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After expensive investments, extensive planning and multiple delays, Stephen Duval’s Superfighter heavyweight tournament will either end up a million dollar baby or a sagging, stinking diaper.
It’s not a new idea – Tony Tubbs won the “People’s Choice One-Night Heavyweight Tournament” in 1993 and Maurice Harris triumphed in Cedric Kushner’s 2002 “Fistful of Dollars” – but Duval nevertheless insists that his event will be revolutionary.
Unlike the aforementioned 1993 and 2002 tournaments – which doled out prizes of and $170,000 and $100,000, respectively – Duval appears to have solid financial backing, as the tourney’s Web site lists names and companies whose support helped hire heavyweight luminaries George Foreman and Lennox Lewis for praise and publicity.
The grand prize of $5 million has already drawn in better contestants than the other tournaments, what with an initially announced field of O’Neil Bell, Calvin Brock, Chris Byrd, Tye Fields, Juan Carlos Gomez, Oliver McCall, Jameel McCline and Samuel Peter.
Of those eight – nine when including alternate Sinan Samil Sam – only Fields is of questionable capability, an extremely tall heavyweight who built a record of 37-1 on lesser opponents but was knocked out in the first round by future tomato can Jeff Ford back in 2001.
Every revolution has its stumbling points.
Shortly after the officially announcement that Superfighter was finally set for Dec. 1 (Dec. 2 for those present at the arena in Melbourne, Australia), Peter’s camp sent out a press release stating their fighter was not participating due to an upcoming heavyweight elimination rematch with James Toney. [details]
It’s not a new idea – Tony Tubbs won the “People’s Choice One-Night Heavyweight Tournament” in 1993 and Maurice Harris triumphed in Cedric Kushner’s 2002 “Fistful of Dollars” – but Duval nevertheless insists that his event will be revolutionary.
Unlike the aforementioned 1993 and 2002 tournaments – which doled out prizes of and $170,000 and $100,000, respectively – Duval appears to have solid financial backing, as the tourney’s Web site lists names and companies whose support helped hire heavyweight luminaries George Foreman and Lennox Lewis for praise and publicity.
The grand prize of $5 million has already drawn in better contestants than the other tournaments, what with an initially announced field of O’Neil Bell, Calvin Brock, Chris Byrd, Tye Fields, Juan Carlos Gomez, Oliver McCall, Jameel McCline and Samuel Peter.
Of those eight – nine when including alternate Sinan Samil Sam – only Fields is of questionable capability, an extremely tall heavyweight who built a record of 37-1 on lesser opponents but was knocked out in the first round by future tomato can Jeff Ford back in 2001.
Every revolution has its stumbling points.
Shortly after the officially announcement that Superfighter was finally set for Dec. 1 (Dec. 2 for those present at the arena in Melbourne, Australia), Peter’s camp sent out a press release stating their fighter was not participating due to an upcoming heavyweight elimination rematch with James Toney. [details]
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