Super Middleweight

WBA Super Middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO) has proven to be a man of his word. After he defeated Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KOs) in one of 2010's best fights, he vowed to give the Cobra a rematch.

On Tuesday, he made good on his promise.

Per Dan Rafael of ESPN, the two super middleweight champions will rematch in an as yet determined location, on a date to be announced. Though the exact venue and date hasn't officially been released, the fight is expected to take place in Froch's home country of England.

BoxRec.com already has the venue listed as the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom, with a date of May 25. Things could change, but that certainly seems like a feasible date and location.

In some ways, Froch-Kessler II seems a little overdue, but it's better late than never.

Kessler discussed his reasons for agreeing to the rematch, and offered respect for his past and future opponent: 

I promised Carl we would meet again and here we are, getting ready to leave it all in the ring for a second time. I have the utmost of respect for Carl. I feel we are very much alike. He is a great champion, a true warrior that has fought the best opponents all over the world in some of the most hostile places, just like me.

The first fight took place in Kessler's home country of Denmark, so it is only fair that the rematch take place in England. It'll be the first time since 2009 that Kessler has fought outside of his home country.

In their first fight, Froch and Kessler battled for 12 action-packed rounds. The man they call the Viking Warrior out-boxed Froch in the crucial rounds en route to a unanimous-decision victory that featured a thrilling final round.

Check out the exciting highlights here:

Since the first meeting, Kessler is 3-0 with three wins coming by way of stoppage. Froch is 4-1 with his only defeat coming against Andre Ward in the final of the Super Six tournament in December 2011.

Ward is the last man to defeat both Froch and Kessler, having beat Kessler in November 2009 by technical decision.

Since Froch lost to Ward, he has stopped Lucian Bute to capture the IBF Super Middleweight title, and Yusaf Mack in his first defense.

Froch now holds the IBF title, so the rematch could take on even more significance. This could be a unification bout because Kessler is the reigning WBA champion.

Per Rafael, Froch still has to gain the IBF's approval to forego a fight with mandatory challenger Adonis Stevenson, but that isn't expected to be an issue.

This has all the makings of another war.

Could a Froch victory automatically lead to a third fight? That may be jumping the gun a bit, but it speaks to the excitement surrounding a fight with two true champions.

Hopefully Froch and Kessler can deliver a show that rivals the action they produced in their first meeting.

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Andre Ward is fast becoming a victim of his own success.

Such is the plight of a champion who has already faced, and in most cases decisively beaten, every legitimate challenger in his division.

Ward will return to the ring on January 26 in Los Angeles, facing former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in a fight that can only be described as a downer given his recent opposition.

Pavlik has not fought near this level in over two-and-a-half years since losing a decision to Sergio Martinez in 2010, and is a shell of the fighter who was once undisputed middleweight champion. 

His career, and life, jumped the tracks largely due to his problems with substance abuse, and while he has won his last four bouts, he hasn't faced anybody in spitting distance of Ward.

Even in his prime Kelly Pavlik would've struggled against a guy like Ward, and at this stage, it could be ugly. He's just a name fighter whom many fans of the sport can still identify, but who has little chance of winning the fight.

By taking this fight, Ward, who defeated light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson by 10th-round TKO in September, is asserting the obvious—there are few viable options. 

In winning Showtime's Super Six 168-pound tournament last year, Ward already holds victories over Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham, two other belt holders at super-middleweight, as well as Sakio Bika, Mikkel Kessler and Allan Green. 

Even a move to 175-pounds isn't ideal, as he already holds a clear victory over the undisputed top dog at that weight.

So the options for Ward are extremely limited. He could seek out rematches against fighters he's already beaten—Carl Froch has been mentioned most prominently in this regard—many of which could be tough sells in the United States. 

Or he could do what he's doing in facing Pavlik: Stay busy in the hopes that a bigger fight emerges in the future. 

It's a situation not all that different to the one faced by Roy Jones Jr. in his prime as light heavyweight champion. 

Jones was so dominant, and had so few legitimate challengers around him, that he was forced to face a litany of inferior opponents—the Derrick Harmon's and Glen Kelly's of the world—in the hopes something bigger would emerge.

While Jones remained dominant for a long stretch of time, his fights became more exhibitions than events. And people began to tune out. 

Nobody is saying this will happen to Andre Ward. He does have options. 

A move to 175 pounds brings the possibility of interesting matchups against Dawson, at his natural weight, or Jean Pascal, who holds a win over Dawson and will face him in a rematch on March 23. 

Other possible opponents include IBF light-heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud or British rising star and WBO champion Nathan Cleverly. 

