Ward vs. Froch: 10 Things We Will Learn from the Super Six Finale

With the conclusion of the over two-year long Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament finally coming this weekend when Andre Ward faces off with Carl Froch, many questions will be answered in the ring this Saturday, December 17th.

All of the delays that have plagued the Super Six tournament have created  more question that need to be answered, the boxing world could use a world-class fight that would culminate a great idea for the sport.

Here are the top 10 things we will learn once the Super Six tournament culminates in Atlantic City, NJ at the Boardwalk Hall this weekend.

If Wards Cut Becomes a Problem

The first thing we have to pay attention to is whether or not the cut that Andre Ward suffered in sparring pre-finals will become a factor in this fight.

We've seen it more happen often in boxing, a fighter who suffers a cut and it ends up becoming a problem spot over the years as scar tissue builds up, making the cut prone to reopening again..

If Carl Froch is smart, he will attack the eye early and often, to see just how healed the cut actually is.

Seeing How Froch Does Against the Best in the Division

After being considered as the top super middleweight for sometime before Andre Ward took over the throne, it will be interesting to see how Carl Froch against a top-tier super middleweight after suffering is first loss as a professional against Mikel Kessler earlier in the Super Six tournament.

If Froch comes out and looks like he doesn't belong in the ring with Ward, then his career will be in serous doubt even with just two losses, and will need to be reevaluated going forward.

Ward Will Show If He Belongs in Top P4P List

As Andre Ward is set to face the toughest opponent in his 24-fight career, we will find out if Ward is worthy of a top 10 pound-for-pound ranking as he currently is in most of the major polls.

Ward has been a rising star in the ring ever since winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic games, and his career will be at new heights with a win over Carl Froch in the Super Six Finals, and make him a three-belt holding champ with the WBA super,  WBC and Ring titles to his name.

If the World Stayed Interested over the Two Years

With all the setbacks the Super Six tournament has had, many of the fans who were originally excited about the tournament, have since lost interest after the over two years the tournament has taken to come to a  finish.

The numbers won't lie, so the numbers at the gate as well as the T.V. numbers will show just how many of the original crowd will have stuck around for a great end of tournament fight between Andre Ward and Carl Froch.

The numbers will serve as a measuring point of sorts so see just how dedicated the current generation of boxing fans are, in an era that the sport has seen a major decline in popularity.

Who Lucian Bute's Next Opponent Will Be

The winner of the Super Six final between Andre Ward and Carl Froch is presumably going to face the currently undefeated IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute sometime early in 2012.

In what will be one of the bigger fights in a year that is expected to yield an even more interesting boxing slate than the action paced 2011 boxing schedule either of the two fighters going up against Bute (30-0, 24 KOs) will be a great draw.

A possible Bute-Ward or Bute-Froch fight would be a Pay-Per-View caliber fight and would put the winner of the fight at the top of boxing's pedestal, right up there with Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Whether Delay Interupted Either Fighters Drive

As stated earlier in this article, the Super Six tournament has seen it's fair share of delay's, and we will find out Saturday night if either Andre Ward or Carl Froch fighting games have been thrown off, after training for has been basically two months extra.

As the two fighters went through their normal training camps before the postponement due to Ward's cut, having trained that hard, then finding out you will have to wait and train for two months longer could weight on a fighter.

If either fighter comes out looking out of tune, or not in tip-top shape due to possible over training, the biggest factor in this fight could be the injury caused delay in the bout.

If Either Fighter Can Break Their Four-Fight KO Drought

Although Carl Froch is known to be more of a power puncher than Andre Ward, it will be interesting to see of either of the two fighters can break either of their four-fight knockout drought Saturday night.

Either fighter has seen a victory by way of knockout since 2009, Froch KO'd Jermain Taylor in April of 2009 and Ward KO'd Shelby Pudwill in September of 2009.

With both fighters talking of how they want to KO one-another, it would seem like who ever wind this fight will do so by way of knockout, but which fighter will it be is the question?

Where the Loser Goes from Here

Although the future will be brighter for Andre Ward if he is to lose on Saturday night, either Ward or Carl Froch still have a chance to become big stars in the sport of boxing if they face the right opponent to rebound from a loss this weekend.

Either fighter would likely see a rematch with fellow Super Six fighter Mikkel Kessler, a rematch that would mean more to Froch as he lost to him in the second round of the Super Six tournament and would give him a chance to avenge his only loss other than if he losses to Ward this weekend.

All roads would lead back to who ever would win their rematch with Kessler against the winner of the Super Six champ and Lucian Bute next year.

In all this has the makings of setting up three stellar fights for the fans to enjoy, which would be a win for a sport looking for some breathing room.

If Ward Can Become the Next Big American Boxer

With the heavyweight division lacking a major star from the United States, the biggest boxer in America is the fighter everyone loves to hate, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Andre Ward has the chance to launch his career to a whole different level, with a win Saturday night.

Ward could be America's star fighter, as he is easy to cheer for and has already done the U.S. proud, winning a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.

A win not only stamps his place as one of boxing's best pound-for-pound, but it should open doors to the 27-year-old fighter that an American boxer has seen in years.

If Showtime Plans on Running the Super Six Again

After the Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch fight is all over with and the impact of the Super Six World Boxing Classic will be studied and it will be interesting to see of Showtime decides to bring back the format for another weight division.

The concept of the tournament is a very solid one and without all the unfortunate delays, the super middleweight edition of the Super Six could have been a bigger success, leaving a good chance we will see this kind of round-robin tournament taking place again.

As the biggest complaint form the average fan being that the top fighters dodge each other, this format brings the best fighters of a division together, giving boxing fans something they have wanted all along, in a simple format.