Andre Michael Ward is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2004 to 2017. He retired with an undefeated record and held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified super middleweight titles between 2009 and 2015, and unified light heavyweight titles between 2016 and 2017.
Jermain Taylor is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2014. He remains the most recent undisputed champion in the middleweight division, having defeated Bernard Hopkins in 2005, and in doing so ending Hopkins' ten-year reign as middleweight champion. This made Taylor the first, and to date, only male boxer in history to claim each title from all four major boxing sanctioning organizations in a single fight. He defeated Hopkins in a rematch six months later, making him the only boxer to have defeated Hopkins twice. Taylor retired as a world champion in the months that followed his capture of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight title for a second time in 2014, after making a substantial recovery from a brain injury sustained earlier in his career.
Glengoffe Donovan Bartholomew Johnson is a Jamaican former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2015. He held the IBF, IBO and Ring magazine light heavyweight titles between 2004 and 2005, and challenged once each for world titles at middleweight and super middleweight.
Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Mikkel Kessler is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) title three times between 2004 and 2013, and the WBC title twice between 2006 and 2010.
Carl Martin Froch is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator. He held multiple world championships in the super-middleweight division, including the World Boxing Council (WBC) title twice between 2008 and 2011, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2012 to 2015, and the World Boxing Association (WBA) title between 2013 and 2015. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight titles between 2004 and 2008, and won the Lonsdale Belt in 2006. As an amateur, Froch won a middleweight bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships, and the ABA title twice.
Joseph William Calzaghe is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified and lineal titles at super-middleweight, and the Ring magazine light-heavyweight title.
George Groves is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2008 to 2018. He held the WBA (Super) super-middleweight title from 2017 to 2018. At regional level, he held multiple super-middleweight titles, including the European, British, and Commonwealth titles between 2010 and 2014. As an amateur, Groves won the ABA middleweight title twice in 2007 and 2008.
Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler was a professional boxing match contested on 3 November 2007, for the WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring super middleweight championship. Calzaghe won by unanimous decision.
Bernard Hopkins Jr. is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016. He is one of the most successful boxers of the past three decades, having held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed championship at middleweight from 2001 to 2005, and the lineal championship at light heavyweight from 2011 to 2012.
The Super Six World Boxing Classic was a professional boxing tournament organized by the Showtime television network in co-operation with Sauerland Event. The tournament was held from 2009 to 2011, with all fights being contested in the super middleweight division. The winner of the tournament, Andre Ward, unified the WBA, WBC and The Ring Super Middleweight titles.
Boxing in the 2010s includes notable events about boxing which occurred between 2010 and 2019. The decade saw high intensity action in the welterweight division. The match between veterans Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao broke PPV records. The broadcast of the fight in the Philippines was watched by nearly half the country's households. Mayweather retired at a record 50-0-0 while Pacquiao became the first eight division champion. The middleweight division saw immense action in the later years of the decade. After a draw in 2017, Canelo Alvarez ended Gennady Golovkin's long reign in 2018. The heavyweight division was dominated by Klitschko brothers before Wladimir's loss to Tyson Fury in 2015. Other talents that emerged were Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder and undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksander Usyk.
Andre Ward vs. Arthur Abraham was a Super Middleweight championship fight for the WBA Middleweight championship. The bout was held on May 14, 2011, at Home Depot Center, in Carson, California and was televised on Showtime. In the co-featured non-televised portion of the card, heavyweight world contender Cristobal Arreola took on Nagy Aguilera of the Dominican Republic.
Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson was a professional boxing match contested on June 4, 2011, for the WBC super middleweight championship. The winner of the bout went on to the Finals of the Super Six World Boxing Classic and face WBA Champion Andre Ward, after his decision win over Arthur Abraham in May 2011. It was held at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States, and televised on Showtime.
Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch was the Super Six World Boxing Classic Final championship fight for the WBC, WBA, & vacant The Ring super middleweight titles. The bout was held on December 17, 2011, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. and was televised on Showtime.
Mikkel Kessler vs. Andre Ward was a professional boxing match contested on 21 November 2009, for the WBA super middleweight championship. The bout was the final match in the first group stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, a tournament staged by Showtime to crown a unified world super middleweight champion and took place at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Brian Magee vs. Mikkel Kessler was a Super Middleweight boxing contest between the defending WBA (Regular) champion Brian Magee, and the number one challenger Mikkel Kessler. The fight was given the title "Hævnens Time" (danish: Time of revenge), because Kessler had to take revenge after Magee defeated two other Danes - Mads Larsen and Rudy Markussen.
Carl Froch vs. George Groves, billed as the Battle of Britain, was a professional boxing match contested on 23 November 2013 at the Manchester Arena. Carl Froch, the defending unified World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-middleweight champion, defeated George Groves via technical knockout in the ninth round, although the ending was mired in controversy.
Carl Froch vs. Mikkel Kessler was a professional boxing match contested on 24 April 2010, for the WBC super middleweight championship. The bout was the second match in the second group stage of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
