Sakio Bika vs Andre Ward - 27th November!

WBA World Champ Andre Ward to defend his title against Sakio Bika

- San Diago Examiner - Nov 8th 2010.

If you’re a boxing fan and you’re in the San Leandro, Ca. area tomorrow (LOL - I'm sure many of us will be - not), Tuesday, Nov. 9at 11:30 a.m., you’re invited to the Press Conference to announce the Andre Ward versus Sakio Bika fight. The Press Conference, open to the all boxing fans, is at Ricky’s Sports Theatre & Grill at 15028 Hesperian Blvd. in San Leandro. Note well: Appetizers will be served.

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The World Championship night of boxing will begin at 4 p.m. PT featuring undefeated junior middleweight and 2008 US Olympian Javier Molina (4-0, 4 KOs), Sacramento’s undefeated lightweight Stan Martyniouk (10-0, 1KO), Houston’s power-punching Cornelius White (15-0, 14 KOs), plus four other bouts with the main event featuring Oakland’s finest starting at approximately 7 p.m.

After Glen Johnson’s destruction of Allan Green on Saturday for the open spot in the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament, Johnson should be Ward’s next opponent since Ward, the points leader in the tournament, gets to fight the boxer with the lowest points tally. Just a week ago, they were saying that Ward’s next fight would take place in Helsinki, Finland on November 27th. It’s obvious now that with Johnson’s upset victory over Green, that matter has to be revisited.

Bika has a checkered career. He turned pro in 2000 and in 2006 challenged Markus Beyer for the WBC super middleweight title. The fight was stopped after the fourth round due to a cut under Beyer's right eye caused by an accidental headbutt. The fight was scored a draw. On 14 October 2006 Bika challenged Joe Calzaghe for the IBF and WBO titles. He was unanimously defeated. He then fought undefeated Lucian Bute. Bute won by unanimous decision.

Sakio then fought the German champion Marcus Beyer for the WBC Super Middleweight title in Germany in May 2005. After an accidental head butt in round 4 the doctor ruled Beyer unable to continue. Under WBC rules the bout was declared a technical draw. Then, he was one of the featured boxers on the 3rd season of the reality TV series, The Contender, which premiered September 4, 2007 on ESPN. After wins over Donny McCrary and in a rematch with Sam Soliman (the only fighter to defeat Bika other than Calzaghe and Bute), Bika earned a place in the finals against Jaidon Codrington. On November 6, 2007, Bika knocked out Codrington to win The Contender 3. The fight was wild, with both fighters being knocked down in the first round. In the end, Bika stopped Codrington in the eighth round by referee stoppage. Bika walked away with $750,000 in prize money.

After the Codrington fight, Bika returned to the ring in Australia with a first round KO of Argentinian Gustavo Javier Kapusi. Bika won the fight at the end of the round with a body shot. He returned to the ring on November 13, 2008, in a fight with former The Contender 1 contestant Peter Manfredo Jr. Bika won by TKO in round 3. With the win, he became the IBO super middleweight champion.

In February of this year, Sakio was scheduled to fight Allan Green but that never happened because of the changes in the Super Six Tournament. Green got to replace Jermain Taylor in the tournament. After facing a journeyman fighter on July 30, 2009, a fellow by the name of Nestor Fabian Casanova who he decked in the opening seconds of round one, he waited a full year to fight again. On July 31, 2010, he faced Jean Paul Mendy in Las Vegas, for the IBF #1 spot and a shot at the title. Bika lost the fight by disqualification in the 1st round after he hit the 36 year old following a knockdown while Mendy was still on his knees.

That’s what any boxing fan would have to call a checkered past.

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Andre Ward presser

from Fight News dot com - 10th Nov 2010.

Andre “S.O.G.” Ward met with members of the local Bay Area press on Tuesday to discuss defending his WBA super middleweight championship a second time against tough world contender Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, Australia, via Douala, Cameroon, on Saturday, Nov. 27, live on SHOWTIME. “Mentally, I was preparing to fight Andre Dirrell,” said Ward who also met with his fans, mingling and signing autographs from Ricky’s Sports Theatre and Grill. “It was never our intention to not partake in the fight with Dirrell. But when it came down to the training we didn’t have to make a lot of adjustments because we hadn’t begun camp yet.”

With a berth in the semifinals of the SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic already secured, Ward will return home to the Oracle Arena in Oakland where he has fought and won three of his last four fights.

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The World Championship night of boxing will begin at 4 p.m. featuring undefeated Jr. middleweight and 2008 US Olympian Javier Molina (4-0, 4 KOs), Sacramento’s undefeated lightweight Stan Martyniouk (10-0, 1KO), Houston’s power-punching Cornelius White (15-0, 14 KOs), plus four other bouts with the main event featuring Oakland’s finest starting at approximately 7 p.m.

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Here’s what Ward and his promoter Dan Goossen had to say on Tuesday:


ANDRE WARD:

“There have been many twists and turns but we are still here and ready for our next opponent.

“We have a good plan we started out on the tournament and we plan to see it through.”

On whether Ward gets frustrated with the delays in the SSWBC Tournament:

“I sometimes get a little impatient because I want it to move forward. It gets frustrating but SHOWTIME and Goossen Tutor Promotions keep working to continue with the tournament and I have to recognize and applause their perseverance.”

His plan against Bika:

“I am going to do what I do except a little bit better. Sakio has never been stopped. It would be great to get a stoppage in this fight.

“Bika will come full steam ahead with wild punches. I am going to continue to do what I do and that is a little bit of everything. Just like when I fought (Allan) Green. We had a plan to fight on the inside but it ended up being a closed combat and I had to adjust. With Bika, depending on what he does I’ll know how to adjust and what I need to do.

“I’m not going to call him (Bika) a dirty fighter but he tends to get frustrated and react. I know to expect that.”

On whether or not Ward believes Bika to be the same fighter as when he fought Lucian Bute:

“Sakio Bika is the same fighter as when he fought Lucian Bute. His fighting style has awarded him a lot of merit and respect for his grittiness.”

Where Andre Ward believes himself to be as a fighter at 26 years of age:

“I have a lot of work to do. I’ve always been in the mind set of striving for more. I can fight a good fight and then get a call from Virgil (Hunter) telling me that I did good but I can do more. It’s good that there is always room to do more — it’s good because it keeps me striving. The best is yet to come.”


DAN GOOSSEN:

“It’s all about what Ward does. He puts in the work and is one of the hardest working fighters that I’ve had and I’ve had some hard working fighters!”

“Andre Ward is a unique person. I believe he is going to make classy fashionable.”

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Which part do you disagree with from Goosen above Josey? That's all I'm commenting on here.