It was a wonderful August 22nd at Brentwood, Essex when the ‘Super Six’ final press conference between WBC super-middleweight champion, Carl Froch and Andre Ward, holder of the WBA title kicked off. Both guys turned up looking confident and relaxed, taking in the sun and enjoying themselves. Although respectful of one another, both guys had plenty to say about the event and their fight. Judging by their words, neither fighter is leaving any stone unturned in their preparation.
‘Matchroom’ put on a spectacular event as they bought in domestic British talent, Gavin Rees, Lee Purdy, Kell Brook and Darren Barker. Barker is challenging Sergio Martinez on October 1st and there was a humourous moment when he took part in a one on one interview, holding a gold microphone that turned out not to be connected to anything. As the interview was being filmed, Barker desperately tried to keep a straight face. A rather large sized bee ended the interview and had Barker and the interviewer running for cover! When you take in to account the wonderful barbecue that was held outside in the wonderful weather, it could be said that it was a press conference that would be hard to beat! It was certainly the best that this writer had ever attended!
After the main press conference had finished, training sessions were performed by Gavin Rees, Lee Purdy, Kell Brook and Darren Barker in a boxing ring in the open air.
To round out the day, Steve Bunce made an entry and conducted a one on one interview with Gavin Rees, who was heard expressing his desire to fight Kevin Mitchell. That would be a great fight considering Mitchell’s last quality performance against Jon Murray.
All in all, it was a great day, and it was an experience that definetely had a “family” feel to it. To the Hearns, cheers!
Carl Froch: “This is for the WBA and WBC titles and the ‘Super Six’ trophy, this fight couldn’t get any bigger and any better. This is what top sport is all about, the best of the division fighting each other and meeting each other. It’s my pleasure and honour to be in the final. This guy has to be taken very, very seriously! He’s got his plans, I have my plans. I want to keep the belts in Britain for a very long time. That’s my main goal, my main mindset for the next nine weeks. I know why I’m here, to win the WBA title.”
Andre Ward: “It’s a pleasure to be here. It’s a wonderful country. I get a lot of my fan mail from the UK. Returning to the fight, this is what we dream for. Fighting big fights, mega fights for all the world. As you can see, everything is on the line, including our reputations. It’s even more satsifying for me personally because nobody gave me a shot in this tournament or even get close to the final, much less win. It’s not personal with Carl Froch. He just has something I want. And, me and my team are preparing for October 29th to be my night.”
Ken Hershman: “When we put this together two years ago, we didn’t envision all the ups and downs, twist and turns this tournament would give us. It’s been a wild ride. The right two guys are here in this final. And whoever holds that trophy up in the and and those two belts will have accomplished, in my mind, one of the biggest feats in boxing, ever! I couldn’t be prouder to host it on Showtime.”
Dan Goossen: “The box office manager, with advanced presales and just the communication he’s got from emails and requests for tickets, says that there hasn’t been a hot of a ticket since Arturo Gatti fought at the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. We have the makings of a sell out on October 29th. The ‘Super Six’ cup is one of the most innovative things we have had in boxing. The ‘Super Six’ cup has really put the focus on the boxers and the event.”
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