In wake of the controversial departure of Andre Dirrell from the Super Six tournament, Showtime is still intent on running it's November 27th double-header that will feature Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch for the WBC title and Ward defending his title against an opponent to be announced. For the life of me, I could only think of Librado Andrade or even Peter Manfredo as a fighter who would take on such an assignment on short notice, but it appears that Ward's opponent may be none other than Sakio Bika, who has had multiple opportunities to enter the tournament, but passed for one reason or the other.
Bika was scheduled twice over to face Allan Green in a box-off to determine the replacement for the withdrawing Jermain Taylor, however, he first pulled out due to a purse dispute and then later due to the passing of his father. I'm almost 100% that Bika is going to be the next man up for Ward and while he will pose more of a challenge than Green did in his non-effort earlier this year, Ward should beat Bika easier than Joe Calzaghe did. Unfortunately for Bika, however, Showtime has decided that Ward's fight will not be a tournament match, so even if he were to win, there's no way that Bika can affect the standing in the Super Six.
Philippine Great Penalosa Retires After Super Career
When you think of today's crop of Filipino fighters, Gerry Penalosa probably doesn't ring a bell to most Manny Pacquiao or Nonito Donaire bandwagoners, but Penalosa has been a relevant force in the Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight divisions for almost 15 years. Penalosa retired this week after knocking out Yodsaenkeng Kietmangmee in four rounds, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. Penalosa has had an amazing career that included two title reigns separated almost ten years apart from each other; a phenominal feat in any sense.
Penalosa's long career included bouts with Daniel Ponce De Leon, Eric Morel, Juan Manuel Lopez, and Jhonny Gonzales, among others, and fought over 65 fights in his career. He is a surefire lock for the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in five years and is truly one of the best fighters from the Philippines. He has been a fantastic contributor to the sport. Penalosa retires with a record of 55-8-2, 37 KOs and titles in the Bantamweight and Super Bantamweight division.
Kotelnik Out, Enter Lamont Peterson
I have to give it up to HBO. Their year-end line-up is looking as good as last years, and probably one of the potentially best cards is going to be their closeout card on December 11th. Amir Khan will be ending his exile from Golden Boy's feather-fisted safehouse to face off against the man he's been ducking high and low, Marcos Maidana. The co-feature was going to originally be Victor Ortiz against Andriy Kotelnik or then IBF #1 contender Kaizer Mabuza, but both turned down the opportunity, which has opened the door for Lamont Peterson, who is reportedly interested in the fight.
While I favor Ortiz to win the bout, it's safe to say that Peterson is clearly going to be his best opponent since Ortiz lost to Maidana last June. Peterson's only loss came in a competitive bout to Jr. Welterweight king Timothy Bradley last December and like Ortiz, he has been fighting confidence boosters en route to a big opportunity. This is a fascinating fight, and a win for either fighter should propel them into title contention for next Spring.