads several times during the fight the cuts coming in rounds eight and eleven. No points were deducted either time. The scores at the time of the stoppage were read 98-92 times two and 97-93 all for Ward.

Kessler and his promoter complained about Ward using his head and elbows and while holding too much. They complained referee Reiss from California never gave Ward a warning and it violated the tournament rules which called for a neutral referee. Kessler never complained during the fight.

Ward is scheduled to meet Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor in his next bout but it is unclear if Taylor will compete as he has been stopped three times in his last five outings. Ward now in possession of the WBA Super World super middleweight belt may play as a motivational factor.
Kessler is scheduled to meet Carl Froch who won a split decision over Andre Dirrell in their opening bout.

On the undercard: Welterweight Karim “Hard Hitta” Mayfield, 11-0, 7 KO’s stopped Francisco “Chia” Santana, 11-2, 5 KO’s in the fifth round of their scheduled eight rounder. Super featherweight Stan “The Man” Martyniouk, 8-0, 1 KO kept his zero winning a four round unanimous decision victory over Anthony “Maestrito” Martinez,    21-33, 9 KO’s. Oakland, California’s light middleweight Tony Hirsch, 10-3, 5 KO’s shutout Salinas, California’s veteran Jose “Cuate” Celaya, 31-6, 16 KO’s 40-36 times three and super featherweight Mel Crossty, 4-0, 1 KO won a unanimous decision over Oxnard, California’s Carlos Herrera, 2-3, 1Ko.
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 Abraham Gives Taylor a Flashback!

By: John Sardelis
October 17th, O2 World Arena, Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany: In the opening bout of Showtimes Super Middleweight Tournament, IBF Middleweight Champion “King” Arthur Abraham, 30-0, 24Kos, came from behind on the scorecards to first pull ahead then score a twelfth round knockout over former middleweight champion Jermaine “Bad Intentions” Taylor, 28-3-1, 17Ko’s.
                     
Taylor took an early lead behind a pumping left jab winning four of the first five rounds. “King Arthur” then took advantage of a solid body attack and a Taylor point deduction for his third low blow in the sixth round turning the momentum and to forging on in the closing rounds. Abraham in usual form got tougher as the fight wore on winning the championship rounds then going on to land a shocking straight right through Taylor’s gloves depositing him on the deck for the full count at 2:54 of the twelfth round. The Ko stoppage reminiscent of his last round 14 second remaining Tko loss to Carl Froch in April.
                
The Ko victory left “King Arthur” undefeated while giving Taylor his fourth loss in his last five outings. Abraham who was ahead on the scorecards 105-103, 107-102, 106-102 goes on to meet Andre Dirrell who suffered his first loss a split decision to Cal Froch in his opening bout of the tournament. Taylor was hospitalized in Berlin after suffering short term memory loss not determined to be from the Abraham punch or hitting his head on the canvas.

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Froch Puts Dirrell in a Matrix of His Own!

By: Rich Neary
October 17th, Trent FM Arena, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom: Carl “The Cobra” Froch remained undefeated while retaining his WBC Super Middleweight Title snake biting Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell winning a close split decision turning Dirrell’s boxing match into a street war.
 
The closely contested fight between two fighters with contrasting skills with Froch remaining the aggressor from the opening bell while Dirrell was satisfied using his speed counter punching from a wide open stance. Froch pressed the moving Dirrell missing much of the time failing to corner the slick stance switching Michigander. Dirrell was successful with a good right jab and finding a home with his straight left to the body until when about midway of round five The fight began to Froch threw Dirrell to the canvas with a Jamie Varner MMA hip throw clearly frustrating Dirrell while creating a “matrix” of his own. Froch went on to mix hitting Dirrell behind the head and punching in the clinches taking “The Matrix” out of his rhythm forcing him to start holding leading referee Hector Afu to deduct a point from Dirrell for holding possibly a 10-8 round. The eleventh round put the fight up for grabs and Froch with his aggression took the closer albeit controversial a split decision with judge Alejandro Rochin Mapula scoring it 114-113, Dirrell and judges Massimo Barrovecchio and Daniel Van de Wiele calling it 115-112, Froch.

Dirrell next steps up to face Arthur Abraham early next year with Froch getting Mikkel Kessler after his “Super Six” fight with Andre Ward, November 21st.

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Lucky for Froch the Fight wasn’t in Montreal!

By: Coach “K”
April 25th, MGM Grand, Foxwoods Resort Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut: British super middleweight Carl “Cobra” Froch 25-0, 20 Ko's successfully defended the WBC Super Middleweight Title he won from then undefeated Jean Pascal 21-0, 15Ko’s last December with a stunning last round stoppage of Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor while trailing on the judges cards at the time of the stoppage.

Froch fighting out of a very unorthodox stance hands low established his best trait early, a granite jaw eating Taylor jabs and right hands. Taylor, 28-3-1, 17 Ko’s started well establishing his jab early adding some clean right hands over Froch’s sagging left. Taylor stuck to the plan landing a big straight right in the third spinning the off balanced “Cobra’ to the ropes. Taylor stayed poised followed Froch along the ropes driving home a solid one-two catching the champion clean putting him on the seat of his pants. Down for the first time in his career he stayed down calmly taking the mandatory eight count.
            
Taylor reminiscent of his first fight with Kelly Pavlik he could not finish his prey when he had him hurt, again it would come back to haunt him. The fourth and fifth rounds saw Taylor use his jab and quick combinations to control the first half of the fight but in round six you could sense a small change in the flow of the bout. Was Taylor taking a round off? Was the former champion experiencing another bad endurance episode? Had he punched himself out?

The fight continued many of the rounds were very close. Taylor would rally at the end attempting to steal the round. In rounds nine through eleven the champion was pressing and the challenger appeared to be running out of steam. Taylor’s punch output fell and at times only appeared to fire back in self defense.
                    
In the twelfth and final round the Englishman pressed on stepping in with his jab and landing a big right hand backing Taylor to the ropes. Froch opened up with a two handed volley as the challenger grabbed on. Taylor attempted a rally firing a double jab that was countered by a thunderous Froch right hand driving him to the corner where champion chased the wobbly challenger landing two banging right hands dropping Taylor in the corner with 41 seconds to go. The challenger managed to gain his feet. The question was could he beat the clock?

After taking an eight count the action resumed and Froch didn’t miss a shot backing a defenseless challenger to the ropes banging him into the corner where referee Michael Ortega correctly stepped in stopping the fight with fourteen seconds to go.

It’s a good thing the fight wasn’t in Montreal, the home of the Librado Andrade robbery. In a IBF Super Middleweight fight October 24th at Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada IBF Champion Lucian “Le Tombeur” Bute was allowed to hold onto his title when out on his feet he was given a delayed count and a twenty plus second delay to resume it when hometown referee Marlon Wright stopped his count to keep warning the challenger Andrade to return to his corner where he was already positioned. Bute was done and clearly unable to continue but allowing Bute to finish the fight and win the fight on the scorecards. It could have happened again had it not been for the excellent handling by American referee Michael Ortega. At the time of the stoppage two judges scored it 106-102 Taylor while Judge Jack Woodburn had it 106-102 Froch. A bad referee call such as a break or an eight count or letting the action continue, god knows what would have happened. A beaten Tayor getting the win or even worse Taylor getting severely injured. Hats off to referee Ortega, for a job well done.

Froch used his brand new US celebrity to call out retired undefeated super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe.