Ward-Froch for RING title at 168

Ward-Froch for the Ring title!

Mark E. Ortega

Leave-it-in-the-ring.com

June 8, 2011

Following his Super Six World Boxing Classic semi-final majority decision victory over a rugged Glen Johnson last Saturday in Atlantic City, New Jersey, WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch has seen himself elevated to the #2 position in the Ring Magazine rankings. This now means that Froch's tournament finale with WBA champion and #1 rated 168 pounder Andre Ward will not only be contested for both fighter's governing body trinkets as well as the Super Six trophy, but now will also be for the vacant RING title as well.

For a shortened round robin format tournament that begin in 2009, Showtime could not have asked for a better final scenario, especially with IBF champion Lucian Bute waiting in the wings following a multi-fight deal he signed with Showtime last November. There were most definitely both peaks and troughs over the last two years, but as it heads into it's final lap no follower of the sport can be too displeased with the final matchup.

All that is left to hammer out is the date and venue of the fight, but if past negotiations of Super Six bouts are any indication, things won't go too smoothly on that front.

Note that in the brief history of the super middleweight division, which extends back to 1984 when Murray Sutherland defeated Ernie Singletary for the IBF version of the title, Joe Calzaghe stands as the only ever Ring Magazine super middleweight champion following his lopsided defeat of American Jeff Lacy in a IBF-WBO unification clash back in 2006. Calzaghe vacated the title in 2008 when he fought and beat Bernard Hopkins for the Ring light heavyweight crown. It is a division that has not often seen unification, but in the matter of a few bouts we could be looking at the Super Six winner against Bute for all [or most of] the marbles at 168, making it one of boxing's most exciting divisions.

Early next week readers can expect a feature piece on how the Super Six has played out so far, as well as the insights from executive vice president of Showtime Sports Ken Hershman, who can be credited for bringing this tournament together. Stay tuned.