Oakland, CA – The Showtime Network’s Super Six Super Middleweight (168) Boxing Classic continues Saturday night with event favorite Mikkel Kessler of Denmark facing hometown favorite Andre Ward of Oakland.
Let me tell you how important this fight is: It has the word “Super” in its title twice! Seriously.
Officially, this is the “World Boxing Association Super World Super Middleweight Championship.”
It’s so important that the Panama -based WBA forgot to name judges or a referee for the event. And Kessler is their showcase fighter.
Already a controversy. The California State Athletic Commission has approved a California referee and two California judges to fill three out of the four officials roles.
However, this is a World Boxing Association fight also (Kessler is the Super Champion) and they need to either drop one of the two California judges for a neutral judge or go with four neutral officials.
The WBA brass is currently at a luxury resort in nearby Columbia holding its annual convention with its judges and referees! How could they have failed to take care of this little bit of business before the convention!
Anyway, WBA Executive Vice-President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, Jr. (a great guy!) tells us that the matter will be resolved by end of business Thursday.
The last big fight in Oakland was over 41 years ago (April 27, 1968) when Oakland’s old Coliseum Arena (on these same sacred grounds) hosted the WBA Heavyweight Championship and Tournament and Louisville, Kentucky’s Jimmy Ellis defeated the late popular Los Angeles – based Jerry Quarry on that night.
Of course Ellis went on to fight New York Heavyweight Champion Smokin’ Joe Frazier and lose by knockout. This led to Frazier unifying the New York and the WBA Titles and Frazier then beat Muhammad Ali in the first of their three battles. The last one of course known as “The Thrilla in Manila” won by Ali and refereed by Filipino Carlos Padilla.
Kessler, who sports many more tattoos than Miguel Cotto, is 42-1 (32 KO’s) and has only a competitive loss to Joe Calzaghe on his record.
Ward has a pretty shallow resume but sports a 20-0 (13 KO’s) pro record. So far his fans haven’t bought a lot of tickets.
If you need a serious boxing fix as you come down from your Manny Pacquiao high, check this one out.