And then there's the big name that nobody seems to be talking about—Bernard Hopkins.

Yes, that's right. Hopkins has not yet retired, despite his loss to Dawson last year, and plans to continue his career next year.

A match between Hopkins and one of the light-heavyweight champions at the Barclays Center has been discussed for next year, but nothing has been finalized. 

Bernard Hopkins, particularly an Executioner who holds a share of the 175-pound title, could be an intriguing matchup for Ward.

Pretty much any of these opponents would provide a greater threat, and challenge, for Ward than the version of Kelly Pavlik we will see in January.

This is why after this fight a move to light-heavyweight is a near certainty, if nothing else than to find some new opponents.

You can't fault him for taking the fight. Pavlik is still a name and to many this is more attractive than rematches against European fighters without any serious American fanbase. 

But you can see the potential trap awaiting Andre Ward. He might just be too good for his own good.

After systematically dismantling Don George on October 12 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Adonis Stevenson made yet another thrilling and emphatic statement. In registering a 12th-round TKO that included a stunning five knockdowns, Stevenson (19-1, 16 KO) became the official mandatory challenger for IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch.

Given the plethora of sanctioning bodies in boxing, one would assume that securing an alphabet title shot would be relatively straightforward for a quality fighter. If a boxer keeps winning and scoring spectacular knockouts, major opportunities should follow.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, in-ring success isn’t enough; just ask Stevenson.

Since suffering a shocking TKO loss to journeyman Darnell Boone in 2010, Stevenson has been on a tear. Stevenson is currently riding a six-fight stoppage streak, including the potential Knockout of the Year when he obliterated Jesus Gonzales in the first round of their February fight.

The victory over Gonzales (27-2, 14 KO) affirmed Stevenson’s status as a dangerous contender at 168 pounds. Subsequent wins over Noe Gonzalez Alcoba (29-2, 21 KO) and the aforementioned George (23-3-1, 20 KO) further cemented this legitimacy. With frightening power and a loyal following in Montreal, obtaining a championship fight appeared inevitable.

But is a title shot actually within reach for Stevenson, even if he is Froch’s mandatory challenger?

According to FightNews.ca’s Dave Spencer, GYM’s Yvon Michel (Stevenson’s promoter) is certain that his fighter will get his opportunity:

While the ‘who’ hasn’t necessarily been decided, the ‘what’ is abundantly clear according to promoter Yvon Michel (GYM) as to what is next for hard hitting super-middleweight Adonis Stevenson. “The only thing I know, is that Adonis Stevenson’s next fight will be for the IBF title,” Michel told FightNews by telephone.

Spencer quotes Michel as suggesting that Stevenson will fight for the IBF title by the spring, regardless of whether Froch (30-2, 22 KO) is still the organization’s champion:

It [Stevenson’s next fight] will be against Froch or whoever else if the title is vacant.Hopefully it will be against Froch but we don’t control that. We know he has a rematch obligation with Lucian Bute. We know he will ask for an exemption but the IBF rules are clear that a mandatory will prevail over any rematch. I feel that even if he asks for an exemption, he’s not going to get it and Adonis will fight for the vacant title.

In the above statement, Michel addresses several interesting points. The prospect of Froch-Bute II still holds intrigue, even if a title isn’t at stake. However, a rematch between Froch and Bute (31-1, 24 KO) lost some luster when Bute recently struggled in a decision win over Denis Grachev; conversely, Froch was dominant in stopping Yusaf Mack last Saturday.

Bute’s struggles against Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KO) only magnified the fact that Froch dominated him in their first fight. Froch and Bute’s recent fights offer little evidence that a rematch will yield a different result; so, will the fight even happen?

And more importantly for Stevenson, how will this situation affect him?

Spencer notes that Bute and his team—at this point—appear intent on fighting Froch again. With the return bout contractually obligated to take place in Montreal, there is reason to suspect that Bute could fare better. One loss should not negate all that Bute has accomplished, and he remains, theoretically, a skilled and dangerous fighter.

Stevenson, unfortunately, will simply have to wait until this situation resolves itself. A bout between Froch and Stevenson would certainly be thrilling, and it would surely occur in Nottingham, which would give Froch another home date. Furthermore, Spencer quotes Michel as saying that Froch confirmed that Bute or Stevenson will be his next opponent.

Spencer notes that the only way Froch could avoid a mandatory defense is if both he and Bute officially agree that the winner face Stevenson immediately after their rematch. This, of course, is unlikely. If Froch-Bute II happens, the winner will be looking at fighting the likes of Andre Ward or Mikkel Kessler.

