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SUPERFIGHTER
PRESS RELEASE
Melbourne
Superfighter has been cancelled due to circumstances beyond the promoter
Steven Duval's control.
As in all promotions in boxing the unexpected can
always happen and this is just what went wrong with the SUPERFIGHTER
tournament that was expected to take place in Melbourne on 2nd December.
When fighters are bound by the sanctioning bodies
like the IBF not to fight again after a stoppage for a min. period of 28 days.
Kalvin Brock was stopped Nov 4th by Wladimir
Klitschko.
Similarly when is bound by the WBC to have
another fight due to a decision that ends in a circumstance also binding
the fighter to fight again in a given period then it is also an
unforeseeable situation that just has to be accepted.
After winning by a split decision and
controversial media and spectator comments Samuel Peter against James
Toney was ordered to fight a rematch and not have any other fights until
he has.
There was also some visa/entry issues that
further hindered the program.
Bad luck that has to be accepted.
It speaks volumes for the promoter and his team
and associates like Lennox Lewis that put so much effort to call it off,
to say the least for the expenses that were already incurred.
It is a shame that something that was going to be
so good for the local Melbourne boxing fans had to come to this.
It is very galant of the promoters not to get
money greedy and go ahead with a lame program that may have us all
disappointed. "All ticket sales will be
refunded at point of sale".
SUPERFIGHTER has been a success overseas and the
same was to follow here in Melbourne.
YVB will
keep you informed of new future arrangements of SUPERFIGHTER.
Media Release
November 2006
Former Undisputed
Heavyweight Champion of the World, Lennox Lewis,
launches Superfighter
for December 2, Melbourne, Australia
Short bout, elimination boxing for the 21st
century
Set
to bring fast paced entertainment to boxing, Superfighter was launched in
Melbourne Australia on October 17 by boxing great, Lennox Lewis, with
confirmation the first Superfighter event, boasting eight of the world’s
top heavyweight boxers, will be staged on December 2 (Australian time) at
Melbourne’s Telstra Dome.
A
revolutionary new boxing concept, Superfighter will feature shortened bouts
in an elimination tournament. It is designed to produce high intensity
boxing and to reward constant effective punching.
In just four
hours on the afternoon of Saturday December 2 (1-5 pm Australian ESST time),
one fighter will emerge from the eight heavyweight boxers as the inaugural
Superfighter champion and walk away with a prize cheque of US $5 million
from the US $6.5 m event purse.
The event will
be staged at Melbourne’s Telstra Dome in the “All Action” mode, with a
maximum capacity of 14 000 spectators. Superfighter will be beamed live
worldwide with North American viewers enjoying the action exclusive via Pay
per View on Friday night December 1 (NY time 9pm; LA time 6pm)
The line up of
world class heavy weights includes undefeated heavyweight IBF No 1 contender
Calvin Brock (USA), current unified cruiserweight champion O’Neil
Bell (Jamaica), former world IBF Champion Chris Byrd (USA), WBC
No 1 contender Samuel Peter (Nigeria), former World Champion and
Lewis rival Olivier McCall (USA), former world title contender
Jameel McCline (USA), former WBC cruiserweight champion Juan Carlos
Gomez (Cuban), and Tye Fields (USA) who has been undefeated in
his last twenty fights with the majority ending in devastating knock out.
The eight
Superfighter contenders boast over 282 wins, with over 212 coming by way of
devastating knock outs. Combined, they have fought for or defended thirty
world titles
Superfighter
is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur, Stephen Duval. It has the
endorsement of the four major international boxing organisations (IBF, WBC,
WBA and WBO) plus many of the sport’s luminaries including Superfighter
ambassadors, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Lennox
Lewis, and the legendary George Foreman.
Fans watching
around the world will be treated to an elimination tournament over a
shortened bout format of four x 3 minute rounds, with a mere one minute
break between rounds. The four boxers victorious in the afternoon’s
opening bout will meet in the semi finals, with the two semi final victors
facing each other within the hour in the big money Superfighter final.
The winner
will have fought three bouts and defeated three opponents in just four hours
to become the first Superfighter Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Many believe
Superfighter’s unique “sprint” format will revolutionise the sport of
boxing, packaging the “sweet science” for the viewing demands of fans today.
“Nothing
compares to Superfighter. It is a condensed, action packed boxing spectacle
and I am convinced the
Melbourne event will unleash a new chapter in boxing history,”
said Lewis at October’s Melbourne launch
“The
Superfighter champion will have skill, power, speed, technique, stamina and
determination and I’ll be here in the stands, to see first hand, the man who
will win that title.”
