By Cliff Rold

With all the obstacles, injuries, outright pratfalls, that have dogged the “Super Six” Super Middleweight tournament so far, it was no shock to find fully half the original field gone when the final preliminary round kicked off a few weeks ago.

It was no shock to find the tournament leader, 2004 U.S. Olympic Gold Medalist and current WBA 168 lb. titlist Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO), scrambling for a new opponent.  Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO), his former Olympic teammate and schedule foe, claimed lingering concussion affects from his disqualification win over Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KO). 

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain talking about money on the Fight Camp series of course.

No matter.

Not shocking.

That Ward found a replacement foe at all was mildly amusing.  In an era where busy is three fights in a year, with his position as the top seed in the tournament semi-finals secure, Ward could easily have copped a squat, watched the action unfold, and rested up for the 2011 campaign.  At most, one supposes Ward might have found a fringe player, maybe a faded name from Jr. Middleweight or Middleweight, to pick apart, to break a public sweat.

Ward did better than that.

Ok, sure, it’s not shocking in a “whoa, Crying Game,” way or anything, but Ward taking on a consensus choice for the Super Middleweight top ten?  One with some pop?

Ward could have picked an easier way to wait.

His opponent this weekend is coming off a loss but don’t let that fool anyone.  Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KO) knocked the stuffing out of undefeated Jean Paul Mendy in the first round this past July.  Bika’s problem was he got a little overzealous, chucked in a little extra while Mendy was down, and that was the end of his night.

The Australian-based Cameroonian is no stranger to U.S. audiences.  He lost nationally televised contests to Joe Calzaghe and Lucian Bute in 2006 and 07 respectively.  The first was for Calzaghe’s World title; the second was the steppingstone fight to the beginning of Bute’s IBF title run at 168.  Bike lost both bouts decisively but respectably.

Neither is the contest Bika is most famous for.

That came a few months after the Bute fight.  Participating in the third Season of the now-defunct “Contender” reality season during the second half of 2007, Bike earned a slot in the finals.  In an eight round war that stood as the show’s finest moment, Bika traded knockdowns in round one and survived to score the stoppage in a Fight of the Year candidate.

Paraphrasing the wisdom of Kenny Powers, Contender winners have always been the enemy of consistent ring activity.  It is no shock that Bika has fought only four times since November 2007 or that he has found himself with a grand opportunity anyways.
He’s not the ninth member of the “Super Six.”

Ward-Bika is not officially part of the tournament.

Bika is just in position to muddy the gears, maybe irreparably, on the verge of the semi’s.  Imagine a Bika upset.  Now imagine a final four kicking off without him. 
Ward will have much to say about that possibility in the ring.  It feels sad, sort of a shame, to commend Ward for taking this fight, but it is commendable nonetheless.  If Ward is the sort of future pound-for-pound player some see him becoming, the tournament champion waiting to be crowned, then Bika is a fighter he should be able to beat. 

Bika is someone he should be able to beat by scores comparably wide to what Calzaghe and Bute put up.

Bika is also dangerous enough to prevent that with the right punch.  He is a fighter whose risk outweighs his reward.  Ward took the fight anyways.  It’s the least which fans can ask for, even if feels like more: Ward is taking the most professional route to staying sharp for what is to come.

Make no mistake.  Ward has someone tougher coming his way after someone plenty tough is dealt with this Saturday.  Ward will know which someone when the bell sounds to open the Bika fight.  The beef Abraham and Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KO) will have been settled, probably in a Fight of the Year contender. 

Ward almost assuredly will face the loser based on tournament seeds.  Win and that will be followed by whoever emerges in another likely war between the Froch-Abraham winner and Glenn Johnson (50-14-2, 34 KO).  Win straight through and no one in the sport will be able to say they’ve faced a superior diversity of quality foe over their last five encounters. 

The feat, if it occurs, will be appreciated just long enough to conjure the question, “So when is Ward going to fight Bute?”

That’s down the road. 

For now, a fighter who didn’t have to do it took a real fight to stay ready for another real fight.  Imagine that.

Weekly Ledger

But wait, there’s more…

Cliff’s Notes… Floyd Mayweather trying to run someone off the road?  Really?  Color me skeptical until something more than the word of the accuser is offered up.  If it’s true though, boxing is seeing a meltdown of the likes not seen since Mike Tyson went south…So Pongsaklek Wonjongkam-Edgar Sosa is delayed until next year?  Is that a surprise?  It’s a WBC mandatory.  This is the same WBC that was perfectly happy letting Jorge Arce run around with an interim belt and pay sanctioning fees without ever forcing a fight with Wonjongkam during the Thai’s first Flyweight title run...Juan Manuel Marquez is talking Erik Morales.  Good.  As a completist, that fight remains a must…Why not Manny Pacquiao-Sergio Martinez?  There is every reason to think Pacquiao might be of the same caliber as Henry Armstrong.  It remains to be seen if Martinez is of the caliber of a Ceferino Garcia.  God knows what ridiculous catchweight would be asked for…Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel, the Yahoo Pound for Pound voting panel, and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com