This leaves Stevenson’s immediate future in the hands of Bute.

If Bute opts to forgo a rematch with Froch, Stevenson should get his title shot. This could still work well for Froch. If he defeats Stevenson, he will secure a bout with either Ward (26-0, 14 KO) or Kessler (45-2, 34 KO) and still be the IBF champion. For Stevenson, it obviously gives him the title shot he richly deserves.

However, if Bute decides to fight Froch and Michel’s logic is correct, the alternative for Stevenson could also be interesting. Spencer reports that Stevenson could end up fighting Thomas Oosthuizen for the vacant title; while this fight would have a lower profile than Froch-Stevenson, it would still be excellent.

Oosthuizen (21-0-1, 13 KO) is currently the IBO super middleweight champion and has established himself as an exciting fighter. Given his volume punching and Stevenson’s power, the fight would promise tremendous action.

The prospect of Stevenson-Oosthuizen is also interesting because, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, Oosthuizen—along with a slew of other fighters—originally turned down a chance to fight Stevenson in an IBF eliminator. If Oosthuizen is now sincere about making this fight, full credit to him.

Stevenson-Oosthuizen is exactly the kind of fight between top 10 contenders that needs to happen at super middleweight. If Stevenson doesn’t get his shot against Froch, fighting Oosthuizen could provide some ranking clarity among the contenders at 168 pounds.

Froch, Bute, Stevenson and Oosthuizen are all exciting and quality fighters. Hopefully this situation will resolve itself in a manner where everyone gets what they deserve.

Andre Ward is by far the best super middleweight in the world and may just emerge as the best fighter in all of boxing during the next few years when he replaces Floyd Mayweather Jr. atop the mythical pound-for-pound list. 

During the last three years Ward (26-0, 14KOs) has run through a gauntlet of the best fighters his division has to offer and only lost a handful of rounds, let alone a fight. He made world-class fighters like Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch look like run-of-the-mill opponents. 

In what was his most impressive performance to date, Ward absolutely decimated reigning light heavyweight kingpin Chad Dawson in September. 

Dawson moved down in weight to fight Ward in what many boxing experts saw as a dangerous fight for the Oakland native. Ward made it look easy, though, knocking Dawson to the canvas three times in the fight before Steve Smoger stopped it in Round 10. 

Ward hasn’t lost a fight since he was 12 years old, and it doesn’t look like the Olympic gold medalist will lose one anytime soon. While there are good fighters in the super middleweight division, the ones who Ward hasn’t already beaten don’t look to stand much of a chance against him. 

Lucian Bute has been somewhat exposed as maybe being a hype job and not as good as his record would indicate, so that fight won’t do anything to test Ward. 

A fight with hard-punching Adonis Stevenson could be fun while it lasts, but I doubt that he could even come close to testing Ward. 

A Kelly Pavlik and Ward fight has been talked about recently, and while I believe that Pavlik would have a puncher's chance, I think that Ward would be too much for him. 

A fight with Andre Dirrell, his friend and former Olympic teammate, has been talked about in the past, but I firmly believe that Dirrell pulled out of the Showtime Super Six Classic to avoid that fight because he knew he couldn’t win it. 

There are a slew of up-and-coming fighters in his division like Thomas Oosthuizen, Edwin Rodriguez, George Groves, James DeGale and others, but at this point I don’t believe any of them are ready now to face Ward and win, if ever. 

The next logical step, and one that Ward himself has said he plans to make, is to move up to the light heavyweight division. The only problem with that is he has already beaten the best fighter the division has to offer in lineal champion Chad Dawson. 

What may very well happen to Ward is that he could fall into the same trap that plagued Roy Jones Jr. for much of his career—he is just so much better than the fighters in and around his weight class that we may never truly know how great he is.

50 Cent has taken a break from verbally assaulting former best friend Floyd Mayweather on Twitter to take aim at super middleweight champion and pound-for-pound hotshot Andre Ward.

"Andre Ward f*ck you," 50 tweeted.

50 mentioned that his fighter Andre Dirrell was looking for someone to fight and that person could be Ward. Dirrell fights under 50's new promotional outfit, SMS Promotions.

Ward's manager, James Prince, seems to agree and is willing to put his money where his mouth is, mentioning 50's $20 million bet that Yuriorkis Gamboa, also fighting under SMS Promotions, could defeat Mayweather.

According to Boxing Scene writer Rick Reeno, Prince said the following:

I hear there is $20 million being thrown around with betting on Gamboa. But since Andre Dirrell is with [50], and he proved on there how strongly he feels about Dirrell - I just want to know if he brings $20 million to the table...with Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell.

