Showtime "not panicking" over loss of Kessler in Super Six
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 5:51 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Calling the injury to Mikkel Kessler a "surprise and a disappointment," Showtime is nonetheless not panicking over the loss of the Danish titleholder to its ongoing Super Six World Boxing Classic. In fact, the network is getting right down to business and moving forward with the tournament.
"Ken Hershman has a plan," said a representative from the network. What that plan is, exactly, is not yet clear, but with the injury making headlines just this morning, nothing concrete can be expected yet.
It's worth saying that the Super Six was bound to have things like this happen. The way the tournament is set up, and with the frequency of injuries in boxing, getting through it all without someone getting hurt was going to be near impossible. Eye injuries in boxing are nothing to mess around with, and Kessler can't be blamed for pulling out. It's no ploy, either -- how could it be? Kessler stood to make very good money for a fight he was heavily favored to win against Allan Green, and then he would have been into the elimination rounds, with a chance to win the whole thing and come out of the tournament as a major star.
Sauerland Event has also said that Kessler will likely vacate his WBC title, which could put that belt up for grabs between Arthur Abraham and former titlist Carl Froch on October 2 in Monaco.
As for Allan Green, who loses a date with Kessler and a chance to lift that WBC belt if not advance in the Super Six, he would surely be compensated with a TV date if Showtime does decide to move forward with Ward-Dirrell and Froch-Abraham as the semifinals of the tournament. Even if you gave Green two points for a forfeit of Kessler, he still would be on the outside looking in, and the semifinals would be what the third stage fights were supposed to be anyway. You'd have the #1 seed (Ward) against the #4 seed (Dirrell), with #2 (Abraham) meeting #3 (Froch).
All in all, if that's the path taken, the Kessler injury certainly could have done more damage to the tournament. Nobody would have wanted this to happen, of course, and everyone obviously wishes Mikkel a speedy recovery, but if an injury had to happen, this was the best way for it to happen, as far as the fluidity of the tournament is concerned.
Bad Left Hook will have more on this story as it develops, but as expected, the Super Six World Boxing Classic will move forward, one way or another.
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The positive spin out of all this, if they follow the plan spun up here, is that
1) The tournament ends earlier, allowing the champion to go against Bute shortly, and forcing Dirrell and Ward to really fight meaningfully. (As possible, anyway.)
2) AA and CF very fortunately get to fight for a belt, both after their first loss, one after losing the title. Wonder when the last time that happened where it wasn’t a return match.
3) Kessler doesn’t lose an eye.
Sounds like Kessler’s looking for an early 2011 return, so it isn’t terribly serious, but definitely serious enough that it would have thrown everything out of wack to wait for him, and made no sense to do so.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
One simple solution :
GET LUCIAN BUTE IN THE SUPER 6 ASAP!!!
He would destroy Allan Green anyway so lets match them up and at least have a chance to get a viable Semi-Final to that Super Six…
Bute makes too much money fighting the likes of Jesse Brinkley, and there might be some sourness between Bute and Showtime at this point after the quibbling over whether or not he was ever invited to the Super Six in the first place.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions
But if he'd make more money fighting Allan Green
Which is a gimme fight, and then is pretty much guaranteed a spot in the semis (IIRC, if someone is a replacement, they take the points from the person he’s replacing), it might be worth it. I suspect he’d be willing to give up the IBF belt if he gets shots at two other titles (I assume the WBC belt will stay in the tournament and that Froch-Abraham will be for the vacant title or a silver title or some other crap). The question is whether such a move would be too risky in terms of getting HBO money in the future. But I think HBO would get over being ‘dissed’. What’s good for boxing is good for HBO, and they’re just going to poach the winner after the tournament is over anyway.
