Tweet
Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic has been one of the best things to come along in boxing in years. The network found a way to work out deals with multiple promoters and come up with a format that regularly matched the best super middleweights in the world without discarding the loser of a fight; each man was guaranteed three bouts before the six-man field was cut to four for the semifinals.
So far, the Super Six has been a lot of fun, even if it's dragging out a little longer than I'd like to see. All in all, I give it a major thumbs up.
Now, from what four sources involved have told me, Showtime has tried to go back to the well to put together a similar tournament involving bantamweights.
The six fighters Showtime's Ken Hershman had in mind were unified titlist Fernando Montiel; titleholder Yonnhy Perez; former titlist Joseph Agbeko; former title challenger Abner Mares; junior bantamweight champ Vic Darchinyan, who is itching to move up; and fellow junior bantamweight stud Nonito Donaire, who announced his intentions to move up after his last fight.
Some of those guys have already fought each other, but the idea of a tournament format sure sounds interesting. However, from what I am told, Montiel is not interested in participating. He has two titles, generates money in Mexico and could fight Top Rank stablemate Donaire right away. Top Rank has been talking about that fight for the fall and doesn't need a tournament to make it. Nor does it have any desire to share the money with the other fighters in the field, all of whom generate far less money.
Showtime, according to my sources, was willing to pay $250,000 per fighter for Group Stage 1 bouts, with the winners to earn $300,000 for Group Stage 2 and $350,000 for Group Stage 3. The losers in each round would remain at their purse level from the previous stage. Semifinals would have been worth $450,000 per side and the final $650,000. That's big money for a little division.
I was told Hershman inquired about former titlist Hozumi Hasegawa of Japan as well. Apparently, Hasegawa declined because, without Montiel in the tournament, he would have no way of getting a rematch with the man he was beating until being stopped in the fourth round of their unification fight in Japan earlier this year.
Hershman, according to my sources, began feeling out the promoters last month about putting together this event for the fall, with the idea being to kick it off in early November.
Rather than draw up predetermined brackets for the three group stages (as Showtime and the promoters did for the super middleweight tournament, whose Group Stage 3 begins next month), the idea was to toss all six names in a hat and do a blind draw. That's an idea I love.
Alas, with Montiel and Donaire -- who still might fight each other this fall -- not interested in pursuing the tournament, I'm told Showtime has turned its attention to putting together a simplified four-man field, just semifinals and finals.
When I called Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio to ask him about it, his response was a simple, "No comment."
If the tournament comes off and includes Perez, Agbeko, Mares and Darchinyan, I guess I'd prefer to see Perez fight Darchinyan and Agbeko face Mares in the semifinals because those are both fresh matches. Darchinyan has already lost to Agbeko, Perez won his title against Agbeko in a sensational fight in October and Mares and Perez fought to a draw earlier this year.
The opening round, however, probably will wind up being Perez in a Nov. 6 rematch with Agbeko, who is his mandatory challenger, and Darchinyan and Mares meeting in the other half of the bracket. The winners would meet in early 2011.
So far, the Super Six has been a lot of fun, even if it's dragging out a little longer than I'd like to see. All in all, I give it a major thumbs up.
Now, from what four sources involved have told me, Showtime has tried to go back to the well to put together a similar tournament involving bantamweights.
The six fighters Showtime's Ken Hershman had in mind were unified titlist Fernando Montiel; titleholder Yonnhy Perez; former titlist Joseph Agbeko; former title challenger Abner Mares; junior bantamweight champ Vic Darchinyan, who is itching to move up; and fellow junior bantamweight stud Nonito Donaire, who announced his intentions to move up after his last fight.
Some of those guys have already fought each other, but the idea of a tournament format sure sounds interesting. However, from what I am told, Montiel is not interested in participating. He has two titles, generates money in Mexico and could fight Top Rank stablemate Donaire right away. Top Rank has been talking about that fight for the fall and doesn't need a tournament to make it. Nor does it have any desire to share the money with the other fighters in the field, all of whom generate far less money.
Showtime, according to my sources, was willing to pay $250,000 per fighter for Group Stage 1 bouts, with the winners to earn $300,000 for Group Stage 2 and $350,000 for Group Stage 3. The losers in each round would remain at their purse level from the previous stage. Semifinals would have been worth $450,000 per side and the final $650,000. That's big money for a little division.
I was told Hershman inquired about former titlist Hozumi Hasegawa of Japan as well. Apparently, Hasegawa declined because, without Montiel in the tournament, he would have no way of getting a rematch with the man he was beating until being stopped in the fourth round of their unification fight in Japan earlier this year.
Hershman, according to my sources, began feeling out the promoters last month about putting together this event for the fall, with the idea being to kick it off in early November.
Rather than draw up predetermined brackets for the three group stages (as Showtime and the promoters did for the super middleweight tournament, whose Group Stage 3 begins next month), the idea was to toss all six names in a hat and do a blind draw. That's an idea I love.
Alas, with Montiel and Donaire -- who still might fight each other this fall -- not interested in pursuing the tournament, I'm told Showtime has turned its attention to putting together a simplified four-man field, just semifinals and finals.
When I called Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio to ask him about it, his response was a simple, "No comment."
If the tournament comes off and includes Perez, Agbeko, Mares and Darchinyan, I guess I'd prefer to see Perez fight Darchinyan and Agbeko face Mares in the semifinals because those are both fresh matches. Darchinyan has already lost to Agbeko, Perez won his title against Agbeko in a sensational fight in October and Mares and Perez fought to a draw earlier this year.
The opening round, however, probably will wind up being Perez in a Nov. 6 rematch with Agbeko, who is his mandatory challenger, and Darchinyan and Mares meeting in the other half of the bracket. The winners would meet in early 2011.
Comment