the 6 "best" smw's....

Sweet F. A.

 

Yes.And how many "big" victories has Taylor had at supermiddleweight?If I were a wagering man,I'd say Taylor's done after this tournament.In fact,after the Froch fight,I wouldn't be surprised if Arthur Abraham puts him into retirement.

 

Bika is a good exciting fighter but he's one dimensional, he can be outboxed. Allan Green has no heart, he can't stand to take much punishment to ink out a tough win. He showed no heart against Miranda when he could've easily outboxed him and maybe even stopped him if he would've stood his ground. Bute is slick and he's crafty but he doesn't have the gumption of other fighters ... he doesn't have much guts when it comes to closing a fight. He's all flash and no substance.

I'm not saying that the guys who are in the tournament are the very best, but I can tell you this those 6 guys make for some good drama and a great tournament.

Everyone else outside of Bute, Andrade, Bute, Green ... are all contenders and are too one sided. Maybe they can catch someone by surprise but adversity will get the best of them.

Froch has been tested and remained undefeated ...

Kessler is the best all around, fast, skilled, and determined ... his only loss is to Calzaghe who is probably the best super middleweight ever.

Dirrell isn't as experienced but he's on the rise and his testiment to a good legacy will stand tall or fall victim to this tournament and the same goes for Ward !!

Abraham is undefeated ... a former champion with 10 title defenses under his belt -

Taylor has an undisputed championship under his belt with a number of defenses and 1 of 2 guys to beat Bernard Hopkins over the last 14 or more years.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38qJwZi_ngw

 

We know Bika's limit and it is too low to win the tourney. We know this for a fact.

We do not know Direll's level - and it may be high enough to win the whole thing. He is more unproven than Bika, but he has looked good so far and could be a winner.

This is why he is in and Bika is not.

They only wnated people in the tourney that could win the whole thing. Only one will, but all 6 potentially could.

Bute could have been in.

 

Its based on potential ...

Ward, Dirrell, and Abraham's potential outweights Pavlik, Green, Bika, and Bute's

 

your right Arriba this probably isn't the most deserving 6 Super Middles you could get ... Kessler and Froch im happy with as should be most others.

But why are Ward and Dirrell getting slack for being in?

Abraham has fought most of his career at 160, and most known for being the IBF champion

while Taylor is coming off a knockout loss his last fight.

this might not be the best 6 Super Middleweight .. but it's still a very intriguing group IMO and on paper the match ups look better

**I like that idea of a qualifying fight. too late for it this year, but if another Tourney is done .. in another division ... maybe something along those lines can be done ..... like an open spot and fans vote from a poll to select 2 fighters to fight for that spot. But that's probably too far fetched.

 

I suppose Bika should have been in there instead of Dirrel. But, Dirrel is American and undefeated. I think that's why hes there.

 

I like Bika and he is an excellent gatekeeper to top level, but noone would believe he could win the whole thing. Not even the biggest fan of Bika would believe he could win.

Therefore it would ruin some of the intensity of the tourney.

Maybe he has earned it in a way (Bute of course has earned it far more), but the fact that we know Bika is good, but not quite good enough at the very top level means that he should not be in the Super Six.

Although Direll is less proven, some people (my self included to some degree) thinks that he has a very interesting upside. I am sure that Taylor fans and Froch fans feel more nervous about Direll than they would about Bika. Bika is tough but is unlikely to beat great fighters. Can Direll? Maybe - and that is better than "no, very unlikely".

Therefore Direll is in.

also he is one of the biggest american talents of the last decade. Ward is the last american Olympic champion in 14 years. A long time - and Ward stands out among american talents across ALL divisions. I find it completely reasonable why they are there rather than Bika.

Bute - is another issue. He could have been in. In a way he has unfinished business which means I also think it is ok he is not in. Pavlik and Bute should fight while the Super Six do their thing.