Chad Dawson has several options for a great fight, including the winner of Jean Pascal-Tavoris Cloud. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

NEW YORK — It’s no secret that HBO has been pushing for a showdown between super middleweight champion Andre Ward and newly re-crowned light heavyweight titleholder Chad Dawson. The network considers (correctly) Ward and Dawson to be at the top of their respective divisions and sees an opportunity to match two of arguably the top-10 fighters in the world.

On paper, it makes sense. In reality, it’s a terrible idea.

Styles make fights and Ward-Dawson is a stylistic Titanic. One fighter, Ward, is a chameleon, capable of adapting to any style an opponent brings into the ring. But Ward lacks aggressiveness and has made it clear he is not interested in getting into a firefight if he can avoid it. Which, considering his enormous talent, is quite often.

Dawson is equally as talented. He has arguably the best jab in boxing and the speed and elusiveness to go with it. But Dawson hasn’t been in a great fight since … well, I can’t remember when Dawson was last in a great fight. Put those two fighters together, as several experienced matchmakers have told me, and you get a snoozer.

Now, if there was no one else for Ward or Dawson to fight, then maybe it should be something to consider. But the fact is there are opponents out there. On May 26, Lucian Bute will travel to England to take on Carl Froch. Bute, of course, is the other top dog in the 168-pound division. If Bute wins, he could be ready for a showdown with Ward in the fall. Ward, meanwhile, could take a tuneup fight in Oakland (against a Don George-type) and make some decent money from the gate while shaking off the rust. And in September or October, we would finally get a fight we have been waiting for.

Dawson, likewise, has options. On August 11 two top-rated light heavyweights, Jean Pascal and Tavoris Cloud, will face off for Cloud’s alphabet title. It was Pascal who handed Dawson his first loss in 2010 while the undefeated Cloud has power and a fan-friendly style. The winner of Cloud-Pascal will see his Q rating spike considerably, making him a natural fit for Dawson later in the year. If Dawson is anxious for a payday, a unification match with Nathan Cleverly in the U.K. would probably be pretty easy to make. Probably pretty easy for him to win, too.

Maybe someday there will be a clamor for Ward-Dawson. But it’s not today. Neither Ward or Dawson is likely to come cheap, meaning whatever license fee HBO ponies up is going to be a big one. Simply put, that money is better spent elsewhere.

– Chris Mannix

The Super Six final between Andre Ward and Carl Froch has been rescheduled for Dec. 17 in Atlantic City, an industry source told SI.com.

The fight was originally scheduled for Oct. 29 at Boardwalk Hall. An injury to Ward during training last week — a cut above his right eye that needed seven stitches to close — forced the postponement.

– Chris Mannix

Carl Froch is looking for a new opponent now that Andre Ward has backed out. (Tom Mihalek/AP)

So, now what?

That’s the question super middleweight titlist Carl Froch and Showtime executive Ken Hershman are asking themselves after Andre Ward announced Friday that he has to postpone his Oct. 29 Super Six fight due to a cut over his right eye, the latest hiccup in the network’s 168-pound tournament.

While Froch is obviously frustrated, he has to move on. It’s uncertain the fight with Ward will be rescheduled before the end of the year — the combination of the cut, which required seven stitches to close, and the slim number of available dates make it questionable — and Froch’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, wants to keep his 34-year old fighter busy.

The options, however, are limited. Froch is not going to seek out a top opponent, as a loss would claim his alphabet title along with much of the buzz of the tournament final. Besides, most of the name opponents in the division (Lucian Bute, Mikkel Kessler and Robert Stieglitz) are locked into fights anyway.

More likely, Froch will look for a manageable opponent to bring to the U.K., where he has not fought since outpointing Andre Dirrell in 2009. Sakio Bika, Librado Andrade or Noe Gonzalez come to mind. Rising middleweight prospect George Groves — who has a December date with Paul Smith — would do big business in England, though it’s unlikely Groves’s promoter would put Groves, 23, in with Froch this early in his career.

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Carl Froch (left) and Andre Ward (right), shown here promoting the final in England, will likely meet in early 2012. (Andrew Couldridge/ZUMAPRESS.com)

It’s been nearly two years since the launch of Showtime’s ambitious Super Six World Boxing Classic, a made-for-TV tournament designed to crown a “true” champion of the 168-pound division.

What’s a few months more?

The super middleweight title unification fight between WBA champ Andre Ward and WBC beltholder Carl Froch, set for Oct. 29 in Atlantic City, N.J., has been postponed after Ward suffered a cut above his right eye Thursday during a sparring session.

The announcement was made jointly today by Ward’s promoter, Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions, Froch’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport, and Showtime Sports general manager (and tournament architect) Ken Hershman.

“I’m extremely disappointed about this cut,” Ward said in a statement. “We used every precaution, including headgear with a face bar and it was just a fluke situation. My sparring partner and I were involved in an exchange inside and the next thing I knew, I was bleeding. That is the most frustrating thing about this — I don’t have an explanation for how it happened.

“This is very frustrating for my camp and I, and I knew that if the shoe was on the other foot and Froch suffered an injury, I would be extremely disappointed.”

“This is absurd and unprofessional. Ward needs to get his act together,” Froch said, upon hearing the news. “Of course, you’ve got to take the medical advice seriously, but for a cut to put you out of a fight a full five weeks before the event is ludicrous. If it were two weeks out from the fight, maybe I’d understand. But he’s got 35 days to deal with it.  To me, he’s showing his weakness. Nothing changes for me.  I’ll be ready if and when he shows up.”

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