Then again, maybe Bute’s team actually IS protecting him? I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt up to this point.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I see the belt nonsense was put in there
That was just my speculation in the other thread, but it makes too much sense from the WBC’s perspective for it not to happen. They’ll make Kessler Champion Emeritus, so he gets first crack at the winner.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
I see the belt nonsense was put in there
That was just my speculation in the other thread, but it makes too much sense from the WBC’s perspective for it not to happen. They’ll make Kessler Champion Emeritus, so he gets first crack at the winner.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Would he make more to fight Green? Hell, would Green even agree to fight him in Montreal? Would Green pressure to have that fight in Oklahoma? Or Texas? Or Sealand?
Green might want to move up to 175 anyway.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Man was full of crap, even before they took out his colon
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
But yeah
I think he’d make a fair deal more fighting Green than Brinkley and ilk. First off, he’s not getting any US TV money – if he’s in the S6, he’d be getting money from the US plus probably England and Germany. Also, they could probably bump up ticket prices a smidge. And he’d make good money for the next round.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Going Forward
makes more sense to me—too many in the mix, too many new intros for a suppposed-to-be-6, now 7-, would with Bute be 8-man thing. Keep it as simple as possible, as uninterrupted by yet another new personality as possible, and as soon as possible—Bute will still be there, and the others, including Kessler when he’s well, will still be able to make great fights with the Montrealer.
I agree. At this point, Showtime should be looking to finishing the tournament strong and going straight to semis is a good way to do that. Early next year they crown a champion and get right down to making other good fights.
Officially boycotting Pacquiao vs. Margarito.
I think so as well… make the fights semi’s and get it finished up.
I wonder if this saves up some money for a fight later on….
I remember that when Mosley and Judah fell apart that left HBO with some money and that resulted in Martinez vs Williams.
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
either way it’s been a great tourney thus far and really been a spot of good news with the haranguing going on between PBF and Manny over a fight that should have been the biggest PPV in history. how 2 guys can’t split something like a 100 million dollars is beyond me.
These guys are waht keeps boxing fans tuning in and not becoming so disillusioned that they lose love for the sport.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Aug 26, 2010 12:11 PM EDT reply actions
Green Promoter Di Bella's Statement re Cancellation
… In the coming days we will sit down with [Showtime Senior Vice President] Ken Hershman to discuss Allan’s future. We trust that Showtime will provide Allan with the opportunity to showcase his skills in a meaningful fight versus a world class opponent in the very near future."
Sounds like just frontwards with 4 is a done deal, with an outside-the-tourney consolation fight for Green.
This is good news. The fact that Ward-Dirrell will be a semi makes it more interesting for me. I had previously found that fight to be relatively uninspiring on the reasoning that the fighters wouldn’t be properly motivated.
Also, this means Bute will have several good opponents available by the time he’s ready for his next fight after Brinkley:
1. Loser of Ward-Dirrell
2. Loser of Abraham-Froch
3. Mikkel Kessler
4. Allan Green (not bad for a fourth-best option)
Unless, that is, Showtime is planning on holding a “third place” fight between #1 and #2. But that would still allow Bute to fight Kessler.
Alan thye fraud Green will not fight Bute !!!
He’s already walked away from fighting Bute twice so he will not man up and take that fight !!! It ain’t gonna happen folks !!! As far as the above comment that they’re protecting Bute…don’t make me puke !!! A fighter who takes a fight with a fighter who just went 12 rounds in a decision loss to Joe Calzaghe in only his 14th pro fight isn’t being protected !!! A fighter who mans up and gives Andrade a rematch just to prove it was a fluke is not the type of fighter who needs protecting !!! It’s Alan Green who’s posturing and trying to get the easiest fights possible !!! Sure he finally manned up fought a real fighter in Green but that was the first top notch guy he’s faced !!!
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Aug 26, 2010 7:39 PM EDT reply actions
AND
I agree just move ahead with the top four and then the winners fight the winners and that winner can unify against Bute who will then win or lose move up to Light Heavy and teach Pascal some respect !!!
It's not a matter of "IF" the North will break you.It's a matter of "WHEN" the North will break you.For up here every year counts as two on the outside.
by Ghostman (Son of the Wolf) on Aug 26, 2010 7:41 PM EDT reply actions
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