Eye Injury Forces Kessler to Leave Super Six

Former WBA super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler is leaving the Super Six tournament due to severe muscle weakening in his left eye.

Kessler, 31, made the announcement today from his native Denmark, where he was training for his next bout against American Allan Green on September 25.

His doctor Gerahd Lang disclosed that Kessler’s left eye has been damaged by a weakening of his superior oblique muscle. To continue fighting would put Kessler’s eye at risk of further damage. Although the exact time the injury happened was not given, Kessler did verify that the eye was damaged going into his bout with Andre Ward last year. In that fight, he suffered a bad cut around the eye due to a headbutt. The healing process will reportedly keep him out of the ring for at least nine months and the rest of the tournament.

“This is the most disappointing moment of my boxing career. After defeating Carl Froch, I was on the way to win the tournament, so pulling out now really hurts,” Kessler said in a statement. “I have been assured that it will heal completely and that I will be back in the ring next year. As a fair sportsman, I do not want to delay the Super Six, which is still the best thing that has happened to boxing for a long time. I wish my fellow contestants the best of luck; may the best man win. I will be there to fight the winner in 2011.”

Kessler’s momentum in the tournament was on an upward swing following his decision win over Carl Froch in April. In his opening bout last November against Andre Ward, Kessler was soundly beaten over 11 rounds and lost his WBA title by technical decision. Showtime tournament organizer Ken Hershman will not rework Kessler’s contract, but has agreed verbally with Kessler’s camp to have him face the tournament’s winner next year.

“I commend Mikkel Kessler for his decision,” Hershman said of the Danish fighter. “He has made a wise choice in light of his doctor’s recommendations and he is showing tremendous respect for his fellow competitors and for the tournament format itself.”

Showtime is attempting to rework their format to keep the tournament on schedule to end early next year. There has been talk that the upcoming Ward-Dirrell (September 25) and Abraham-Froch (October 2) fights will be semi-final bouts instead of moving to the original Stage 3 format.

Kessler’s move marks the second pullout in the Super Six. Last year, original participant Jermain Taylor pulled out after suffering a brutal knockout at the hands of Arthur Abraham in Stage One. Taylor cited health concerns due to experiencing three KOs in his last five fights.

But unlike Taylor, Kessler’s manager Kalle Sauerland doesn’t believe his fighter’s career is now over.

“You can recover from losing in the ring but you cannot recover from losing your health. There is nothing that is of bigger importance than the boxer’s health,” he explained yesterday. “As much as we regret to see Mikkel pulling out, he was left with no other choice. He should take all the time in the world to recover. He can take comfort in the fact that he looked reborn in his last bout. Once he is recovered, he will continue where he left off. The ‘Viking Warrior’ will be back.”

At press time, it is not known what Showtime will do with Kessler’s opponent Allan Green.

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I must commend Showtime for how they’ve been handling these issues. Having two fighters pull is a disaster, but the network has remained committed to seeing this ambitious experiment to the end.

Their problems may not be over. Ward-Dirrell still has not given a venue or held a press conference to promote the fight, which was supposed to take place on September 25. It would be difficult to finalize these tasks and sufficiently promote the fight in just a month, making the likelihood of a delay very possible.

Regardless, the tournament does have a bright spot coming up. Arthur Abraham vs. Carl Froch will be an absolute war and probably the highlight of the Super Six in terms of action. People have been complaining about the lack of a clear Fight of Year so far, and I would hinge my bet on this bout blowing every other one away this year.

Even with the kinks, the Super Six is one of the best ideas boxing has seen in a very long time. And with Showtime already planning a cruiserweight round robin, I’m sure the network will use the trial and error of the Super Six to put on an even bigger event towards the end of next year.