Heavyweight tournament to take place in the fall

[The Wire]

I gotta say I think its an awful idea. And what's O'Neill Bell, Steve Cunningham and Sam Peter doing in the tournament? They've got real careers that need pursuing - ****, O'Neil Bell's the undisputed champ for Christ' Sakes!! I think this would have been better if they'd have done it in the legend's format that went around a while ago - Tyson, Holyfield, Bowe, Foreman etc fighting it out over four rounds, but I really dont see the point in this. Lot's of fighters take a while to get going. As it is though, I pick Peter to win. His power will be far too much for the cruisers and I think he has got what it takes to beat the heavies.

[PBDS]

....Here's the thing. People can bash it and say it's a bad idea all they want, but how many would still like to watch Byrd versus Peter or Peter versus Briggs? Regardless of the concept, I would be interested in seeing those matchups.

[The Wire]

Oh definitely, but I would rather see them in twelve round fights. I just dont think this is the way fighters in their prime should be spending their careers. Take O'Neill Bell for example. There are loads of good fights out there for him at cruiser - Cunningham, Haye, Jones, rematch with Mormeck, or go up and face Brewster, Toney, Brock, Peter. I just dont see what fighting in a four round elimination tournament does for anyone's career

[BoxingPrincess]

this is what i know:

"George Foreman was at the Soho Grand Hotel in Manhattan on Monday announcing a special one-night elimination tournament featuring eight world class heavyweights, who will battle each other in three fights of four rounds each in one exciting evening...for $5 million dollars! The event is expected to be held at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia in October or November. The pay-per-view event has signed heavyweights O'Neil Bell, Shannon Briggs, Chris Byrd, Steve Cunningham, Alexander Dimitrenko, Ty Fields and Samuel Peter. An eighth spot is open and top-rated heavyweights are invited to contact the promoter. A second show is planned in Manhattan in May, 2007, featuring eight world-rated middleweights.

Foreman, who will be joining broadcast partner Colonel Bob Sheridan at ringside, said at the announcement, "Everybody says boxing needs something... (the tournament) is a chance to do something different." Foreman later joked, "I would have beat Muhammad (Ali) if it had been four rounds."

The show will introduce a new scoring system, call time for instant replays and use eight high-definition cameras to capture the action for the pay-per-view audience.

New scoring system? I wonder what this will be? I also like the instant replay thing"


i also talked to my buddy steve cunningham and asked him for a comment on all this:
YEAH ITS OFFICIAL IM SCHEDULED TO FIGHT IN THE TOURNAMENT IN OCT. BUT WERE STILL WORKING ON BECOMING IBF CHAMPION BEFORE THE END OF THE SUMMER SO CHECK OUT FIGHT BEAT FOR SOME INTERVEIWS OF US AT THE PRESS CONFRENCE.