Is Sakio Bika the Right Fit for the Super Six Tournament?
According to ESPN’s Dan Rafael, uber-tough contender Sakio Bika is set to replace Andre Dirrell in the Super Six tournament. Golden Boy honcho Richard Schaefer told ESPN “We’re working on that. Bika is definitely interested in doing the fight. It’s not done, but it’s being worked on.”
Alert fight fans might recall that Bika’s first name came up as a possible replacement for Jermain Taylor. According to the original script, Bika and Allan Green were supposed to square off in an elimination bout to determine who got Taylor’s slot. That eliminator never took place because Bika, a Cameroonian and resident of Australia, had unforeseen visa troubles and was unable to come to the United States for the proposed fight. Given that many picked Bika to whomp Green, bringing Bika should make a lot of sense.
In fact, Bika’s substitution would make sense if all things were equal, but unfortunately they are not. In July, Bika fought one of the most protected fighters in the super middleweight division, Jean Paul Mendy, for the IBF’s #1 contender status. Bika looked to be on his way to an easy night, as he caught Mendy with a hard left hook and put him on the canvas in the 1st Round. Then Bika blew it by flagrantly clocking the Frenchman with a right uppercut while he was on one knee. Bika was instantly (and correctly) disqualified, and hasn’t fought since. Given that Bika hovers near the bottom of most world rankings (Proboxing-fans ranks him at #10), Bika should be forced to prove himself before being given another crack at the Super Six. Keep in mind that by replacing Dirrell, Bika also gets a shot at Andre Ward’s WBA title as well.
This is Bika’s third chance to join the tournament. While it is not widely known, Bika was offered Mikkel Kessler’s slot when the Great Dane left the tournament citing an eye injury. Bika refused because his father had only recently passed away, and he had family issues to tend to. Dan Rafael makes the point that Bika might merely challenge for Ward’s championship in a fight outside the Super Six tournament, but given the fact that Showtime and the other promoters have tried to get Bika in the tourney twice now and failed, it seems unlikely they would refuse him admission.
Bika comes to fight, so Ward vs. Bika will surely be entertaining. I also give him little chance of getting past Ward and into the Semi-Finals, so it matters little whether he deserves the fight or not. However, if the Super Six was supposed to match the best against the best in a talent-deep division, the inclusion of Bika, Glen Johnson and Allan Green seriously water down the point.
