Brick City Boxing

By Leszek Dowgier

Showtime’s announcement of their “Super-Six” boxing tournament has created quite a bit of excitement in the boxing world, and quite understandably. Why shouldn’t boxing fans be excited about a tournament which will pit some of the best fighters from a talent rich division against one another in numerous very exciting fights? However, this tournament has also created some anger and disappointment, both from fans who wonder why their favorite fighters aren’t involved, and from the camps of Super Middleweights who, for one reason or another, weren’t invited to the tournament. The latest in the line of spurned fighters is former Contender winner and current IBO Super Middleweight champion, Sakio Bika.

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Though I certainly am personally excited about the Showtime tournament and applaud this monumental organizational feat, which required dealing with 6 different camps, 5 different promoters and quite a few logistical nightmares, I can’t help but wish that fighters such as Allan Green, Librado Andrade and current IBF Super Middleweight ruler Lucian Bute, were amongst the participants.

In light of these issues, I have come up with a solution which will make fight fans and those fighters not invited to the tournament at least partially satisfied. There should be a second Super Middleweight tournament with the winner having a clear mandate to fight the winner of Showtime’s Super Six tournament.

The names I would suggest for this second tournament would be: Sakio Bika, Librado Andrade, Lucian Bute, Karoly Balzsay, Jean Pascal and Allan Green (though this list would certainly be up for debate). With this line up, there would be four current champions as well as two top contenders who are ranked in the top ten by at least one of the major alphabet organizations. If any of these boxers didn’t agree to fight, you could always throw in the likes of a Denis Inkin or maybe even an Edison Miranda or Curtis Stevens.

Though I know this tournament wouldn’t be on the same scale as Showtime’s, it could nonetheless create some great excitement, produce fantastic fights and generate good money.

Considering what an unusual feat it is to have one such boxing tournament, I know I’m asking for a little much suggesting a second one (in the same division no less), but for the following reasons, I believe that the conditions are just right in the Super Middleweight division for this to occur: 1) there are a number of very skilled and hungry fighters who feel spurned and angry at being left out of Showtime’s major boxing event, which will garner most of the spotlight in the division for the next year or two; 2) the smaller tournament can piggyback on the excitement and media buzz created by Showtime’s tournament and highlight its own fighters, pointing out to the boxing world that Showtime is missing some truly great fighters (including 2 of the 4 major titleholders in the division); and 3) with two such tournaments occurring in the division, most fighters (and promoters) who weren’t invited to the Showtime tournament would feel like they were on the outside looking in if they didn’t at least participate in this smaller tournament, and therefore, most fighters would be tempted to participate (though the temptation would certainly be less for the current champions).

Clearly there would be numerous issues and questions. Would the current champions be willing to enter a “second level” tournament, especially if they had to risk their belts? Would someone like Lou DiBella want to take some of the spotlight off of the Showtime tournament (which includes Jermain Taylor of DiBella Entertainment) by involving another fighter from his stable, Allan Green, in a competing tournament? Would Jean Pascal be willing to leave behind the Light Heavyweight division (along with the WBC belt) in order to participate? However, Showtime faced similar problems and was able to nonetheless successfully organize their own tournament, so clearly it is possible if the participants are willing (in other words, if it makes financial sense amongst other things).

So now that the idea is out there, all that has to happen is for the fighters, promoters and a potential network to work out the issues and set things up…I won’t be holding my breath.