Ward stopped light heavyweight kingpin Chad Dawson in Round 10 of their bout this past September. Dirrell hasn't fought since last December, but Prince says he shouldn't need a tune-up.

If the fight happens, it would most likely be in the spring or summer of 2013. Ward's deal to fight Kelly Pavlik on Jan. 26 is nearly done. Should Ward defeat Pavlik, a Ward-Dirrell fight could become a high-profile bout.

According to ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael, as Andre Ward and his team look to complete negotiations with Kelly Pavlik for a fight in January, the upcoming bout between WBA “regular” titlist Brian Magee and former champion Mikkel Kessler could decide Ward’s next opponent—at least according to the WBA:

At this week's WBA convention in Jakarta, Ward (26-0, 14 KOs) was ordered to face the winner of the Dec. 8 fight between Brian Magee (36-4-1, 25 KOs), the organization's "regular" titlist, and former titleholder Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KOs).

Ward, who hasn't made a mandatory defense, would have to fight the winner by June 8, six months after the Magee-Kessler bout.

Given Ward’s recent string of victories dating back to his first title-winning effort against Kessler in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, it would appear that Ward has transcended the restriction of pointless mandatory defenses.

The problem for Ward, however, is that he has yet to establish himself as a marquee pay-per-view attraction. Furthermore, Ward already dominated his seemingly toughest and most significant opponent when he scored a 10th-round stoppage of lineal light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson, who moved down to 168 pounds to challenge Ward.

At 28 and in his prime, Ward’s biggest issue, at the moment, seems to be his own success.

The prospect of fighting Pavlik (40-2, 34 KO) is an intriguing one, even if the former middleweight champion hasn’t scored a truly significant victory during his comeback. Still, Pavlik has been gradually working through his ring rust, and in terms of providing a competitive fight with mainstream name-recognition, he might be Ward’s best immediate option.

Assuming Ward fights and defeats Pavlik, there remains uncertainty as to who is left for the lineal super middleweight champion to face at 168 pounds. Should Ward elect to stay at super middleweight, two names that come to mind are fighters he has already dominated: Carl Froch and the aforementioned Kessler.

Ward bookended his astonishing run in the Super Six with victories over Kessler and Froch (29-2, 21 KO), respectively, and it is somewhat disconcerting that Ward might already be at the stage of having to recycle past opponents.

At the same time, Kessler and Froch are both excellent fighters who have lengthy and accomplished resumes. Without intending any disrespect toward Magee and his recent run of good wins, the only way Ward will conceivably make a WBA mandatory defense is if it is against Kessler.

Naturally, “The Viking Warrior,” as reported by Rafael, is pleased with the prospect of getting another crack at Ward:

“I did not think it was possible to be more motivated to beat Magee and become world champion again on Dec. 8, but now I have found a reason,” Kessler said. “Andre Ward knows that he owes me a rematch. That was not the real ‘Viking Warrior’ in the ring on that night. I was at my best against [Carl] Froch and Allan Green, and I will be at my best against Magee. Now I just have to regain my title on Dec. 8, and then we will have the rematch. Ward had better get ready.”

In the same article, Kessler’s promoter, Kalle Sauerland, still claims that Kessler’s fight against Ward in Oakland was “dubious” and that the cuts Kessler suffered that forced the bout to the scorecards early—Ward won by 11-round technical decision—were “only from elbows and head-butts,” clearly insinuating that Ward got away with questionable maneuvers.

Whether one agrees with Sauerland’s assessment or not, the fact remains that Ward still cleanly dominated most of the fight and deserved to win by lopsided scores. Ward has put to rest any notion that he is a dirty fighter, and his body of work has shown that he has an uncanny ability to adapt to any style he is pitted against.

While Ward-Kessler II does have some appeal, Ward-Froch II might have more. Assuming Froch defeats Yusaf Mack in an upcoming IBF title defense—and it would be shocking if he didn’t—Froch will have to face Lucian Bute in a rematch in Montreal, which could solidify his stock as Ward’s best available super middleweight opponent.

Of course, the assumption here is that Froch will defeat Bute as impressively as he did the first time they fought in Nottingham (no guarantee). If Froch can stop Mack and then dominate Bute in a hostile environment, he could enter a rematch with Ward riding a sensational three-fight winning streak.

Heading into his bout against Magee, Kessler is also coming off of a gruesome, one-punch knockout victory over Green. If he can carry this momentum into his fight against Magee and score another knockout, Kessler would also enter a Ward rematch with positive momentum; that said, Bute is clearly better than both Green and Magee, which gives Froch the slight edge in terms of recent opposition.

