Super Middleweight Outlook: "Super 6" Missing One

Super Middleweight Picture

Much of the attention for the super middleweight division was largely placed on Showtime's "Super Six" tournament. Rightfully so, but with all the delays and pullouts from injuries by the likes of Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler, and Andre Dirrell, many consider the tournament a huge disappointment. Still, the tournament gives us compelling matches coming up with Andre Ward vs Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch vs Glen Johnson. However, perhaps the best 168-pounder of them all plied his craft outside of the tournament, as Lucian Bute consistently beat the best competition available to him and looked sensational.

Top Fights: Super Six Winner-Bute, Bute-Kessler, Kessler-Froch II

I expect the now-favorite Andre Ward to come away with the Super Six trophy after dispatching Froch in the finals. With the recent signing of Lucian Bute to a three-fight deal by Showtime, that means Ward-Bute in late 2011 or early 2012 for the rightful claim to the super middleweight throne. The question is where does this fight take place? Ward never fights out of Oakland and Bute never fights out of Montreal. Las Vegas is the likely destination. Bute-Kessler, if Kessler returns from an eye injury, would pit the two best fighters outside of the tournament. Again, if Kessler returns, Kessler and Froch have some unfinished business to take care of after the Super Six concludes. It would be a rematch of the best fight in the tournament to date.

On the Rise: Andre Ward

Ward is getting more out of this tournament than any other fighter. He came into the round-robin tournament as one of four undefeated fighters. He's the only one left with an "0" in the loss column. I anticipate his fight with Abraham to be a boring, but dominant performance by Ward. His fight with Froch in the finals should be good though. From the Froch fight on, it's nothing but big fights for Ward and sky's the limit.

On the Decline: Arthur Abraham

Since the tournament's first bout, a twelfth round spectacular knockout of Jermain Taylor, Abraham has lost two in a row, losing nearly every round. "King" Arthur came into the tournament as the favorite, but after he loses to Ward in the semifinals, he will come out of it with a three fight losing streak. That's got to hurt.

One to Watch: James DeGale

The 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist from Great Britain looks on the steady path to the world championship, going 4-0 with 4 KO's against decent opposition at this stage of his career. I'm not quite sure if he'll be ready for the upper echelon of the division by late 2011, but it won't be too long before James DeGale makes his name known. DeGale-Froch for UK bragging rights could be one to look out for in 2012.