Andre Ward will defend his WBA super middleweight title against Sakio Bika as part of a split-site doubleheader on Nov. 27.
Ward was supposed to face former Olympic teammate Andre Dirrell in the final group-stage match of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, but Dirrell pulled out because of headaches and dizziness stemming from his disqualification victory against Arthur Abraham in March.
In the opener of the doubleheader, Abraham will face Carl Froch for the vacant WBC title in their Super Six match at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki.
The Super Six is a modified round-robin tournament that began with six fighters, with each earning points based on the outcome of three guaranteed fights - two points for a victory, one point for a draw and a bonus point for a knockout. The four fighters with the most points would advance to seeded semifinals scheduled for early next year.
That plan has been thrown into chaos by injuries and withdrawals by half the field.
Ward's fight against Bika in Oakland, Calif., is not part of the Super Six. Instead, he'll get two points from Dirrell's forfeit, giving him a tournament-leading six and ensuring his place in the semifinals.
Abraham and Froch also have semifinal spots, barring anymore injuries. Abraham has three points and Froch has two, while Allan Green and Glen Johnson are scoreless.
Those two meet Nov. 6 in the third group-stage match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Green was a replacement for Jermain Taylor after the first round of fights, while Johnson replaced Mikkel Kessler after the second series of bouts.
That means the winner of their fight is assured of joining Ward, Abraham and Froch in the semifinals, with only the seeding left to be determined.
Ward was supposed to face former Olympic teammate Andre Dirrell in the final group-stage match of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, but Dirrell pulled out because of headaches and dizziness stemming from his disqualification victory against Arthur Abraham in March.
In the opener of the doubleheader, Abraham will face Carl Froch for the vacant WBC title in their Super Six match at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki.
The Super Six is a modified round-robin tournament that began with six fighters, with each earning points based on the outcome of three guaranteed fights - two points for a victory, one point for a draw and a bonus point for a knockout. The four fighters with the most points would advance to seeded semifinals scheduled for early next year.
That plan has been thrown into chaos by injuries and withdrawals by half the field.
Ward's fight against Bika in Oakland, Calif., is not part of the Super Six. Instead, he'll get two points from Dirrell's forfeit, giving him a tournament-leading six and ensuring his place in the semifinals.
Abraham and Froch also have semifinal spots, barring anymore injuries. Abraham has three points and Froch has two, while Allan Green and Glen Johnson are scoreless.
Those two meet Nov. 6 in the third group-stage match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Green was a replacement for Jermain Taylor after the first round of fights, while Johnson replaced Mikkel Kessler after the second series of bouts.
That means the winner of their fight is assured of joining Ward, Abraham and Froch in the semifinals, with only the seeding left to be determined.
