Two people with knowledge of discussions: Showtime close to six-man super middleweight tourney

AP Sources: Showtime close to boxing tourney deal

NEW YORK — Showtime is putting the final touches on a six-man super middleweight round-robin tournament that will include two current champions and three former U.S. Olympians.

Two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Thursday that the details, possibly including sites and dates, are being worked out this week. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because negotiations were ongoing.

The tournament is expected to include WBA champion Mikkel Kessler and WBC champion Carl Froch along with IBF middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham. The three Europeans will be joined by former U.S. Olympians Jermain Taylor, Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell.

Showtime issued a statement saying all six fighters would be in New York on Monday for a “groundbreaking boxing announcement,” but declined to elaborate. They have a combined record of 161-4-1 with 117 knockouts.

Abraham, Froch, Dirrell and Ward have never been beaten.

Showtime has made a big investment in the 168-pound division, attempting to build name recognition for many of the participants. Froch knocked out Taylor in the 12th round in April, Ward beat Edison Miranda in May, and Abraham beat Mahir Oral last month.

Unlike elimination tournaments, the format would reward fighters with points based on the decision. A victory would earn two points, with a bonus point for a knockout, and a draw would be worth one point. The four fighters with the most points at the end of the round-robin would advance to seeded semifinals.

“I’ve got a lot to say on every subject, (but) give me a few days to give you something to talk about,” said Dan Goossen, who promotes Ward, when asked about the tournament.

The first scheduled fights would pit Dirrell, a 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, against Froch for the WBC title, with Abraham moving up in weight to fight Taylor.

The tournament could be precisely what boxing needs after a summer in which several big fights were postponed, the heavyweight division remained a mess and mixed martial arts kept cutting into the sport’s stagnant fan base.

Showtime’s plan, which had been rumored for weeks, could provide numerous intriguing fights over the next two years in both the United States and Europe.

“If you can pull this off, it’s genius,” Gary Shaw, who promotes Dirrell, told The Associated Press on Thursday. “It’s what boxing needs in every weight class. This is the best trying to fight the best.”

Shaw put together a 168-pound tournament of his own two years ago on Showtime. But that tournament, with a finale between Jean Paul Mendy and Anthony Hanshaw, did not have the star power that Showtime is attempting to put together this time.

There have been other attempts to create boxing tournaments, with mixed results.

In the 1980s, Don King put together a heavyweight tournament that included Michael Spinks, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick. It lasted nearly two years and resulted in Mike Tyson defeating Tony Tucker by unanimous decision to become the undisputed champion.

The tournament had ran into problems when Spinks dropped out for a more lucrative fight.

There are plenty of legitimate 168-pounders who could fill in if someone drops out of Showtime’s planned tournament, although it’s not clear what contingencies are in place for such things as failed drug tests or injuries that might shelve a fighter.

Among those who aren’t involved are IBF champ Lucian Bute, who is scheduled to fight Librado Andrade in a mandatory this fall, WBO champion Karoly Balzsay and top contender Allan Green.

“If anyone would get through a tournament like this, you’d have a superstar,” Shaw said, “a new superstar. And that’s important and good for boxing, and maybe they’ll do this at 140, 154 (pounds). There are a lot of great fighters.”