Read Sports Geek’s argument and Loyal Homer’s argument about the which game this weekend is the one that you CANNOT miss.
I read an interesting article a few days ago by Ivan Maisel of ESPN.com. Within the article, Maisel discussed his frustration and disappointment with the lack of any exciting college football at what is supposed to be a crucial point in the season for many teams. As those top-level teams SHOULD be jockeying for BCS position in very intense matchups (usually between conference rivals), the excitement and drama of college football usually begins building towards the climax of championship week at this time. As Maisel points out, though, that magic seems to be missing this year.
He is absolutely right!
Consider the teams currently ranked as the top-10 in BCS standings right now, and look at their matchups…
#1 Florida hosts Florida International
#2 Alabama hosts Chattanooga
#3 Texas hosts Kansas (1-5 in the Big XII)
#4 TCU visits Wyoming
#5 Cincinnati is off
#6 Boise State travels to Utah State
#7 Georgia Tech is off
#8 LSU travels to Ole Miss (unfortunately, LSU has virtually NO shot at playing in a BCS game)
#9 Pitt is off
#10 Ohio State heads to Michigan (which WOULD have been exciting, except for the fact that Michigan has lost six of its last seven games, and Ohio State has already clinched the Big Ten BCS berth).
Unless you are a fan or alum from one of those schools, none present any real intrigue or excitement.
The NFL matchups this weekend are not much better, either. In fact, I am actually giving up my football Sunday because I would RATHER watch my alma mater, the University of Akron Zips, as their top-ranked soccer team (which earned the #1 seed in the national tournament) plays host to South Florida in the second round of the NCAA College Cup tournament. That’s right, I would rather watch a college soccer game between Akron and South Florida than watch the NFL (Go Zips!).
Does that mean that I have sworn off football? No. What it does mean is that there are more entertaining and intriguing matchups slated to take place this weekend than those on the gridiron. One such matchup actually takes place inside of the ring, rather than on the field.
Saturday night in Oakland, Mikkel Kessler is putting his Super-Middleweight Title on the line against former U.S. Gold Medalist Andre Dirrell in the scheduled final fight from the first round of the Super-Six boxing tournament.
The Super-Six World Boxing Classic
The Super-Six World Boxing Classic is an organized boxing tournament featuring the six top fighters in the world at the 168 pound Super-Middleweight division – Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Carl Froch, Jermain Taylor, Andre Ward, and Andre Dirrell. These six world-beaters have combined over their very impressive careers for 165 wins (120 by KO) to only six losses and one draw. Of those six losses, three came at the hands of a fellow Super-Six fighter, with the remaining three coming during title bouts against current Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and the former pound-for-pound champion, Joe Calzaghe. With those impressive stats comes equally impressive hardware – four of the six fighters are world champions, and the other two (Ward and Dirrell) are Olympic medalists.
Good for the Sport
The Super-Six is an event that the sport of boxing has needed for a long time. The sport, which has not enjoyed the fan support in recent years that it once did, has struggled to create a new identity for itself. The Heavyweight division (normally considered the marquis weight class) has been so dominated by the Klitschko brothers that the lack of competition has cost the sport its notoriety in the United States. With that lack of American publicity, the sport seems constantly wrapped up in scandal and controversy, either over the political dealings of the various sanctioning bodies or the controversial behavior of the fighters.
Even among the championship ranks, fighters are more often motivated by paychecks than prestige. Far too often a reigning champ will publicly state this, often turning down fights that may be more entertaining (I am talking to YOU, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.). So, when it was announced that the top six fighters in this weight class were all willing to put their reputations (and titles) on the line in a multi-year tournament that was designed to find out who was truly the best of the best, fans were very impressed! Each of the 12 fights scheduled to play out over the course of this tournament will be a world championship caliber fight, and every time a current champion steps into the ring his belt is up for grabs!
The first bouts of the tournament took place last month, and were both very entertaining. Carl Froch went on to defeat Andre Dirrell in a 12-round split-decision victory, and Arthur Abraham stopped Jermain Taylor by KO in the 12th round (Taylor ended up having to be hospitalized after the bout). The stage is now set for Mikkel Kessler to take on Andre Ward as the first round of the tournament draws to a close. Following this bout, the six fighters will be re-paired for another round of world-class fighting.
If you are looking for some REAL excitement and action on Saturday night, trust me, football is not going to be the answer. Instead of watching Nevada travel to New Mexico State, take my advice and check out the Super-Six World Boxing Classic to watch as two of the world’s best fighters square off on the biggest stage in boxing… you’ll thank me for it!
