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Andre Ward dominated Arthur Abraham with power and speed throughout the fight on his way to a unanimous decision victory on Saturday night. In the process, Ward defended his WBA super middleweight title and became the first finalist in the Super Six semifinals. The question is should boxing fans really care about a tournament that is never-ending and has lost most of its luster?
Some will argue that this tournament displays the best talents of the middleweight division but if that were true why has Lucien Bute been excluded? Bute currently holds the IBF super middleweight title and is undefeated but yet is not part of this prestigious tournament? In fact, the only fighter who saves the Super Six from obscurity is WBA Super World super middleweight champion, Andre Ward.
I do believe that Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic is trying to give the sport of boxing what it desperately needs: great match-ups and an exciting tournament that has a purpose, to crown a super middleweight king. However, the main problems are the length of the Super Six and its lack of viability in the U.S. market.
The tournament is perceived as much too long to capture the attention of the casual boxing fan. In the first stage of the competition, each fighter has to compete in three bouts. The next stages has a faster rhythm but still takes time which makes the tournament excessively long.
Adding to the problem is that the Super Six has a small impact on boxing in the United States. The reason why this is such an important element is because, boxing needs to have a revival in the United States. On U.S. soil, fans have turned a blind eye to the sport unless a major name is competing, which doesn’t happen often. Whereas in Europe and in Asia, boxing remains one of the major sports and doesn’t require a much needed boost.
So far, the Super Six is turning out to be a great event for Ward. Only time will tell, however, if it`s going to be just as good for boxing.