Melbourne’s
inaugural Superfighter marks the beginning of the world wide Superfighter
World Series which will see eight competitions each year across eight of the
major weight divisions of boxing.
Knowing
judgements in boxing have often been controversial, Superfighter organisers
have developed a real time, tightly structured scoring system to ensure
totally transparency and credibility.
Three ringside
judges will use keypad computer technology to score the fight according to
the impact of the blow. As they award points, all judges scores will be
beamed live in the stadium and on the telecast. At the conclusion of the
round, the fourth supervising judge will award an “intensity” point to
reward the boxer whose intensity is highest. This score remains undisclosed
until the end of the bout.
Points will be
cumulative over four rounds, with the highest point scorer, the winner.
“We want
Superfighter to transform boxing and take it to the masses and we believe
this high intensity, sprint style, elimination format and transparent
judging will achieve that,” said Superfighter CEO and founder, Stephen
Duval. .
“Make no
mistake, this event is still about tactics and endurance. A fighter has to
remain effective, physically and psychologically for four hours, against
three opponents of varied styles.
“It will be an
electric charged four hours of boxing combining the rules and traditions of
classic boxing with today’s innovation, glamour and spectator demands.”
Tickets for
Superfighter will go on sale on Thursday 19 October through Ticketmaster at
www.ticketmaster.com.au They are priced from $50 through to $1000 for
ringside seats. Telstra Dome will be set up in the new “All Action” mode
with a maximum of 14 000 seats for spectators
In Australia,
Superfighter will be seen nationally on Pay-Per-View live on Foxtel’s Main
Event and Fox Sports in Pubs and Clubs from 1.00pm till 5.00pm Australian
Eastern Standard Summer Time (ESST).
In North
America, Superfighter will be beamed live on Friday December 1,
9pm NY (ET)
and 6pm LA (PT) on Pay-Per-View (check
www.superfighter.tv for local stations or your local guides). It will
also be available across,
Europe,
the middle East, Asia and New Zealand, check your local guides for more
details.
For boxer
profiles, images, audio grabs, VNR and media accreditation visit
www.superfighter.tv
Australian media
release
November 16
2006
Superfighter News
Statement From Stephen Duval Founder and CEO
It is with great regret
that I announce the cancellation of the Superfighter event scheduled for
December 2nd in Melbourne. The team will continue working until
the inaugural Superfighter event is staged, with our intention to hold the
tournament in the United States in early 2007.
When we launched the event
on October 17 in Melbourne, the Superfighter team was confident all elements
were secured to run a successful inaugural tournament.
However, recent
withdrawals coupled with the unexpected challenges for fighters’ securing
the proper clearances to enter Australia in time to train and acclimate
themselves, led Superfighter to the conclusion that the final December 2
field would not be of an appropriate calibre.
The withdrawals are
* USA’s Calvin
Brock has withdrawn after losing the IBF Heavyweight title to Russian
Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday November 4 in a 7th round TKO at
Madison Square Gardens. IBF medical regulations stipulate a boxer must
remain ringside for a minimum of 28 days after a knock-out, hence Brock
cannot compete on December 2
*
Nigeria’s Samuel Peter who has been signed to Superfighter since March 2006
has also withdrawn. He fought James Toney on September 2 in a WBC
eliminator, with Peter winning in a controversial split decision. Due to
spectator and media reaction to the decision, the WBC Board of Governors
recently called a rematch between Peter and Toney. The WBC rematch ruling
includes a clause banning Peter from any further fights prior to his next
meeting with James Toney.
Superfighter’s objective
has always been – and will remain - to showcase the world’s most exciting
elite boxers.
Due to the withdrawal of
Calvin Brock and Samuel Peter, and the visa/entry issues, the investors and
management of Superfighter have made the decision to postpone the event
regardless of the significant monetary losses incurred.
All ticket sales will be
refunded at point of sale.
The Superfighter team
believes in this innovative boxing format and is dedicated to its goals. We
are committed to our promise to fight fans worldwide - to promote world
class boxing events.
Stephen Duval
Founder and CEO
For further information
please contact IRPR
Ingrid Roepers on
telephone 61 2 9360 1166 or
iroepers@irpr.com.au m 04 111 989 44
Julia Everingham on
telephone 61 2 9360 1166 or
jeveringham@irpr.com.au m 0416 033 696
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