By John Hill – Unless it was your birthday, December 14th, 2006 is a pretty unremarkable date to most people. In fact, even internet search engines are unable to provide a single event or anecdote worthy of reporting.

In the boxing world however, that date is quite significant as it marks the last time the sport had a genuine Undisputed World Champion among its ranks and the 6 years since, one of the longest periods in the modern era without one.

Although founded in 1988, the criteria for the undisputed crown did not include the WBO title until 2009 and since then no one fighter has been in possession of all four titles simultaneously. Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2-2) was the first man to ever hold all 4 titles together, the only other man to achieve that accolade was Jermaine Taylor (31-4-1) who took possession of them after defeating Hopkins in 2005. Taylor was later stripped of his IBF strap for choosing a re-match with Hopkins over his mandatory challenger.

Since then not a single fighter across 17 weight divisions has been able to repeat what Taylor and Hopkins achieved. You could argue that Armenian little guy Vic Darchinyan (38-5-1) should be on the list, but for me the 3 short days he was in possession of the 115lb titles before the inclusion of the WBO belt in the criteria doesn’t justify a reign, more a ‘wee visit.’ His decision to vacate only his IBF title shortly after, for a shot at the 118lb version suggests he wasn’t even aware of the significance of it at that time any way.

So who, if anyone, will be next on this prestigious list? In the current climate where most of the fighters, considered the best in their division seem to have no interest in facing each other, and their ability to invent increasingly more ridiculous reasons for fights not to be made swells. The chances of seeing our next Undisputed World Champion any time soon seems slim. And although you hear boxing fans from all over the world complaining about the current state of the sport, it appears that most of them are reluctant to leave that fairytale world they have all been living in for the last 6 years called ‘Pound4Pound’ land. A mystical place, free from politics. Where they get to decide who beats who, in fights that never have to take place. And people argue for hours until eventually, everyone agrees never to make a list without Floyd’s name at the top.

There is however, one place that has stood out from all the others for the last few years by consistently providing high quality contests between the best fighters and some fantastic entertainment. The match ups at Super Middleweight over the last 24 months have provided several of my fight of the decade contenders. It’s refreshing to see the best, most talented fighters at their weight willing to face each other without worrying about records or paydays or anything else for that matter. Guys who all believe they are the best and don’t care what it takes to prove it. The Super 6 was always going to be a war and the guys who signed up for it deserve a hell of a lot of credit. The top 8 ranked fighters are so closely matched and I would happily pay good money to see any of them. There is one though who towers over all the rest in terms of quality, and in my opinion will become the next Undisputed Champion of the World and beyond. Of course I’m referring to current WBA/WBC/RingMagazine superstar Andre S.O.G. Ward.

To be honest it took me a while before I started paying attention to Ward, but since I’ve been on board it’s been awesome to watch how he’s progressed. He seems to make massive improvements with every contest and seeing how he totally dismantled Chad Dawson, a guy ranked No1 in the division above and made him look quite ridiculous at times was outstanding.

I’ve got no idea where he stands in the P4P camp, quite frankly I don’t care. The ironic thing is, sometime in 2013, as Ward is being crowned Undisputed Champion. I fear it will be my guy, one of my favourite fighters of all time and someone I’ve been there with for his entire career, Carl Froch that will be left defeated. For me it will be an emotional night, but one I’ll remember with excitement for many years to come.