Both Kessler and Froch need to look sensational in their upcoming fights if they want to justify rematches against Ward. While Kessler might officially have an inside track, there is no telling what Ward will do next if he fights and defeats Pavlik.

Maybe Ward will opt to move up to light heavyweight, or perhaps, in what would set an unusual precedent, Ward will decide that he needs to clean out the super middleweight division for a second time.

When Lucian Bute left the comfort of Montreal's Bell Centre and ventured to Nottingham to defend his IBF super middleweight title against Carl Froch, the fight figured to be a highly competitive bout against two of the world's best 168-pound boxers.

In getting stopped inside of five rounds and losing his title to Froch, Bute's run of nine title defenses, to many, had been exposed as the product of bludgeoning underwhelming title challengers. Well, now Bute will officially get the chance to refute his detractors.

Bute (31-1, 24 KO) won a close, grueling fight over Denis Grachev via scores of 115-113, 118-110 and 116-112. Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KO), understandably, seemed disappointed after the fight, and the score of 118-110 seemed ridiculous as several rounds were hotly contested.

Now, Bute winning isn't unreasonable, but a case can be made for Grachev, and regardless of how one scored the fight, it was certainly close.

Bute started the bout with nervous energy, darting in and out as he looked to land his straight left hand and trademark counter left uppercut. Grachev, whose punching has become markedly more controlled and precise, was surprisingly on his back foot early in the fight.

This, however, would quickly change. Despite a clash of heads in Round 2. Bute boxed well early, but Grachev soon began to impose himself as he repeatedly backed Bute up against the ropes, throwing to both the head and body. While several of his punches did not land flush, he did connect with hard, straight right hands throughout the fight.

Bute did better later in the fight, especially during the championship rounds. If Grachev appeared more active, Bute landed the harder single shots, though his inability to consistently find adequate punching range or unload with eye-catching combinations was alarming.

The 12th round might have been Bute's best as he landed clean shots, controlled the center of the ring and made Grachev miss somewhat wildly. While Bute stunned Grachev a few times throughout the fight (usually with uppercuts), Grachev also had Bute hurt and in retreat in the fifth round.

So, how does this performance bode for Bute's rematch against Carl Froch?

Well, let's just say that it doesn't inspire an abundance of confidence. Grachev is a tough, solid fighter, but Bute allowed himself to be backed up against the ropes almost at will, and he certainly was hittable. It seemed plausible that Bute would outbox Grachev, but this proved far more difficult than most fans and pundits might have expected.

If Bute can't stay off the ropes, control range with his jab and press forward with effective offense, Froch will steamroll him again. Granted, Bute did just go 12 hard rounds against a good opponent, but how will he fare against Froch, a man who punches harder and is more naturally gifted than Grachev?

Grachev performed well and should find himself in another notable fight soon. As for Bute, he technically did his part and still has to be considered a very good fighter. That said, if Froch destroys Yusaf Mack, how much excitement will there be for Froch-Bute II?

In the chief supporting bout, Allan Green, who was coming off of a devastating fourth-round KO loss to Mikkel Kessler, stopped Renan St. Juste after seven rounds. St. Juste (23-4-1, 15 KO), who didn't answer the bell for Round 8, did register a knockdown of Green (32-4, 22 KO) in Round 4 but was unable to score a stoppage.

Other than suffering a knockdown, Green repeatedly backed St. Juste up and scored well with his jab and a variety of combinations. The sixth stanza was particularly wild as Green pinned St. Juste on the ropes, only to be hurt in return before rallying strong to close the round.

This is a decent bounce-back win for Green, though his punch resistance still seems somewhat suspect. Where Green goes from here appears uncertain, and he might have to settle for being an "opponent" and hope to score an upset victory if he expects to get back into the title mix. At this stage, every bout Green contests is a crossroads fight. 

Also of note on the undercard was the sensational one-punch knockout Canadian prospect Mikael Zewski scored over Cesar Chavez. Zewski (17-0, 13 KO), who first signed with Golden Boy Promotions only to end up with promotional rival Top Rank, is managed by Cameron Dunkin and appears to be Canada's top boxing prospect.

Against Chavez (20-3, 9 KO), Zewski controlled range with his jab, ending the brief encounter by scoring with a left hook in retreat, which was followed by a devastating counter right uppercut that appeared to break Chavez's nose and floored him for the count. What was particularly impressive about the knockout blow was Zewski's footwork and leverage; he is certainly a prospect worth following.