WBA World Champ Andre Ward to defend his title against Sakio Bika
At one of the rare occasions when he wasn't training or in the ring fighting, Andre Ward was just another fight fan in the crowd. Photo credit: Art Garcia
If you’re a boxing fan and you’re in the San Leandro, Ca. area tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 11:30 a.m., you’re invited to the Press Conference to announce the Andre Ward versus Sakio Bika fight. The Press Conference, open to the all boxing fans, is at Ricky’s Sports Theatre & Grill at 15028 Hesperian Blvd. in San Leandro. Note well: Appetizers will be served.
With a berth in the semifinals of the SHOWTIME Super Six World Boxing Classic already secured, Andre “S.O.G.” Ward will return home to the Oracle Arena to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight championship for the second time against Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) of Sydney, Australia, via Douala, Cameroon, on Saturday, Nov. 27, live on Showtime’s Showbox.
The World Championship night of boxing will begin at 4 p.m. PT featuring undefeated junior middleweight and 2008 US Olympian Javier Molina (4-0, 4 KOs), Sacramento’s undefeated lightweight Stan Martyniouk (10-0, 1KO), Houston’s power-punching Cornelius White (15-0, 14 KOs), plus four other bouts with the main event featuring Oakland’s finest starting at approximately 7 p.m.
After Glen Johnson’s destruction of Allan Green on Saturday for the open spot in the Super Six Super Middleweight Tournament, Johnson should follow as Ward’s next opponent since Ward, the points leader in that Showtime tournament, gets to fight the boxer with the lowest points tally. Just a week ago, they were saying that Ward’s next fight would take place in Helsinki, Finland on November 27th against Green. It’s obvious that with Johnson’s upset victory over Green, that matter has to be revisited.
Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KO's), here facing Joe Calzaghe, has certainly been in the ring against some mighty formidable foes.
Bika certainly has a checkered career. After turning pro in 2000, he got his first big shot in 2006 when he challenged Markus Beyer for the WBC super middleweight title. The fight was stopped after the fourth round due to a cut under Beyer’s right eye caused by an accidental headbutt. The fight was scored a draw. On 14 October 2006 Bika challenged Joe Calzaghe for the IBF and WBO titles. He was unanimously defeated. He then fought undefeated Lucian Bute. Bute won by unanimous decision.
Sakio then fought the German champion Marcus Beyer for the WBC Super Middleweight title in Germany in May 2005. After an accidental head butt in round 4 the doctor ruled Beyer unable to continue. Under WBC rules the bout was declared a technical draw. Then, he was one of the featured boxers on the 3rd season of the reality TV series, The Contender, which premiered September 4, 2007 on ESPN. After wins over Donny McCrary and in a rematch with Sam Soliman (the only fighter to defeat Bika other than Calzaghe and Bute), Bika earned a place in the finals against Jaidon Codrington.
On November 6, 2007, Bika knocked Codrington out to win The Contender 3. The fight was wild, with both fighters being knocked down in the first round. In the end, Bika stopped Codrington in the eighth round by referee stoppage. Bika walked away with $750,000 in prize money.
After the Codrington fight, Bika returned to the ring in Australia with a first round KO of Argentinian Gustavo Javier Kapusi. Bika won the fight at the end of the round with a body shot. He returned to the ring on November 13, 2008, in a fight with former The Contender 1 contestant Peter Manfredo Jr. Bika won by TKO in round 3. With the win, he became the IBO super middleweight champion.
In February, Sakio was scheduled to fight Allan Green but that never happened because of the changes in the Super Six Tournament. Green got to replace Jermain Taylor in the tournament. After facing a journeyman fighter on July 30, 2009, a fellow by the name of Nestor Fabian Casanova who he decked in the opening seconds of round one, he waited a full year to fight again. On July 31, 2010, he faced Jean Paul Mendy in Las Vegas, for the IBF #1 spot and a shot at the title. Bika lost the fight by disqualification in the 1st round after he hit the 36 year old following a knockdown while Mendy was still on his knees.
That’s what any boxing fan would have to call a checkered past.
