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I wanted to make a thread about the tournament format itself and not necessarily the fighters and the matchups.
Standings after Stage Two:
1. A.Ward (4 pts, 2-0)
2. A.Abraham (3 pts, 1-1, 1 KO)
3. M.Kessler (2 pts, 1-1)
4. C.Froch (2 pts, 1-1)
5. A.Dirrell (2 pts, 1-1)
6. A.Green (0 pts, 0-1)
Stage Three fights:
A.Ward v A.Dirrell
A.Abraham v C.Froch
M.Kessler v A.Green
Andre Ward clinched a spot in the semi-finals
With four points Andre Ward is leading at the end of the round robin second stage. He is through to the semis, but only that. With a loss to Dirrell, he could enter the penulitmate round as the fourth seed if Froch beats Abraham and Kessler can KO Green.
Froch doesn't necessarily need a win to advance
Pretend Green loses against Kessler, Dirrell loses to Ward, and Froch loses to Abraham. Green would be out of the running with no points, leaving Dirrell and Froch tied with two apiece. Froch would advance as he has a head-to-head win over Dirrell.
Kessler holds a similar tiebreaker over Froch. If Kessler lost to Green (no KO), Froch lost to Abraham, and Dirrell lost to Ward, there would be a four-way tie for the last two spots. (Kessler, Froch, Dirrell, and Green would have two points each.) As none have extra points from knockouts, the head-to-head results have Green beating Kessler, who beat Froch, who beat Dirrell. I believe that Green and Kessler would advance as the third and fourth seed, respectively.
Green not yet eliminated
Improbable and unlikely given his late entry into the tournament and subsequent performance vs Ward, but there is an opportunity detailed above for Green to advance. He could also score a knockout vs. Kessler to get the extra point and put him above Mikkel. Mikkel. A loss from either Dirrell or Froch would then get him into the next round.
WBC Super Middleweight title could leave the tournament
Unless there's some weird circumstance that sees the WBA super middleweight champion stripped or unable to continue in the tournament, the title will be defended in the semifinals. There is a chance, however, that Green could lift the WBC title from Kessler yet fail to qualify for the next round. A decision win, for example, would net Green the WBA belt and two points, but Dirrell and Froch could advance with wins of their own, leaving Green the champion but out of the tournament. (Semi-finalists would be Ward, AA, Dirrell, Froch.)
IIRC "rounds won" is one in the series of tiebreakers. I can't see them needing to use it, but if it comes down to it:
Ward 59
Dirrell 38
Froch 32
Kessler 31
Abraham 29*
Green 0
*I think there was a 10-10 round on one of the scorecards for Abraham's fight vs. Taylor
Standings after Stage Two:
1. A.Ward (4 pts, 2-0)
2. A.Abraham (3 pts, 1-1, 1 KO)
3. M.Kessler (2 pts, 1-1)
4. C.Froch (2 pts, 1-1)
5. A.Dirrell (2 pts, 1-1)
6. A.Green (0 pts, 0-1)
Stage Three fights:
A.Ward v A.Dirrell
A.Abraham v C.Froch
M.Kessler v A.Green
Andre Ward clinched a spot in the semi-finals
With four points Andre Ward is leading at the end of the round robin second stage. He is through to the semis, but only that. With a loss to Dirrell, he could enter the penulitmate round as the fourth seed if Froch beats Abraham and Kessler can KO Green.
Froch doesn't necessarily need a win to advance
Pretend Green loses against Kessler, Dirrell loses to Ward, and Froch loses to Abraham. Green would be out of the running with no points, leaving Dirrell and Froch tied with two apiece. Froch would advance as he has a head-to-head win over Dirrell.
Kessler holds a similar tiebreaker over Froch. If Kessler lost to Green (no KO), Froch lost to Abraham, and Dirrell lost to Ward, there would be a four-way tie for the last two spots. (Kessler, Froch, Dirrell, and Green would have two points each.) As none have extra points from knockouts, the head-to-head results have Green beating Kessler, who beat Froch, who beat Dirrell. I believe that Green and Kessler would advance as the third and fourth seed, respectively.
Green not yet eliminated
Improbable and unlikely given his late entry into the tournament and subsequent performance vs Ward, but there is an opportunity detailed above for Green to advance. He could also score a knockout vs. Kessler to get the extra point and put him above Mikkel. Mikkel. A loss from either Dirrell or Froch would then get him into the next round.
WBC Super Middleweight title could leave the tournament
Unless there's some weird circumstance that sees the WBA super middleweight champion stripped or unable to continue in the tournament, the title will be defended in the semifinals. There is a chance, however, that Green could lift the WBC title from Kessler yet fail to qualify for the next round. A decision win, for example, would net Green the WBA belt and two points, but Dirrell and Froch could advance with wins of their own, leaving Green the champion but out of the tournament. (Semi-finalists would be Ward, AA, Dirrell, Froch.)
IIRC "rounds won" is one in the series of tiebreakers. I can't see them needing to use it, but if it comes down to it:
Ward 59
Dirrell 38
Froch 32
Kessler 31
Abraham 29*
Green 0
*I think there was a 10-10 round on one of the scorecards for Abraham's fight vs. Taylor
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